Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
the technology to span the hole with a dome even existed. No
problema.
They knew that
someone soon could rise to the challenge...and the local architect Filippo Brunelleschi did.
First, he built the grand white skeletal ribs, which you can see, then filled them in with in-
terlocking bricks in a herringbone pattern. The dome grew upward like an igloo, supporting
itselfasitproceededfromthebase.Whentheribsreachedthetop,Brunelleschiarchedthem
in and fixed them in place with the cupola at the top. His dome, built in only 14 years, was
the largest since Rome's Pantheon.
Visible from all over the city, the dome of Florence's cathedral has inspired Florentines
to do great things. Most recently, it inspired the city to make the area around the cathedral
delightfully traffic-free.
Cost and Hours:
Cathedral interior—free; Mon-Fri 10:00-17:00, Thu until 16:00 May
and Oct, until 16:30 Nov-April; Sat 10:00-16:45, Sun 13:30-16:45, audioguide-€5, free
English tours offered but fill up fast, modest dress code enforced, tel. 055-230-2885,
Crowd-Beating Tips:
Massive crowds line up to see the huge church: Although it's a
major sight, it's not worth a long wait. To avoid the lines, go late, as crowds tend to subside
by late afternoon.
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Climbing the Duomo's Dome
Brunelleschi's dome was the wonder of the age, the model for many domes to follow, from
St. Peter's to the US Capitol. People gave it the ultimate compliment, saying, “Not even the
ancients could have done it.”
For a grand view into the cathedral from the base of the dome, a peek at some of the
tools used in the dome's construction, a chance to see Brunelleschi's “dome-within-a-dome”
construction, a glorious Florence view from the top, and the equivalent of 463 plunges on a
Renaissance StairMaster, climb the dome. Michelangelo, setting out to construct the dome
of St. Peter's in Rome, drew inspiration from the dome of Florence. He said, “I'll make its
sister...bigger, but not more beautiful.”
Cost and Hours:
€10 ticket covers all Duomo sights, also covered by Firenze Card,
Mon-Fri 8:30-19:00, Sat 8:30-17:40, closed Sun, last entry 40 minutes before closing, arrive
by 8:30 or drop by very late for the fewest crowds, enter from outside church on north side,
tel. 055-230-2885.
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Campanile (Giotto's Tower)
The 270-foot bell tower has 50 fewer steps than the Duomo's dome (but that's still 413
steps—no elevator); offers a faster, relatively less-crowded climb; and has a view of that
magnificent dome to boot. On the way up, there are several intermediate levels where you
can catch your breath and enjoy ever-higher views. The stairs narrow as you go up, creating
