The foldout watercolored map for Piazza del Duomo, Florence’s religious center.
Brunelleschi’s Cupola ~ Part way up the ascent, the corkscrew passage emerges onto an interior balcony overlooking the cathedral’s main altar, where frescoed images of the Inferno in Giorgio Vasari’s Last Judgement loom at horrifyingly close range. The remainder of the climb is between the dome’s two shells, which makes it possible to see the construction details. Brunelleschi’s design is beautiful, efficient and timeless, and he seems to have thought of everything. He was an architect in the true spirit of the Renaissance, working as a designer, artist, psychologist, sociologist and urban planner. In his Lives of the Artists, Vasari describes how: ‘Filippo had wineshops and eating places arranged in the cupola to save the long trip down at noon … he supervised the making of the bricks, lifting them out of the ovens with his own hands. He examined the stones for flaws and hastily cut model shapes with his pocketknife in a turnip or in wood to direct the men . . . In fact, he improved the practice of architecture and brought it to a perfection that it might not have otherwise attained among the Tuscans.
Climbing to the top of Giotto’s bell tower ~ Today is stormy—perhaps a strange choice of day to climb the campanile, but even more dramatic than usual. The rain blows through the large windows on every landing, drenching each of us who has decided to attempt the ascent. After huffing and puffing up the four hundred and fourteen steps, I catch my breath before the view takes it away. Florence appears to have arranged itself into a living map: the rooftops lie below in ordered chaos, punctuated only by the domes and bell towers that help distinguish the various neighborhoods. The rain has all but passed. An overcast sky hangs low, gathering the city and its surroundings under it like a cloak, making everything feel closer. There is a distinct contrast in texture and pattern between the softness of the hills and the geometry of the rooftops and streets. Blanketing the hills to the south are all shades of Tuscan foliage, and scattered among this verdant palette are blocks of terracotta, ochre, beige, pale rose and white tumbling randomly down the hills into a sea of roofs and walls.
The Piazzas ~ Piazza del Duomo and the adjoining Piazza di San Giovanni are very different from Florence’s other major squares, which are usually spacious, open volumes with buildings sitting around them like spectators. Instead, as befits their importance in the city, the cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore and the baptistery, or Battistero di San Giovanni, take center stage in their respective piazzas. Although hints of the cathedral appear from countless points throughout the city, there are no grand spatial preparations like those provided for the cathedral of Saint Peter’s in Rome: Florence’s Duomo announces itself quite suddenly . . . . . . I feel a connection to this center wherever I am; the Florentines’ wish to never be away from their cupola too long makes perfect sense. I like the way the patchwork of endless details on the Duomo’s façade remains bright, even under the grey days that fill the interior with gloom, how the thoughtful statues of Arnolfo and Brunelleschi quietly look upon the bustle as sirens from the Misericordia’s ambulances call attention to local emergencies. And as the cheerful bells note the passing hours, I can hear them all the way across the river, from my home in Piazza Pitti.
Details of the cathedral’s exterior ~ While each approach into the piazza reveals a different slice of the Duomo, once I reach the piazza the colorful patterns and geometry are still an overwhelming surprise after the quieter tones of most of Florence’s buildings. It never fails to impress me. I especially like the view seen through the slight gap between the façade and the bell tower; the vertical elements that make up the south side are seen at an oblique angle, their intricacy highlighted by the sun and the resulting shadows. And the door surrounds are exquisite. Border after border frames each door—every one of them completely different from the others. The façade is most lovely on an autumn day, just before the disappearing sun leaves the city in shadow. For a few moments the marble glows, defying the cold that it feels.
The baptistery (foreground) and the cathedral.
The cathedral’s dome, also known as the cupola.
The shadow of a Gothic window in the bell tower.
What to do ~ - Climb to the top of the Duomo’s cupola or bell tower for a 360° view of the city’s rooftops. - Wander through the Duomo’s understated interior, or the baptistery’s mosaic-covered one. - Visit the Museo dell’Opera del Duomo to see original works from the religious complex, as well as models and drawings and more. - Have a look in the area’s artisan shops, many of which sell Florentine paper items.
When I first visit a new place, I always appreciate being able to look down on it from a high-up vantage point, whether from a bell tower, a rooftop terrace, a skyscraper or a hilltop. In Florence, climbing to the top of the campanile or the cathedral’s cupola has been an invaluable way to familiarize myself with the layout of the streets and landmarks.
~ Piazza del Duomo ~
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Detail of one of the Duomo’s entrances.