The Duomo

From the front entrance. You can't tell very well here, but close up you see that the whole building is a mosaic of white, green and rose coloured marble, and each of the figures is a different saint. The Duomo is the fourth largest cathedral in the world.



intricate floor designs



one of the nicer candle arrangements of an italian church. i lit a candle for my papa every where we went.



The view inside looking down from half way up




The inside of the dome, by Brunelleschi who won a public competition to design it in 1420. He is the figure responsible for the majority of Florentine art and architecture.



Four hundred and something steps up in 30-something degree heat...



All the little teracotta rooftops are a result of council restrictions on what colour people can have thier buildings, roofs and shutters.


The tower next to the dome (not quite as high)



The famous bronze doors of the baptistry - the oldest building in Florence, believed to have been built etween the 5th and 11th centuries. Dante, the Italian equivalent of Shakespeare, was baptised here.