Florence’s cathedral is more than the dome that marks the skyline. Inside Santa Maria del Fiore, broad Gothic arches frame a spacious nave, while painted monuments, stained glass and the great clock reward a slower circuit. Outside, coloured marble ties the church to the ensemble around Piazza del Duomo.
A cathedral built across centuries
Work began in 1296 under Arnolfo di Cambio. Francesco Talenti enlarged the project, and the cathedral was consecrated in 1436 after the completion of the dome. The ornate facade is a later, nineteenth-century design by Emilio De Fabris, so the exterior does not belong to one building campaign.1
Two shells above the city
Brunelleschi’s dome joins an inner and an outer shell. White ribs divide the terracotta covering, while the interior carries the Last Judgment painted by Giorgio Vasari and Federico Zuccari. Seeing that painted surface from the cathedral floor and taking the dome route are distinct experiences.2
Keep the visits distinct
Cathedral entry does not include the dome climb. The Baptistery, bell tower, Santa Reparata and Opera del Duomo Museum are other monuments in the same complex, with their own access arrangements. The museum preserves original works made for these buildings, giving the sculptures a second setting in which to study them.2,3,4
