Museo dell'Opera del Duomo

About the museum

The Museo dell’Opera del Duomo opened in 1986, under the direction of Guglielmo De Angelis d’Ossat, in a building on Piazza del Duomo that had recently been vacated by the religious community living there. A first collection of sculptures and stone fragments had already been set up in 1935 in the small loggia and two other rooms of the Palazzo dell’Opera, under the care of Enzo Carli. In 2019 the museum was completely re-arranged by the Florence-based studio Guicciardini & Magni Architetti and received several awards, including the Premio Architettura Toscana.

The route opens on the ground floor with the Porta di Bonanno, followed by rooms on the Romanesque cathedral, on the Gothic sculpture of the Baptistery and on Giovanni Pisano, whose portraits, the bestiary of the gradule and the groups of the Madonna and Child are on display; then come the rooms on Giovanni’s followers, on Andrea and Nino Pisano and on Renaissance production. The upper floor holds the wooden choir furnishings of the Cathedral, the Romanesque carved Christ, the painting by Spinello Aretino, Limoges reliquaries and the goldsmith masterpieces of Giovanni Pisano.

New rooms present the textiles and goldsmith work around the insignia and the funeral pall of Emperor Henry VII, three rooms of liturgical vestments and three of sacred vessels and liturgical books, including the very rare Exultet rolls, which visitors can “unroll” thanks to digital technology. From the loggia there is a view towards the Tower, while in the cloister several of the colossal busts that once crowned the Baptistery, the work of the young Giovanni Pisano, are lined up.

Highlights

• Porta di Bonanno and sculptures by Giovanni Pisano from the Baptistery and the Cathedral
• Madonna and Child and goldsmith masterpieces by Giovanni Pisano
• Insignia and funeral pall of Emperor Henry VII (Arrigo VII)
• Exultet rolls and liturgical codices with digital consultation
• Wooden choir of the Cathedral and painting by Spinello Aretino
• Cloister with the colossal busts from the crown of the Baptistery

Permanent exhibition

• Percorso permanente: scultura, tessuti, oreficerie e libri liturgici – Over two floors the museum presents medieval Pisan sculpture, Cathedral furnishings, vestments, sacred vessels and illuminated codices.

Founded

1986

Operated by

Opera della Primaziale Pisana

Admission & discounts

Each ticket for a monument in the square includes free, unlimited-time admission to the Cathedral. The ticket for the museums and other monuments (excluding the Tower) is valid for one year from the chosen date. The amounts shown come from a 2025 listing (single monument €8); current prices are on the Opera’s website. Online tickets can be bought up to 90 days in advance, or at the ticket offices on site with cash or card.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom: no information
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome: no information
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

A museum listing indicates access for people with disabilities. The Opera’s website offers service charters for deaf people, people with cognitive disabilities, people with reduced mobility, blind and partially sighted people, and a collection of six videos in Italian Sign Language (LIS), “MiracoLIS”, with subtitles. For visitors on the autism spectrum a Sensory Bag is available, with a guide in Augmentative and Alternative Communication.

Kids & families

Free admission for children under 11 accompanied by an adult.

Getting there & parking

Amenities & dining

Toilets in both museums are free for ticket holders.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit