Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
120
soaring above you. From 1575 to 1580, Giorgio Vasari and his student Federico
Zuccari painted the bulk of
The Last Judgment
fresco covering the interior of the
dome. It's no Sistine Chapel, but, still, imagine the challenges involved in paint-
ing with quick-drying materials on a curved surface more than 45m (150 ft.)
above the ground.
For a closer look at both the painting and the dome, take a walk up the 463
steps to the
cupola
5
(
€
6; Mon-Fri 8:30am-7pm, Sat 8:30am-5:40pm).
The line
for this climb can sometimes wind around the corner, but there's no better way to
appreciate the engineering marvel of the dome. The steps can be exhausting,
crowded, smelly, and claustrophobic, but that just makes the view on top that
much more appreciated. Interestingly, when seen up close, the figures painted on
the dome look almost impressionistic, with vague features and skewed propor-
tions. Vasari wasn't lazy when he drew the figures this way, he planned them to be
viewed from the perspective of people on the church floor.
For fewer steps and crowds, and for an actual view
of
the dome instead of
from
it, climb
Giotto's Bell Tower
(Campanile di Giotto;
€
6; daily 8:30am-7:30pm).
This nearly became Florence's version of the Leaning Tower of Pisa because
Giotto couldn't quite transfer his painting talent into architecture. He created the
plans and finished the first level of the structure by his death, in 1337. When the
next level was added, the tower nearly collapsed under its own weight, and had to
be redesigned. Now standing a sturdy 75m (250 ft.) tall, the tower offers great
views over the city of Florence, and excellent photo-ops of the dome.
The
Baptistery
555
(
€
3; Mon-Sat noon-7pm, Sun 8:30am-2pm),
across
from the front of the Duomo, has the doors that opened the way to the
Renaissance. Here was one of the first major works to incorporate the period's
naturalism and semi-realistic perspective. (Ghiberti also began the era of unreli-
able contractors--it took him 27 years to finish a commission that was supposed
to take 5.) For an instant comparison between periods, go to the south (entry)
doors and view Andrea Pisano's far less dynamic 1336 Gothic work.
Ghiberti, who won the commission in a contest between himself, Donatello,
and Brunelleschi, created the north doors first. The panels, all scenes from the New
Testament, are actually reproductions. To protect them from the elements, the
originals have been moved inside the Museum of the Duomo (see below). After his
brilliant success with the first panels, Ghiberti didn't have to compete for the right
to create those on the east side of the Baptistry, and many feel that these are his real
masterpiece: 10 panels of Old Testament scenes that flow splendidly one to the
next, and are among the most exquisite creations of the Renaissance. When he first
saw them, Michelangelo is said to have exclaimed, “These doors are fit to stand at
the gates of Paradise,” and ever since they've been nicknamed “the Gates of
Paradise.” Amid the splendor of the doors, you may forget to enter the Baptistery,
but the interior boasts some spectacular Byzantine mosaics from the 1200s.
The
Museum of the Duomo,
called
Museo dell'Opera del Duomo
5
(Piazza del
Duomo, 9;
%
055-2302885;
€
6; Mon-Sat 9am-7:30pm, Sun 8:30am-1:30 pm),
is
a must for persons interested in the development of the church (and many contem-
porary travelers may have read the best-selling
Brunelleschi's Dome
by Ross King, a
highly recommended read for anyone visiting Florence). Here you'll see the original
panel doors of the Baptistery (for reasons of preservation, those outside are copies),
models of the Duomo, and even the death mask of architect Brunelleschi.
