Florence is so full of magnificent art, it amazed me that my eyes didn't pop right out of my head. What makes Florence even more amazing is that much of the art is available for viewing without paying anything or even going inside a building.
In the Piazza del Duomo are three buildings, each of which is a feast for the eyes. The Cathedral, more commonly known as Il Duomo for its famous dome, and the Baptistery of Florence stand in a huge rectangular area and occupy two separate but communicating squares: Piazza del Duomo and Piazza San Giovanni.
Piazza del Duomo 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. The basilica is the fourth reconstruction of the original temple, the result of the later and fundamental project by Arnolfo di Cambio (1296) and crowned by the revolutionary cupola by Brunelleschi (1420-1436), a symbol of the Renaissance demonstrating man's ingenuity. Many have commented that the cathedral seems turned inside out. So beautifully coloured and embellished by the marble on the outside, so plain inside.
In the centre of Piazza San Giovanni is the Baptistery right in the centre, thought by some to be the first Christian church in the city, as it was built in late Roman times, around the 4th-5th century A.D., on the ruins of what was possibly a Roman temple dedicated to the god Mars.
The Baptistery as we see it today, which has always represented an architectural reference point for Florentine artists, dates from the 11th-13th century, when the external covering of marble, the interior and the mosaics in the cupola were completed. There are three doors in gilded bronze, the most famous of which is the so-called "Doors of Paradise" designed by Ghiberti. These are clearly the most popular. When we saw the three doors, only this set were polished to a golden gleam and the crowds were packed around them, while few went inside the Baptistery and even fewer were looking at the other two sets of doors.
The third building is Giotto's 85 metre bell tower, or campanile, designed by the famous artist in the last three years of his life (1334-1337), continued by Andrea Pisano and completed in 1359 by Francesco Talenti, who also added the original terrace on the top. It stands on the right of the Cathedral facade.
Going to the top of the duomo and the top of the campanile appears to be a very popular thing to do for tourists. The queues were horrendous and as I don't like heights, I was glad to give them a pass. There's a fee of €6 for each of Il Duomo and the bell tower. There are no elevators, so if you like heights, be prepared for the 463 steps of the Duomo and 414 steps for the campanile. There is also €3 admission for the baptistery but the cathedral is free.