Florence through the eyes of Robert Langdon: Following in the footsteps of Dan Brown’s "Inferno"

Imagine waking up in your hotel room and remembering nothing. Outside, one of the most beautiful cities in the world awaits – and hidden somewhere in its alleyways lies a deadly secret. This is exactly how "Inferno", Dan Brown’s thriller, begins – a film adapted for the screen in 2016 starring Tom Hanks in the lead role. Florence is far more than just a backdrop: the city is a character in its own right, a puzzle and a reward all at once.

We’ll take you on a tour of the actual filming locations and show you how you can experience this adventure for real.

Why Florence? The city as a living script

Florence was no random choice for Dan Brown. Like almost no other place, the city combines beauty and the abyss, art and power politics, open squares and secret passageways. Anyone exploring the old town on foot will quickly realise: here, every façade tells a story, every cobblestone a chapter. No wonder a professor of symbology might lose his mind in this labyrinth – or perhaps find it again.

An overview of the filming locations: five stops through "Inferno"

1. The cathedral and the skyline: the first breath

Anyone seeing Florence for the first time will immediately understand why the film begins right here. The Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, with its immense dome designed by Filippo Brunelleschi, dominates the city’s skyline like a serene giant. At the end of the 14th century, Brunelleschi achieved a feat of architectural engineering that still amazes engineers today: the world’s largest masonry dome, built without scaffolding.

In the same cathedral square stand Giotto’s bell tower – the climb is worth it for the view alone – and the Baptistery of San Giovanni with its famous bronze doors. In the film, this view over the rooftops is captured several times, almost like a promise: this is where the mystery begins.

a&o travel tip: Early in the morning, you’ll have the Piazza del Duomo almost to yourself.

2. Palazzo Vecchio: Power, art and a secret on the wall

The Palazzo Vecchio, also known as the Palazzo della Signoria, is one of the film’s central locations. Several scenes are set in the spacious Salone dei Cinquecento, the Hall of the Five Hundred, which was once built as an assembly hall at the behest of the preacher Savonarola.

Something that hardly anyone knows, and which "Inferno" cleverly picks up on: the walls of this hall were originally intended to feature murals by Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo. Both works – Leonardo’s "Battle of Anghiari" and Michelangelo’s "Battle of Cascina" – were never completed and were either lost during later renovation work or painted over. Some art historians believe that Leonardo’s fresco still lies hidden beneath a later layer of plaster. A mystery that remains unsolved to this day.

a&o travel tip: As well as the Salone dei Cinquecento, it’s worth taking a look at the small cabinets on the upper floor, which hardly any tourists know about.

3. Vasari Corridor: the city’s most secret passageway

For one of the film’s most thrilling chase scenes, director Ron Howard uses the Vasari Corridor – and this is more than just a dramatic device. The corridor is an elevated, covered passageway built in 1565 at the behest of Cosimo I de’ Medici in just five months. It connects the Palazzo Vecchio, via the Uffizi and the Ponte Vecchio, to the Palazzo Pitti on the other side of the Arno.

The reason for its construction was eminently pragmatic: the Grand Duke wanted to link his official residence with his private home without having to travel through the streets, where he was at risk of assassination. For centuries, the corridor remained closed to the public. Today, it can be visited on guided tours – an experience that gives you the feeling of truly peering behind the scenes of the city.

4. The Uffizi: World Art as a Crime Scene

The Vasari Corridor leads directly to the Galleria degli Uffizi, one of the world’s most important art museums. In the film, the museum provides the breathtaking backdrop for several key scenes. Anyone who has ever strolled through the long galleries featuring Botticelli’s "The Birth of Venus", Raphael’s Madonnas and Caravaggio’s dramatic play of light will understand why it was chosen: this museum is itself a kind of labyrinth full of symbols, references and hidden meanings.

a&o travel tip: Booking the Uffizi online well in advance is essential. Queues on the day can last several hours.

5. Ponte Vecchio and Boboli Gardens: A grand finale with a view

The Ponte Vecchio, the oldest surviving bridge over the Arno, is one of Italy’s most distinctive landmarks. Butchers and tanners once ran their businesses here. The stench was so unpleasant that Cosimo I issued a decree assigning the shops to goldsmiths and jewellers. To this day, the bridge is lined with small jewellery and goldsmith’s shops.

On the other bank of the Arno, the path leads to the Boboli Gardens behind the Palazzo Pitti. This is where one of the film’s key sequences ends, in the Grotte di Buontalenti, one of the most bizarre Renaissance creations of all: stalactites made of artificial stone, half-finished figures that seem to be breaking free from the walls, and the feeling of stepping into another world. The garden itself – laid out in the 16th century under the Medici and later expanded by the House of Lorraine and the House of Savoy – is one of the city’s greenest oases.

Your ‘Inferno’ tour: practical tips

The five stops can easily be explored on foot in a single day. The route leads from Piazza del Duomo via the Palazzo Vecchio and the Uffizi, across the Ponte Vecchio to the Boboli Gardens – a distance of barely two kilometres, but exciting enough to fill a whole day.

Here are a few tips to help you make the most of your visit:

• Early bird advantage: The Palazzo Vecchio and the cathedral open early. If you set off at 8 am, you’ll have the first few hours to yourself.
• Book the Uffizi in advance: Online tickets not only save time but also spare you the hassle.
• Visit the Boboli Gardens in the afternoon: The light is particularly beautiful in the afternoon and the tourist groups have thinned out.
• Don’t forget Dante: As ‘Inferno’ draws heavily on Dante’s ‘Divine Comedy’, it’s worth popping into the Museo Casa di Dante, a small, often-overlooked museum just a few steps from the Palazzo Vecchio.

Staying overnight in Florence: Affordable and comfortable with a&o

For all this, you need a good base – ideally one from which you can set off early in the morning without having to spend half an hour on a city bus first. The a&o Firenze Campo di Marte is situated in the lively Campo di Marte neighbourhood, well connected to the Old Town by public transport and considerably quieter than a hotel right next to the cathedral.

The a&o offers everything you need for a journey of discovery like this: clean, comfortable rooms, ranging from shared dorms for solo adventurers to double rooms for couples, free Wi-Fi and an optional breakfast in the morning to set you up for the day. If you’re a member of the a&o Club, you’ll also get up to 25 per cent off your booking.

Florence is a city you have to visit several times. Once for the art history, once for the food, once for the alleyways you missed the first time round – and once in the footsteps of Robert Langdon, when night falls and the lights of the Piazza della Signoria cast a long, golden shadow.

Got hooked?

Then book your trip with a&o to Florence!