Today, the beautiful city of Florence was honored to receive a visit by Pope Francis. Despite the proximity to Rome and the Vatican City, this is an event that doesn’t happen very often. We have to go back in history for almost thirty years to see another Pope in Florence, it was John Paul II in 1986, and another twenty years to see Paul VI, who celebrated the mass for Christmas in Florence after the devastating flood of the river Arno in 1966.
- The Duomo Complex and Its Hidden Terraces
- Price: $61.80
Actually, this is a visit to Prato and Florence. Prato, just a few kilometers away from Florence, is an industrial city which in recent years has been hit very hard by the consequences of the economic crisis. There is where the Pope arrived by helicopter this morning at 7:50 am. Then he met the laborers in front of the Duomo of Prato. At 9 am he moved to Florence to reach the Duomo, where he spoke to the participants at the fifth Symposium of the Italian Church and visited the Baptistery. At 11:30 he moved to the Basilica of Santissima Annunziata, speaking to the disabled people who rely on the assistance of the Catholic Church od Florence. There is where he had lunch, registering for a meal like any other homeless. After a short rest in the palace of the Archbishop, he moved to the soccer stadium to celebrate the mass, which is still ongoing at the moment of writing. At 5 pm the Pope should leave Florence to reach Rome by helicopter.
It was not easy to be in Florence today, with all the security measures, the “barricades” in Piazza del Duomo and many streets closed to traffic. Hopefully, I can take my son at his basketball training session in two hours…
Here you can find a photo gallery of the visit of Pope Francis in Florence:
- Florence Opera del Duomo Museum Small-Group Tour
- Price: $42.70
- Florence Baptistery and Duomo Museum Tour
- Price: $65.17
- Private Opera del Duomo Museum Guided Visit
- Price: $240.46

Leave a Reply