Rosa was a wonderful tour guide who managed to pack a brilliant experience of so much sights and info it a short time! She was very passionate and informative about the city, its history and its art and gave us a really good overview of the Duomo and surrounding area, as well as lovely little local stories that brought the tour to life. We loved the Duomo museum which we were not even aware existed - so it was great to have Rosa explain everything and tell us the meaning and symbolism behind all the incredible work. The view from the top of the Duomo - so worth the climb!

Our tour took place on a national holiday so all of the historic locations were very busy with long queues. The three locations on the tour i.e. the Baptistry, the Cathederal and the Dome were certainly worth visiting and our guide was excellent. However, the concept of skip the queue simply doesn't exist, certainly not on a busy day. Furthermore, the guide only stays with you for the Baptistry and Cathederal part of the visit then you have to come back at the appointed time to do the Dome climb by yourself. In our case the tour started at 13.00 and finished at about 14.45 then we had to hang about until 16.30 for our slot to enter the Dome. So, my advice is to allow plenty of time for this tour which could take far longer than advertised depending on demand. Also, tickets to enter all three attractions and a few more besides that have a three day validity period can be purchased at the tourist office for €30 per head.

Our guide was awesome! Wish we were able to take it when we originally scheduled it for since he gave us some great tips about florence in general. Now we know for next time though. Stairs weren't as bad as we thought. If you were to get tired, there are resting points. It does get pretty narrow towards the top.