Florence. Famous Dome and Bronze Doors

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Overflowing with history, art and culture, Florence is a city that’s very hard to do justice to in a single day. A visit to the Uffizi museum alone could easily eat a day or two into any itinerary.

Starting off in the main Piazza, you’ll easily spot the famous Duomo, with its magnificent terracotta coloured cupola. If you are there early enough to avoid the crowds and feel you can face the 463 steps I’d recommend starting your tour by climbing up into dome for a spectacular view of the city. The Duomo is probably the most distinctive feature of Florence’s skyline and is the result of years of work spanning six centuries.

The Cathedral or Duomo of Florence is heralded as one of the wonders of the magnificent architectural accomplishments of Italy. Adorning the skyline of Florence, Duomo has been one of the greatest tourist attractions in Florence. As we see the Cathedral today, it took more than six centuries with several years of hard work by bands of accomplished architects and sculptors to give a final shape to this splendid piece of architecture. The portals of the Cathedral beckoning tens of thousands of travelers everyday, no trip to Italy can find fulfillment without visiting Duomo.

The basic architectural project of Duomo of Florence was designed by Arnolfo di Cambio towards the end of the 13th century. The central feature of this project is the massive cupola, which has eventually become the official symbol for Tuscany. The cupola was designed by Filippo Brunelleschi, the genius of the renaissance architecture.

The original plan consisted of the octagonal dome of 42 metres span to be built at the east end of the nave. However, this was not accomplished till the 15th century. Filippo Brunelleschi, a goldsmith and sculptor, entered the scene at this point to make statues for the cathedral. Gradually, his interest extended to the building and he suggested a daring proposal in 1415 to build the dome without supporting formwork. The principle behind this was, built in horizontal layers, the stability is enhanced multifold and the construction would not require timber formwork support. The construction was carried out under Brunelleschi’s supervision between 1420 and 1436, consisting of two domes, the inner one spanning the diameter and an outer parallel to protect from weather and provide a majestic external elevation.

Between the period of 1867-87, Emilio de Fabris executed the modern facade of the cathedral, which replaced the one that was destroyed at the end of the 16th century. The Central Museum in the cathedral displays the statues from the former façade and campanile besides the manuscripts in the cathedral’s possession. The endeavour launched in the 13th century came to completion only in the 19th century with the construction of a facade. Through out the progress over the six centuries, certain startling additions embellished the structure ranging from marble flooring of the entire construction, construction of two sacristies, sculptures and frescos and the portrayal of the Last Judgment in the cupola. All these wonderful and amazing features put together make the accomplishment a feast for the eyes of the visitors which open wide with awe.

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