florence's duomo
we spent a lot of time over our few days in florence around and in the duomo. it has a number of buildings that are also considered part of the complex like the bapistry, the bell tower, and a museum!
it is hard to miss the duomo in florence. it seemed as though it is exactly in the middle of the city. we passed it to go everywhere!
to start with, we bought some sort of combo ticket that included entrance to everything except the dome. the line to the dome seemed rather long (i.e. make a reservation if you decide to go). the dome is pretty interesting since you get to walk around the inside of it and really study the ceiling murals. instead of the dome, we opted to climb up the bell tower, which did not have a line.
the bell tower's formal name is giotto's campanile. the climb to the the top of the bell tower was a relatively standard "climb the tower." it did have nice breaks throughout the climb to view the complex. it gives a magnificent view of the dome and the surrounding city and countryside.
we also went into the bapistery, which is directly across from the doors to the duomo. it was gorgeous. every inch seemed to be covered in ornate and meticulous details. the ceiling contains scenes from biblical stories surrounding the baptism of Jesus and the old testament. below is a view of the ceiling:
the bapistery is one large room that is shaped octagonal as you can see a bit from the pictures below. i loved how symmetric the room and the style was. the room had bits of pieces from all over the globe. the floor pattern was distinctly middle eastern and islamic influenced. there is a massive zodiac "calendar" on the floor. christianity peeks in.
the duomo is beautiful. the siena duomo is probably more ornate and detailed, but the florence version is beautiful in its own way.
leaving the best for last, the museum associated with the duomo complex, the museo dell'opera del duomo. all of the true gems of the complex are actually stored within the museum with replicas in the bapistry, duomo, bell tower, etc. my favorite piece within the museum was this mosaic of a saint. i just loved seeing the intricate placement of the tiles.
the museum does also house michaelangelo's pieta. after seeing this sculpture for a number of years, i loved seeing it up close as well.
the gorgeous doors on the bapistery outside are actually replicas. the real deal exist inside the museum. they are currently being protected within a strict humid, temperature glass compartment. this is just one of about eight panels on one door. in full, they are awe-inspiring!
the other stunning item in the museum is the altar from the duomo. it just sparkles!
definitely worth the time spent, but i think there are a number of ways this visit could have been shrunk down if you had less time in florence. personally, i would climb the bell tower and visit the museum.
time around the duomo complex: 3 hrs
times visited: 2
overall: A
it is hard to miss the duomo in florence. it seemed as though it is exactly in the middle of the city. we passed it to go everywhere!
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| the duomo in the skyline from plazzo michaelangelo |
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| front door |
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| view of the dome from the bell tower |
the bell tower's formal name is giotto's campanile. the climb to the the top of the bell tower was a relatively standard "climb the tower." it did have nice breaks throughout the climb to view the complex. it gives a magnificent view of the dome and the surrounding city and countryside.
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| courtesy of wikipedia.org |
the bapistery is one large room that is shaped octagonal as you can see a bit from the pictures below. i loved how symmetric the room and the style was. the room had bits of pieces from all over the globe. the floor pattern was distinctly middle eastern and islamic influenced. there is a massive zodiac "calendar" on the floor. christianity peeks in.
the duomo is beautiful. the siena duomo is probably more ornate and detailed, but the florence version is beautiful in its own way.
leaving the best for last, the museum associated with the duomo complex, the museo dell'opera del duomo. all of the true gems of the complex are actually stored within the museum with replicas in the bapistry, duomo, bell tower, etc. my favorite piece within the museum was this mosaic of a saint. i just loved seeing the intricate placement of the tiles.
the museum does also house michaelangelo's pieta. after seeing this sculpture for a number of years, i loved seeing it up close as well.
the gorgeous doors on the bapistery outside are actually replicas. the real deal exist inside the museum. they are currently being protected within a strict humid, temperature glass compartment. this is just one of about eight panels on one door. in full, they are awe-inspiring!
the other stunning item in the museum is the altar from the duomo. it just sparkles!
definitely worth the time spent, but i think there are a number of ways this visit could have been shrunk down if you had less time in florence. personally, i would climb the bell tower and visit the museum.
time around the duomo complex: 3 hrs
times visited: 2
overall: A
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