Firenze, day 2: Il Duomo

Lots of tourists...and Il Battistero (Baptistry) and Il Duomo (Cathedral)

Side view of the Baptistry and Duomo


Ceiling of the Cupola--the good side

Ceiling of the Cupola--the scary side. 3 headed demon with a 1/2-eaten body coming out of each mouth...ewww...

Ceiling of the Cupola

Narrow staircase in between the 2 layers of Brunelleschi's cupola

View of Santa Croce

View of the Palazzo Vecchio (Old Palace, home of the Medici family)


Looking down over the edge of the dome--very steep!





View of Santa Croce (Holy Cross)

View of Campanile (bell tower)

I thought this was so sweet--it's sad yet romantic and hopeful...


Ceiling of the Duomo


Church interior, looking down from the dome


Statues on the climb up to the Cupola

After breakfast, I went to the Duomo (Cathedral) to climb the Cupola. It's the world's 4th largest cathedral, and construction began in 1296. The round ceiling was left open for a cupola, but at the time the technology didn't exist to build one. Brunelleschi designed it and invented machines to construct it (the machines are in the cathedral's museum), and it was completed in 1436. The climb is intense--463 narrow steps--but the views of Florence from the top are absolutely worth it. The Duomo dominates the skyline, so when you're at the top, you really are at the highest point in the city and you can see everything--Florence, Fiesole, the Appenines, etc.