Across the square from the cathedral is its 14th-century octagonal baptistry, elegantly banded in green-and-white marble to a design by Andrea Pisano. An ornate square marble font and soaring dome enliven the otherwise bare, red-brick interior. Buy tickets here for the Capella di San Jacopo and bell tower, both inside Cattedrale di San Zeno.
Battistero di San Giovanni
Pistoia
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
20.38 MILES
Home to the world's greatest collection of Italian Renaissance art, Florence's premier gallery occupies the vast U-shaped Palazzo degli Uffizi (1560–80),…
Basilica di Santa Maria Novella
19.89 MILES
The striking green-and-white marble facade of 13th- to 15th-century Basilica di Santa Maria Novella fronts an entire monastical complex, comprising…
20.36 MILES
This fortress palace, with its crenellations and 94m-high tower, was designed by Arnolfo di Cambio between 1298 and 1314 for the signoria (city government…
20.15 MILES
At the heart of Florence's university area sits Chiesa di San Marco and an adjoining 15th-century Dominican monastery where both gifted painter Fra'…
20.26 MILES
Florence's duomo is the city's most iconic landmark. Capped by Filippo Brunelleschi's red-tiled cupola, it's a staggering construction whose breathtaking…
20.28 MILES
This awe-inspiring story of how the duomo and its cupola came to life is told in this well-executed museum. Among its sacred and liturgical treasures are…
29.8 MILES
One of Italy's signature sights, the Torre Pendente truly lives up to its name, leaning a startling 3.9 degrees off the vertical. The 58m-high tower,…
20.23 MILES
A Renaissance masterpiece, the duomo's cupola – 91m high and 45.5m wide – was built between 1420 and 1436. Filippo Brunelleschi, taking inspiration from…
Nearby Pistoia attractions
0.02 MILES
The bishops' palace, wedged next to the cathedral, provides a fascinating tour of Pistoia's urban history, ranging from touchable scale models of…
0.02 MILES
Scale the sky-high, red-brick campanile (bell tower) of the Cattedrale di San Zeno for a wonderful bird's-eye view of Pistoia's iconic cathedral square…
0.03 MILES
This cathedral with beautiful Pisan-Romanesque facade safeguards a lunette of the Madonna and Child between two angels by Andrea della Robbia. Its other…
0.04 MILES
Don't miss this beautiful small square, with its laid-back cafe life and striking, life-size sculpture of three blindfolded men, Giro di Sole (Around the…
0.05 MILES
This striking, life-size sculpture of three blindfolded men (1996) by contemporary Pistoia artist Roberto Barni (b 1939) sits in Piazzetta degli Orgaggi.
0.05 MILES
Pistoia's Gothic Palazzo Communale is strung with works by Tuscan artists from the 13th to 20th centuries. Don't miss Bernardino di Antonio Detti's…
0.08 MILES
Just steps from Piazza del Duomo is this beautiful gem of a Romanesque church, thought to date from the 8th to 10th centuries within the ancient city…
8. Chiesa di San Giovanni Fuorcivitas
0.08 MILES
Gargantuan black-and-white striped marble facade aside, the star turn of this striking Romanesque church fronting Via Cavour is Luca della Robbia's glazed…