In this guide
💡 The Short Version: Easter Sunday 2027 is 28 March. The Scoppio del Carro, the cart of fire, is on the morning of Easter Sunday in Piazza del Duomo. In 2026 the cart left Via il Prato at 7:30, the Calcio Storico draw was at 9:45, the Colombina flew at 11:00 and the show ended at about 12:30. The evening before, the blessed fire was lit on the Duomo steps at 21:00. The whole Duomo complex is shut on Easter Sunday, and the area round the cathedral is closed to traffic from 06:00. The city council, the Comune di Firenze, posted the 2026 timetable five days before Easter, and it is the pattern below. Or book a walk: the Renaissance and Medici Tales walking tourad is from €12 for 2 hours.
⚠️ Easter Sunday is a closing day. The Opera di Santa Maria del Fiore closes the cathedral, dome, Bell Tower, museum, Baptistery, Santa Reparata and its ticket office on Easter Sunday. Santa Maria Novella is closed to visitors on Good Friday and Holy Saturday.
The timetable, as it ran in 2026
Easter fell on 5 April in 2026. The Comune di Firenze posted the programme on 31 March. The times below are the 2026 ones (Comune di Firenze).
| When | What | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Holy Saturday 20:00 | The procession of the Florentine Republic leaves for the church of Santi Apostoli e Biagio to collect the Stones of the Holy Sepulchre | From the Palagio di Parte Guelfa |
| Holy Saturday 21:00 | Vigil and lighting of the blessed fire | Steps of the Duomo |
| Easter Sunday 07:30 | The cart, the Brindellone, leaves its depot | Via il Prato, then Borgo Ognissanti, Piazza Goldoni and Via Roma |
| 08:10 | The flag-throwers of the Uffizi perform | Piazza del Duomo |
| 08:20 | The authorities’ procession leaves, joins the mayor at 08:50 and goes on to the cathedral | Piazza di Parte Guelfa, then Piazza della Signoria |
| 09:45 | Draw for the Calcio Storico tournament | Piazza del Duomo |
| 11:00 | At the Gloria the Colombina runs along the wire and sets off the cart | Cathedral high altar to the cart outside |
| About 12:30 | The cart returns to its depot and the Stones go back to Santi Apostoli | Via il Prato |
The historic procession in Piazza della Signoria before the Scoppio del Carro. Photo: Yair Haklai, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
The oxen that pull the cart arrived at the Cascine park at 05:00 and left at 06:15. From 06:00 the area inside Via Cerretani, Borgo San Lorenzo, Via dei Servi, Via dei Calzaiuoli and Piazza della Repubblica was closed to traffic.
Fireworks from the Scoppio del Carro beside Giotto’s Bell Tower. Photo: Celuici, Wikimedia Commons, CC0.
What you are watching
The Brindellone is a cart of fire drawn by two pairs of white oxen decked with flowers, escorted by 150 members of the historic procession of the Florentine Republic. It is parked between the Baptistery and the cathedral. At the Gloria in Excelsis the fuse of the Colombina is lit; the dove runs to the cart, and the mortars and fireworks on it go off (Comune di Firenze, Cultura).
The Brindellone and one of its white oxen in the centre of Florence. Photo: Celuici, Wikimedia Commons, CC0.
The Comune dates the rite to the First Crusade. Pazzino de’ Pazzi brought back three flints from the Holy Sepulchre, and the fire struck from them was shared among the families of the city. “Brindellone” is Florentine slang for a tall, lanky, slightly unsteady person.
The Duomo in Holy Week
The Opera di Santa Maria del Fiore published its Holy Week hours on 25 March 2026. Easter Monday followed the regular timetable (duomo.firenze.it).
| Day, 2026 | Dome | Cathedral |
|---|---|---|
| Monday and Wednesday | 8:15 to 18:45 | 10:15 to 15:45 |
| Holy Thursday | 12:15 to 15:45 | 12:30 to 15:45 |
| Good Friday | Closed | 10:30 to 15:45 |
| Holy Saturday | 11:15 to 16:30 | 11:00 to 15:45 |
| Easter Sunday | Closed | Closed |
The Bell Tower (8:15 to 18:45), the museum (8:30 to 19:00) and the Baptistery (8:30 to 19:30) kept their normal hours from Monday to Saturday. The Santa Reparata crypt ran 12:30 to 16:00 on Holy Thursday and 10:30 to 16:00 on Good Friday, and 11:00 to 16:00 on Holy Saturday. The dome needs a booked slot and photo ID: see Duomo tickets and the dome climb.
Other places at Easter
- Santa Croce. The basilica is free on Easter Sunday, from 14:00 to 17:30, with no admission after 16:30 (Santa Croce). See Florence’s churches.
- Santa Maria Novella. The basilica and museum are closed to visitors on Good Friday and Holy Saturday (smn.it).
Weather
At Firenze Peretola, the airport weather station, March averages a high of 16.3°C and a low of 5.3°C with 7.1 rain days, and April a high of 19.9°C and a low of 8.0°C with 8.6 rain days (LaMMA, 1991 to 2020). The clocks go forward on 28 March 2027, the morning of the Scoppio. The month-by-month table is in the best time to visit Florence.
Where to sleep
The cart stands in Piazza del Duomo and the Holy Saturday fire is lit on the cathedral steps, so the hotels within a few minutes’ walk of the square are the ones that avoid the early road closure: see hotels near the Duomo. For the other areas, where to stay in Florence compares them.
After Easter
The Calcio Storico final is on 24 June 2027, a Thursday, in Piazza Santa Croce. For the sights to book around the holiday, see what to book before you go to Florence. For how to fill the days, Florence in one or two days and 3 days in Florence set out the order, and Christmas in Florence covers the other festival season.
Common questions
When is Easter in Florence in 2027?
Easter Sunday is 28 March 2027 and Easter Monday is 29 March. The clocks go forward on the night of 27 to 28 March. The Scoppio del Carro is on the morning of Easter Sunday, and the Holy Saturday fire is on the evening of 27 March.
What time is the Scoppio del Carro?
In 2026 the cart left Via il Prato at 7:30, the draw for the Calcio Storico tournament was at 9:45 in Piazza del Duomo, the Colombina flew at the Gloria at 11:00, and the cart went home at about 12:30. The Comune posted the 2026 timetable on 31 March, five days before Easter.
What is the Colombina?
A rocket in the shape of a dove. At the Gloria it runs along a wire from the high altar of the cathedral to the cart outside and sets off the fireworks on it. The Comune's culture pages say that for centuries the way the dove flew was read as an omen for the harvest.
Is the Duomo open on Easter Sunday?
No. The cathedral, dome, Bell Tower, museum, Baptistery, Santa Reparata and the ticket office were all closed on Easter Sunday in 2026, and the Opera di Santa Maria del Fiore lists Easter Sunday as a closing day every year. On Easter Monday 2026 the whole complex returned to its regular hours.
What happens on Holy Saturday in Florence?
In 2026 the procession of the Florentine Republic left the Palagio di Parte Guelfa at 20:00 to collect the Stones of the Holy Sepulchre from the church of Santi Apostoli e Biagio, and at 21:00 the blessed fire was lit on the steps of the Duomo.
Is the Calcio Storico draw on Easter Sunday?
Yes. In 2026 the draw that pairs the Torneo di San Giovanni matches took place at 9:45 in Piazza del Duomo, before the Scoppio. The final is always on 24 June, a Thursday in 2027.
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