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What to do in Florence on June 24 - a holiday AND a Monday?

This year, St John the Baptist Day in Florence falls on a Monday (June 24). Since most major museums and sites are closed on Mondays and it's a city-wide holiday, I'm asking for suggestions on what do that day. Will shops and restaurants be open? What about markets? Should I consider a day trip instead? I have no interest in any of the St. John the Baptist Day festivities except the fireworks at night! I'm traveling with my husband and teenager. Any ideas are appreciated!

Posted by
1082 posts

I just did a dummy ticket selection for the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore. I selected June 24th. There are tickets available. Tickets are valid from June 24-26. There are also the Giotto and Ghiberti experiences which include fewer venues.
"Brunelleschi Pass includes access to all monuments of Piazza del Duomo allowing visitors a complete experience with a single ticket: the Baptistery of San Giovanni, Giotto's Bell Tower, Brunelleschi's Dome, the Opera del Duomo Museum and the ancient basilica of Santa Reparata. The validity starts from the date selected for the visit to the Dome."

Posted by
16623 posts

Amy, the Uffizi and the Boboli Gardens are both scheduled for special openings on June 24th:

https://www.uffizi.it/en/news/uffizi-by-night-2024

"Other special openings are scheduled on Mondays, which are normally the Galleries' weekly closing day: the Uffizi and the Boboli Gardens are regularly open on 1 and 29 April, 24 June (Feast Day of St. John, Patron Saint of Florence) and 30 December."

Posted by
16133 posts

Museums will be open, some even for free on that special occasion. You can also go to see the final historical football game in the afternoon (Piazza Santa Croce). Restaurants will be largely open in the city center. Shops depends. But if you just cross the border into the next bordering municipalities it will be a regular working day. Fiesole comes to mind, unless you would like to venture to Impruneta or even further to Pratolino (Villa Medici Demidoff) in the municipality of Vaglia.

Posted by
26 posts

Amy, I will also be in Florence on Monday, June 24th, so really appreciate your question and everyone's responses. From my research, it looks like the Basilica Santa Croce will also be open. What I am wondering is, will the crowds be even more intense than normal and are there areas of the city that might be better avoided on this day? (For instance, the Duomo sites are open for touring but will it be too crazy in this area? Also, Piazza Santa Croce....) We arrive in Florence on June 24th around 10:30 am and I'm trying to figure out what to do for the remainder of the day. Possibilities include the Duomo sites, the Basilica Santa Croce, walking to the Oltrarno, the Boboli Gardens, or the Uffizi. (But again, I would rather avoid any areas where the crowds might be even larger than normal.) We would like to see the late afternoon parade that leads to the Piazza Santa Croce (unless it's too crowded to safely enjoy). Does anyone have recommendations for where to watch the parade? I have a recommendation from my airbnb rental host to watch the fireworks around the gardens in front of the Grand Hotel Mediterraneo. I have an 8 year old.

Thanks again Amy and everyone else!

Posted by
1723 posts

Usually on St. John's day there is an high Mass beginning at 10am in the Baptistery and moving around 10.30am to the Duomo, so I cannot understand how the Duomo could be visited in the morning. Maybe it will be open to visits in the afternoon. The Mass is very colorful as all the historic congregations take their place in their robes, and the municipality sends the mayor escorted by trumpet players. For some years I was in the choir and orchestra organization so I had a front place and it was a really nice ceremony, but probably without a connection to get a place in the front stalls you won't see much.

Posted by
4896 posts

My experience of arriving on June 24 about 10 years ago won’t be relevant for what is open, but there was a parade in the afternoon and fireworks over the river at night. While I knew it was a holiday, I didn’t know about the parade or fireworks before we arrived. It was pretty magical and I could only wish that for you.