New social distancing technology for visitors to the Duomo in Florence.

Florence's Duomo, the city's Cathedral of S. Maria del Fiore, reopens to the public on 22 May following a closure of more than two months due to Italy's covid-19 emergency.

Visitors to the cathedral complex will be equipped with a new social distancing device in the form of a high-tech necklace that beeps, vibrates and flashes when people come within two metres of each other.

There is no cost for the gadget which will be disinfected between usage.

Visits to the Duomo are also free of charge - until the end of May - with online booking mandatory.

Visitors will have access to the cathedral, baptistery, Giotto's bell tower and the Museo dell'Opera del Duomo, while those who wish to visit Brunelleschi's cupola will have to wait until 18 June.

Timothy Verdon, director of the Duomo Museum, said the cathedral is the first in the world to employ the device in a museum context, adding that visitor numbers will be reduced in line with Italy's social distancing measures.

Florence also reopened the Boboli Gardens on 21 May, with Palazzo Pitti reopening on 28 May and the Uffizi on 3 June, reports Italian news agency ANSA.

Brunelleschi's dome

The reopening of the Duomo comes in the same year that Florence marks the 600th anniversary since construction work began on Brunelleschi’s cupola, a landmark which has dominated the skyline of the Tuscan capital for six centuries.

In 1418 the ingenious design for the dome was awarded to 41-year-old Florentine architect, engineer and goldsmith Filippo Brunelleschi, who is considered a founding father of Renaissance architecture, and work began two years later.

The cupola remains the world's largest brick dome ever built, with an outer diameter of 54.8 metres and an inner one of 45.5 metres.

Ahead of its scheduled reopening to the public on 18 June, Sky Arte is marking the anniversary with a special two-part documentary, which concludes on 21 May at 21.15, reports Artribune.