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Florence as seen from the tower of Il Duomo

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The dome and baptistery of Il Duomo as seen from Giotto’s tower

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The Florence Baptistery is one of the oldest existing buildings in the city, constructed between 1059 and 1128. However, an octagonal baptistery has existed on this site since the late fourth or early fifth century. Several important Renaissance figures including Dante Aligieri as well as members of the Medici family were baptised in this building. The impressive ceiling mosaic took about a century to complete, and was constructed in several different phases beginning in 1225.

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The trompe l’oeil dome painting inside of Il Duomo. Originally begun by Baccio D’Agnolo, the artist abandoned the project after being criticized as resembling a “cricket cage” by no other than the bilous superstar Michelangelo Buonarroti. Michelangelo then attempted to remedy what he saw as a disastrous composition, eventually leaving the project unfinished as he believed the original work to be irredeemable. 

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Aside from the floral patterns which make up the floor and the ornate albeit unfinished dome painting by Baccio d’Agnolo, the interior of Il Duomo is surprisingly austere in comparison to its elaborate exterior. 

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Il Duomo framed by neon signs at night

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Views of Florence from atop Piazzale Michelangelo

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views of Florence

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Florentine hillsides as seen from atop Piazzale Michelangelo

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Walking through the streets of Florence

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The exterior of Il Duomo. It is famous for both its both its beauty and its role as a physical representation of stylistic development in Florentine art. The structure was begun in 1296 by Arnolfo di Cambio in a gothic style. The facade was never fully finished, and was then dismantled and replaced by the current facade after an order by Francesco I de’ Medici, and is the product of a collective effort by Florentine Architects. The building also features an innovative egg-shaped dome designed by Brunelleschi in response to a city wide competition to create a dome both stable and large enough to cover the cathedral’s unusually large cupola. Il Duomo’s iconic bell tower was designed by Giotto in the 14th century, and is one of the older elements in the structure, yet displays Giotto’s ability to innovate through its harmony with the rest of the church. Although Giotto never saw the completion of his tower, his burial rests at Il Duomo next to his final project.

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The Uffizi Gallery, begun in 1560 from a design by Giorgio Vasari and originally intended as an office building for Florentine magistrates. Currently the ornate structure contained the famed collections of the Medici family, and is one of the most visited museums in Florence. 

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Views of the Palazzo Vecchio

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Florence really loves its monumental nude sculptures

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View of Florence as seen from the Palazzo Vecchio

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The Stanza delle Mappe geografiche o Stanza della Guardaroba (Hall of Geographical Maps) at the Palazzo Vecchio, a room dedicated entirely to maps made during the 16th century. It’s a fascinating vestige of Florentine ambition during the 1500s, as well as a greater era in which modern European global expansion was born.