You will have a wonderful time gazing at the golden ceilings and walls. Worth touring this building which is nice inside and out. There are lots of people in and around it. The doors are very famous with the Old Testament stories depicted on the panels.

Didn’t time-manage well enough in Firenze to get past the doors of the Battistero di San Giovanni, but what doors they are! Ghiberti's gold-drenched "Gates of Paradise". The immediate excitement of seeing them at point-blank was somewhat diminished by discovering they are not the originals (understandably you couldn’t have such priceless, high art originals in such an open access location to the public). Copies on the baptistery doors they may be but still a marvel to behold after checking out the nearby Duomo.

You cannot visit the Piazza del Duomo without also going into the Baptistry. So this visit completes the set. Make sure you go into the museum to see the original Baptistry doors up close - stunning beyond words

Completed in the 12th century, the Florence Baptistery is believed to be the oldest building in Florence. Centrally located in Piazza del Duomo across from the Florence Cathedral and Giotto's Campanile, you will not miss this imposing octagonal building built in Florentine Romanesque style and coated majestically in green and white marble. It forms part of the monumental complex of Santa Maria del Fiore, and purchase of any of the monument passes will allow access to the baptistery. Be sure to watch out for the following renowned features of the baptistery: (i) its 3 sets of bronze doors, the most important being the replica of the Gates of Paradise, which features 10 bas-relief panels depicting several Old Testament scenes; (ii) the dome's incredibly complex Byzantine mosaic dating back to the 13th century; and (iii) monumental tomb of Antipope John XXIII.

Our family was making a slow walking tour around Florence, simply following our noses and, to a certain extent, following the crowds. Eventually we came to this main square and the first thing that hit us was the 8 sided Baptistry of Saint John. To be honest, I thought that it looked rather artificial and I was genuinely wondering whether it had been draped in one great, ornate covering to hide building/restoration work just behind. But no, the white marble of this impressive building has been decorated just so. Incredible. We didn't go into this building.