Photos

A view from street level of this large dome which dominates the cityscape of Florence. I wish there had been time to climb and see the view from the top.

Located on the Arno River in Tuscany, Florence (Firenze in Italian) is the birthplace of the Italian Renaissance that spread throughout the western world. Today, millions of visitors flock to Florence to enjoy its fine art and architecture, while about 400,000 people make it their home. Florence abounds in beautiful sacred art and religious buildings. Among the most famous are the Duomo, with its distinctive dome designed by Brunelleschi, Michaelangelo's sculpture of David in the Galleria d'Accademia, and the Baptistery with its elaborate bronze doors by Ghiberti.


The Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore is the cathedral church (Duomo) of Florence, Italy, begun in 1296 in the Gothic style to the design of Arnolfo di Cambio and completed structurally in 1436 with the dome engineered by Filippo Brunelleschi. The exterior of the basilica is faced with polychrome marble panels in various shades of green and pink bordered by white and has an elaborate 19th century Gothic Revival facade by Emilio De Fabris.

The cathedral complex includes the Baptistery and Giotto's Campanile. The three buildings are part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site covering the historic centre of Florence and are a major attraction to tourists visiting the region of Tuscany. The basilica is one of Italy's largest churches, and until the modern era, the dome was the largest in the world. It remains the largest brick dome ever constructed.

The cathedral is the mother church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Florence, whose archbishop is currently Giuseppe Betori. Note from Wikipedia.

Workshop shows a zoom view where the people up the top are more obvious.