| Piazza
del Duomo: |
The
Cathedral or Duomo and the Baptistery of Florence stand in
a huge rectangular area and occupy two squares: Piazza del
Duomo, which contains the basilica of Santa Maria del Fiore
(the third largest cathedral in the world after St. Peter's
in Rome and St. Paul's in London), and Piazza San Giovanni,
with the Baptistery right in the center. |
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| The
Cathedral (Il Duomo): |
The
Duomo is ornately decorated on the outside with inlaid
green and white marble, but is visually unexciting on
the inside, except for the visions of the apocalypse
painted on the inside of Brunelleschi Dome's ceiling
and the orologio (clock) on the front wall. The orologio
will not give you the time of day; this 24-hour clock
runs backward, starting its cycle at sunset, when the
Ave Maria is traditionally sung.
The
exterior of the Dome rises 100m into the air, making
it instantly recognizable from anywhere in Florence.
|
| |
| Giotto's
Belltower: |
| The
82m high campanile (or belltower) next to the duomo has
a pink, green, and white marble exterior that matches
the Duomo and Battistero. Giotto drew the design and laid
the foundation in 1334 but died shortly after. Francesco
Talenti completed it in 1359. |
| |
| The
Baptistery of San Giovanni: |
The
exterior of the Baptistry has the same green and white
marble patterning as the Duomo, and the interior contains
magnificent 13th-century Byzantine-style mosaics. The
famous "Gates of Paradise" , doors in gilded
bronze, depicts scenes from the Bible in exquisite detail.
These doors were cast between 1330 and 1452. |
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