Being the first day of the holiday, I pushed my luck a little and managed to persuade the Blonde into a second cathedral in one day. She was feeling lenient because of the reckless selection of LOBS the night before (all the best relationships are based on compromise!) and I made the most of it. And so we landed up at Santa Croce.

The church of Santa Croce dates back to the tail end of the 13th century. It is most definitely gothic in appearance with a fussy marble frontage facing onto a large and strangely unwelcoming piazza. It is the ancient home of the Franciscan Order (with Santa Maria Novella home to the big rivals, the Dominicans) and replaced a smaller church on the same site. The ticket booth is situated to the left of the cathedral’s front entrance – a few euros get you in to the church itself and a few more will include the museum next door.

The huge interior is an absolute delight. Frescos, many by the influential Giotto, are in abundance around the walls and tucked away in a row of narrow chapels to the rear. If you have a taste for 14th century devotional art then this, after the Uffizi, is your thing. The church is also famed for being the permanent resting place of many an important Florentine. One wanders over many of the less well known – the top quality berths line the walls. Here you will find Michelangelo, Galileo (eventually . . . his heretical heliocentric nonsense finally forgiven), a monument to Dante (his body is elsewhere), and my personal favourite, Machiavelli. The tombs are grand with some realistic carvings of the great and the good in repose and various worthy inscriptions (hang around a tour guide if you want to know more – there are no handy translations on show).

We reached our ‘devotional art threshold’ relatively quickly and headed out into the first cloister where we stumbled across the delightful Capella dei Pazzi. It is the work of Brunelleschi, carried out some time after he’d made his reputation with the Duomo’s mighty dome. I’m no Renaissance expert but the guidebooks say this typifies the early period when architects and artists were reviving classical Romanesque geometry and detail. It has a temple look about it, reminiscent of the front of the Pantheon, and is seductively peaceful as it seemed to escape many of the crowds.

Florence has an awful lot of churches and, unless you’re a devoted fan of Madonnas, Ascensions and altars, your threshold will be reached before you see them all. If, like us, you just want the cream of the crop (and the Blonde wanted only the crème de la crème – there were cafes to enjoy too you know!), then include Santa Croce.

This 1294 Gothic-style church contains the fascinating tombs and massive monuments of many famous Florentines, among them Galileo, Dante, Rossini, Michelangelo, and Machiavelli. Here, too, is Donatello's 15th-century "Annunciation." Also notable is a 1338 fresco by Gaddi of an angel appearing to sleeping shepherds. Its claim to fame is being the first true night scene in Western art.

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Yet another creation of Arnolfo di Cambio (end of 13th century), this gorgeous church continues to be the place of burial of the prominent Florentines. Here you are literally walking on the graves, since the floor is covered with tombstones of clergy and citizens of the city. The tombs along the walls however are what everybody comes over here for. As you enter the church along the left side you will see Galileo’s tomb. Galileo was actually denied a Christian burial because of his research but over a century later Guilio Foggini designed this tomb in memory of the great scientist. To the right of the entrance you will first see Michelangelo’s tomb designed by Vasari with figures of Painting, Architecture and Sculpture reminding us of tremendous achievements during his lifetime. Then there is Dante’s tomb. Dante was exiled and is not buried in Florence. The tomb was erected 500 years after his death to commemorate the great Florentine poet. Further along this side there is also Machiavelli’s tomb designed by Spinazzi, and tomb of Leonardo Bruni, the great Humanist of his time, by Rossellino as well as tombs of several Florentine nobles. There are also more modest plaques with names of famous poets and scientist including several of the names from the 20th century like Fermi who is famous for research in nuclear physics. The church also has Giotto’s frescoes dating back to 14th century, and a real treat for anybody who loves Renaissance architecture – Cappella de’ Pazzi (Pazzi Chapel) - designed by Brunelleschi in mid 15th century.

Santa Croce is, in my opinion, the most beautiful and interesting church in Florence. It has been called the "Westminster Abbey" of Italy. The large sanctuary contains the graves of many famous Italians, including Rossini, Machiavelli, and Galileo (who was not allowed a Christian burial until almost 100 years after death!), along with Dante's empty memorial. ~~~~

There are some beautiful artworks in the church, including frescoes explaining the holy cross (for which "Santa Croce" was named). The church is a Franciscan one, and there are paintings dedicated to St. Francis as well. You can also see the high-water mark of the 1966 flood on many of the columns in the chapel. It did extensive damage to the building. ~~~~

After viewing the sanctuary area, if you go to the right of the pulpit, through the door and into the connected building, you can look around in the leather school. Some of the city's best quality leather pieces can be found here. They have inexpensive souvenir pieces, in addition to the more costly jackets and purses. On Sundays you must enter through the garden.

The church also has a small gift shop with religious items in addition to the usual posters, books, and postcards. ~~~~ If you can only see a few attractions in Florence, I highly recommend you make one of them Santa Croce. It can easily be seen in half an hour, and is definitely a must see. Remember not to wear shorts inside the church.

Well no trip is complete for me without a visit to a graveyard or to tombs. I loved this church! It is a beautiful old church with gorgeous floors and frescoes but the real treat for me were the tombs of so many famous people. Michelangelo, Rossini, Galileo and Dante are all there. This is just a few of the magnificent crypts there.

There were beautiful marble statues and side altars. I enjoyed walking around in the silent atmosphere and being in awe of my surroundings.

Remember this is a church and they request that you do not wear shorts