Today December 11, 2018 Angelina and I visited the Duomo. It was even more beautiful than I remembered it. We were able to spend much more time there than I was able to twenty four years ago. We climbed 463 stairs to the top of the dome and the view was certainly worth it, both inside and out.
Here is some history about this cathedral. The Duomo (from Latin domus, as it is the ¨house¨ of God). Florence Cathedral, formally the Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore, is the cathedral of Florence, Italy. It was begun in 1296 in the Gothic style to a design of Arnolfo di Cambio and was structurally completed by 1436, with the dome designed by Filippo Brunelleschi. The Duomo is still the largest masonry dome in the world. The dome´s completion was marked on May 25, 1436, on Annunciation Day and the Florentine New Year.
The Duomo was a fascinating monument to see. It took a lot of effort on Brunelleschi´s half and is astonishing how he figured out how to build it. Sadly, the person that had the idea to build the largest church in the world wasn´t able to see the Cathedral completed because he (Arnolfo di Cambio) died in 1418. The stairs up to the top were very narrow and steep but we eventually got there and the views payed off. The paintings on the ceiling of the Duomo are very graceful and colorful. It was fun to look through the peepholes on the way up and see the spectacular views. -Angelina
Comments