Santa Maria del Fiore & Baptistery (Il Duomo) Reviews (Florence, Italy)

La Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore

Moscow, Moskva, Russia

May 5, 2011

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La Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore - Cathedral, Florence, who glorified the whole of Europe. Enchanting structure, whose length is 130 meters and width 90. More imbued this masterpiece arhitekrutnym as familiarity with the history of this ...Read more La Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore - Cathedral, Florence, who glorified the whole of Europe. Enchanting structure, whose length is 130 meters and width 90. More imbued this masterpiece arhitekrutnym as familiarity with the history of this protracted, lasting much as 6 centuries! Everything started back in 1296 when started working on an ambitious project. The tasks were difficult: the size should have been allowed to include all the city's population, and coupled with the dimensions of furniture and decoration were thrust in his belt ancient Tuscan rivals - Siena and Pisa. The temple was built on the site of the old cathedral of Santa Reparata, which had already started to fall apart, and its dimensions are no longer accommodate all the parishioners.

Facade in the form in which we see it, only appeared in 1887, its author - Emilio de Fabris. Thus, a painful, almost shestivekovoe construction was completed.

If you bypass the cathedral on the right will open here a view of the dome. Since its erection byliv time problems due to huge sizes span sredokrestya (42 m). Architect Brunelleschi solved the problem by applying ingenious design: easy hollow dome, consisting of two shells, skeleton system of eight load-bearing edges of shingles of the rings, skylights, and closing the loading code. Since the dome was built without buttresses, and without the forest, Brunelleschi had to invent along the way a number of machines and mechanisms necessary for lifting building materials and structures at high altitude. Along with the lantern of the dome height is 107 m. The outstanding Italian architect Leon Battista Alberti wrote about the creation of Brunelleschi that it was "a great ... towering to the sky building overshadows them all the Tuscan earth. "

Here is the dome itself. It was impossible to get closer, I can not remember why. But even from this distance one can appreciate the skill of painting. Brunelleschi's project did not include decorating, but in the years 1572-79. roof of the dome was painted by artists, Vasari and Dzukkari. Close

From journal The “Cradle of the Renaissance”

Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore

by Zhebiton

Moscow, Moskva, Russia

July 20, 2010

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Best of IgoUgo Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore simply magnificent dome of Brunelleschi, the cathedral is beautiful (especially inside). We decided immediately to his feet. Entrance to the dome (about EUR 6, MF 8.30-17.00, only on foot, an eye-lo 530 steps.) ...Read more

From journal The “Cradle of the Renaissance”

Church at Center Stage

by airynfaerie

St. Augustine, Florida

October 19, 2009

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Best of IgoUgo As star of the city and iconic domed player in the skyline of Florence, Santa Maria del Fiore (Saint Maria of the Flowers) is a must see for any visitor. With a comprehensive array of offerings like climbing Giotto's belltower, exploring the dome, ...Read more As star of the city and iconic domed player in the skyline of Florence, Santa Maria del Fiore (Saint Maria of the Flowers) is a must see for any visitor. With a comprehensive array of offerings like climbing Giotto's belltower, exploring the dome, visiting the museum containing the original works of the church, going inside the baptistry, or just stepping inside the cathedral itself, this church is one of the most well-known structures in Tuscany.

Originally designed in 1294 as the third church to be constructed on this site, Santa Maria del Fiore (commonly just referred to as the "Duomo") went through quite a few periods of work and additions before ending at the structure we see today. The Dome was built by Brunelleschi in 1420 and is still Europe's largest circular dome. The marble facade wasn't added until 1887, and is quite spectacular in detail.

Inside, one might be struck by the simple, almost stark, interior. Very cold and open, the stone walls seem like pavement. As in Gothic tradition, the high arches tower above the visitor leading attention upwards towards the heaven. There are a few notable artpieces to see here, from stained glass by Ghiberti, a fresco by Uccello of Sir John Hawkwood, and of course the painting inside the domed ceiling by Vasari. Colorful, and sometimes graphic depictions of judgment day are represented (but for a better look, climb the dome as you'll get to walk on a pathway just inside the ceiling's border).

Named as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, this Basilica is such an interesting visit. View the tomb of Brunelleschi, sit and enjoy a mass, and try to put yourself in the place of a Florentine during the Renaissance period. It's a bonus if you happen to be visiting during a holiday or traditional festival in which many celebrations are held here at the church or the piazza!

• http://www.duomofirenze.it/index-eng.htm
• Piazza Duomo
• Open 10am - 5pm (Mon - Thurs), 10am - 3:30pm (Fri), 10am - 4:45pm (Sat), 1:30pm - 4:45pm (Sun)
• Free Admission to enter church (various fees for belltower, baptistry, museum, or dome) Close

From journal Churches in Florence - The Major Players

#4 Best View in Florence

by airynfaerie

St. Augustine, Florida

October 6, 2009

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Best of IgoUgo Probably the most famed structure of the Reinassance city of Florence, Italy is the massive red-roofed dome of the Santa Maria del Fiore church - otherwise known as "Il Duomo". Designed by the famed artist Brunelleschi , and completed in 1436, this ...Read more

From journal Best Lookouts and Views Around Florence

On Top of Florence

by American91

Litchfield County, Connecticut

February 12, 2009

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Best of IgoUgo Almost everyone who comes through Florence will at least see the Duomo from afar. A majority of these people, especially tourists, will come up close to this amazing structure, marvel at the intricate detail on the outside of the church, and stand ...Read more Almost everyone who comes through Florence will at least see the Duomo from afar. A majority of these people, especially tourists, will come up close to this amazing structure, marvel at the intricate detail on the outside of the church, and stand with wide eyes, head dropped back, mouth agape, staring at the amazingly intricate mural painted on the underside of the epic dome. This massive church is enough to make any passerby stop, if even for a moment, to look up and truly gain a feeling of insignificance and overwhelming impressment. Giotto's Bell Tower and the massive Duomo dominate the Firenze skyline and are a symbol of the beauty of the city. Now any visitor to this church can surely appreciate the gratitude of it and will undoubtedly enjoy walking through and looking the mural from the floor hundreds of feet below. But there is one activity that may be passed by that every single visitor should partake in. That event is making the trek to the top of the massive dome to marvel at the city of Florence. On the north side of the building is a queue for visitors to enter who wish to go up to the top. During the time I went, the fee was a respectable five Euro, and it was well worth the money. Be warned; the trip to the top is a grueling one. There are no elevators and stairwells are steep and narrow. The trip to the top is long and the way down is equally straining on the knees. If you wish to be rewarded with the greatest view of this city, however, and you feel up to the challenge, I recommend proceeding. For a while, the stairwell wraps around in a dark corridor with no windows and dingy lighting, building up suspense to the view above. Eventually, you will find a window and be graced with a view of the city. However, you are still a long way from the top. Roughly halfway up, you will cross a catwalk which loops around the back of the church, directly under the painted mural on the dome. You will certainly want to take alot of pictures, but continue on as you will come up even closer later in the tour. After circumnavigating the first catwalk, you will spiral around the curvature of the dome for a seemingly very long time, until you reach the pinnacle at the top. Stepping out into the wind is a great feeling, and it feels even better when you realize the view that you have been presented with. For as far as the eye can see, buildings covered with vibrant red roofs treat the eye and on the horizon is the beautiful Tuscan Hills. One of the most dominant features of the view is the facade of the Basilica of Santa Croce, famous for the tombs of Michaelangelo and Machiavelli. When you are finally able to pull yourself away from the illustrious view, you will wrap around the stairwell again and once again take a catwalk around the church, this time directly under the dome (close enough to actually touch the painting). After the journey back down the stairs, you will exit out the south side of the building, likely still awestruck from the beauty of the view and the church. Personally, this is one of the greatest highlights in all of Italy for me and I highly recommend that everyone who comes to the Duomo takes the time and effort to voyage to the pinnacle of the dome. Close

From journal The Glory of Italy

Awesome Duomo

by Lindy27

Manhattan, Kansas

December 12, 2008

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The Duomo in Florence is amazing! Well worth it to go inside and look around. We didn't make it to the baptistry, but I have heard that is worth going into also. Make sure to spend some time relaxing outside in the square as it is pleasent if ...Read more

From journal Florence and Orvieto, Italy

"Brunelleschi is Magic"

by Liam Hetherington

Manchester, United Kingdom

August 10, 2008

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Best of IgoUgo The ensemble of the Piazza del Duomo is stunning. It is weird to think that the cathedral’s distinctive frontage was not completed until the 19th century. I found it hard to imagine it without the green banding you see down its length, and which ...Read more The ensemble of the Piazza del Duomo is stunning. It is weird to think that the cathedral’s distinctive frontage was not completed until the 19th century. I found it hard to imagine it without the green banding you see down its length, and which reflects and echoes that on the Baptistery and on the campanile. The main structure of what you see though dates from the original plans (though with some later modifications) by Arnolfo di Cambio; the first stone was laid on this work in 1296. It was designed as a show of one-upmanship against rivals Pisa and Siena. And when completed in the 15th century this church was the largest in Europe, ‘broad enough to cover with its shadow all the peoples of Tuscany’ as the chronicler Villani put it. Yet no church could be large enough to cover the legions of tourists that now swirl around it.

The exterior is a riot of green and white marble, Romanesque in form, but studded with gothic pointed arches, home to a breviary of carved saints. This duomo is dedicated to Santa Maria del Fiore – St Mary of the Flower. To my mind the one problem is that Brunelleschi’s miraculous red-tiled dome is so vast, and Giotto’s spindly campanile is so tall, that you cannot really fit them into a photograph. Whereas Pisa’s Piazza dei Miracoli has wide-open vistas, Florence’s Piazza del Duomo is hemmed close by buildings.

The interior of the duomo is austerely – and somewhat disappointingly – bare. There is a mural by Uccello, the master of perspective, to the English condottiere (mercenary captain) Sir John Hawkwood. You can also get a half-glimpse of Vasari’s 16th century illustration of the Last Judgement under the dome (dancing skeletons etc). There is also a stairway leading down to the remains of the original Santa Reparata cathedral, for which you have to pay. Save money. Go down and to the left to the giftshop. From there you get an idea of what lies down there. You also get to see Brunelleschi’s tomb.

Why is Brunelleschi so feted? Well, to quote the epitaph from Sir Christopher Wren’s tomb in London’s St Paul’s Cathedral, ‘If you seek his monument, look around you’. The nave is only half the story. As tall again is the immense red mitre of the dome. Octagonal, segmented like an orange, shaped like an egg standing on end (on of Brunelleschi’s favourite tricks), this dome is as huge as a hill. It is Florence’s crowning symbol and its glory, and can be seen to its best vantage from the uplands around the city or – for greater detail – from the top of the campanile. It is still the highest peak in Florence’s city-scape.And it is impossible. The space it had to span was so vast, contemporaries denied any dome could roof it. When Filippo Brunelleschi avowed that not only could the octagonal sanctuary be domed, but then proposed to be the first to not use a wooden supporting frame, his rivals scoffed. And yet, sixteen years later, the dome was completed; allegedly its construction still cannot be satisfactorily explained by today’s architects. The lantern at the top was another piece of Brunelleschi brilliance; again he proved wrong the nay-sayers who doubted this vast canopy could support another structure.

Nowadays the dome also supports sightseers. From 8.30 to 6.20 entry costs €6.00. Claustrophobes and acrophobes avoid, but anyone else I would encourage to pay a visit. You enter from the north side of the nave – you will be able to spot the queue. Aim for the start of the day, or the end to get a shorter wait. 463 stairs lead up – oddly the ascent was not too arduous, and even I didn’t get out of puff. You get a break half-way up. A balcony leads you around the interior of the dome, at the top of the octagonal drum. It is only from here that you are able to see all of Vasari’s Last Judgement. The man is a hack. The devilish tortures he depicts are just prurience – particularly the one poor soul who is getting a flaming torch rammed up his fundament. Still, even the dizzying vertigo you might gain from craning up at the scene is preferable to considering how high above the marble pavement this flimsy narrow walkway projects!

It was the tail end of the day when I went up, 5.45. In March this proved to be exactly the right time to pay a visit. Normally the 180 degree views over Florence are worth the entrance fee alone. At 91m, this is the highest point you can reach in the city – taller than the Palazzo Vecchio’s tower (which is closed to the public anyway), taller (just) than the campanile. To the south is the Palazzo Vecchio, to the south-east Santa Croce, to the north-west the dome of San Lorenzo. But to the west…To the west the sun sank orange, tinting the buildings with its amber light. The change in illumination brought a completely different aspect to the scene from when I had gazed from the top of the campanile that morning – plus half the diorama was not swallowed up by the duomo itself. As the sun dropped behind the rumpled western hills the campanile looked like a rocket to the stars, limned in fire. Along with my fellow tourists I stood in awe-struck silence. The theatre of the moment was really special.

Descending, I saw a spot of remarkably erudite graffiti on a wall: ‘Brunelleschi is Magic’. Indeed.

Even if there is only the slimmest possibility of you revisiting that moment as the sun flared in its dying moments, I would urge you to climb the 463 steps to the dome; hell, I’d be right behind you, pushing you up the tight passages. An ascent of either dome or campanile should be compulsary. In comparison to the vantage point offered up there and the busy green and white of the exterior, the interior is a real let down. Still, at least it is free to enter the duomo.

One last thing. Pay homage to the man himself. On the southern side of the Piazza there is a marvellous seated statue of Filippo Brunelleschi, squinting up at the dome he designed. It is a wonderful humanistic sculpture, and makes this architectural genius seem a pleasant old duffer. Close

From journal Florence, Birth-Place of the Renaissance

Duomo

by Travelny2

New York, New York

May 5, 2008

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Best of IgoUgo Going to the top of the Duomo is one of the highlights of visiting Florence and definately something that you should do while you are relatively young. We are in our early 20's and were sweating by the time we got to the top. I would not recommend ...Read more Going to the top of the Duomo is one of the highlights of visiting Florence and definately something that you should do while you are relatively young. We are in our early 20's and were sweating by the time we got to the top. I would not recommend this climb for the elderly or anyone that is really out of shape.

Entry to gain access to the top of the Duomo is on the north side of the large cathedral, just look for the LONG line, you can't miss it. The line probably took about 45 minutes when we were there which didn't seem too bad. There are a ton of cafes surrounding the Duomo so one of us just left the line for 10 minutes and grabbed some waters and gelato for everybody and came back which made the time pass a little quicker. Might be best not to at high noon as the line is out in the sun so if you are there in the summer it probably makes more sense to try and get there in the morning or later afternoon. Be aware though that the line stops about an hour before they close as far as I remember.

The entry fee is 6 euros and grants you access up the STAIRS to the top of the dome. Having been built hundreds of years ago there is no electronic apparatus too take you to the top. The only way to get there is to walk and parts of the staircase are VERY narrow, VERY steep and can be a little dangerous. About halfway up you will walk around a little catwalk on the interior of the building that affords you a great view of the painted cupola from closeup as well as the vast open space below. After the catwalk is where the climb starts to get really tricky. It is particularly awkward in certain sections where people going up are trying to pass those going down and vice versa. In certain sections there are two separate paths but there are a number of parts where there is only one shared route.

Once you get to the top the view is incredible. You can see all of Florence and the surrounding hillsides of Tuscany in every direction. The observation deck can get pretty crowded but it is a great spot to take some pictures and just enjoy the sights for 10 or 15 minutes. Those who are not fond of heights may get a little uncomfortable up here. Both my friends that I was with started feeling a little uncomfortable after the first 5 minutes or so and just wanted to go back down but I was fine. This is definately something you should do in Florence even if you only have one day. It's the heart of the city and by far the most prominent building. Close

From journal A Few Days in Florence

Santa Maria del Fiore ('Duomo')

by paolo1899

Naples, Italy

September 22, 2007

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Best of IgoUgo This massive structure is one of the most enduring symbols in all of Italy. Located in the appropriately named Piazza del Duomo and dedicated to Saint Mary of The Flower, the Duomo is the third largest cathedral in the world and de facto center of ...Read more

From journal The Duomo Santa Maria del Fiore

Santa Maria del Fiore

by mlmeredith

St. Louis, Missouri

August 10, 2007

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It is at the center of Florence in so many ways...artistically, architecturally, socially, and spiritually.The door to the Baptistry by Ghiberti is amazing, even with the copies of the panels that were put in place after the '66 flood damaged the ...Read more

From journal First Time to Italy

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La Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore

Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore

Church at Center Stage

#4 Best View in Florence

On Top of Florence

Awesome Duomo

"Brunelleschi is Magic"

Duomo

Santa Maria del Fiore ('Duomo')

Santa Maria del Fiore