A Renaissance City

Florence, the world's art capital, (Firenze) is the capital of Italy’s Tuscany region. A city best explored on foot, it overflows with history, culture and landmarks. Florence boasts architectural grandeur and world-class museums. One of the most recognizable sights is its terra cotta-tiled cathedral dome.

Our tour group of 42 travelers arrived in Florence on a Saturday morning where we met our local guide (above). As most travelers know, weekends are never the best time to visit any popular tourist destination, U.S. or abroad, as everyone is doing the same. We saw a small part of this artful city, including two world-famous cathedrals.

Piazza del Duomo, Florence, Italy (Internet source)

The cathedral complex in Piazza del Duomo, includes the cathedral, baptistery and campanile (bell tower). These buildings are part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site covering the historic center of Florence and are a major tourist attraction.

The Florence cathedral, Duomo, as it's called, is the most commanding structure in this complex and has been called the crown jewel of Florence. This overwhelmingly impressive structure has multicolored marble walls, golden doors, and a dome that dominates the cityscape. The official name is the Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Flower (Cattedrale di Santa Fiore) and it's the cathedral of the Catholic Archdiocese of Florence. 

Considered one of the greatest masterpieces of Gothic art, the Duomo is regarded as a symbol of the wealth and power of the Tuscan capital during the 13th and 14th centuries. In its day, it was the largest cathedral in Europe holding up to 30,000 people. Today it's the fourth largest cathedral in the world surpassed in size by the Basilica of St. Peter in Vatican City, St. Paul's Cathedral in London, the Cathedral of Seville and the Cathedral of Milan. 

The cathedral was built as a basilica on the site of a 7th-century church, remnants can be found in the crypt.  Construction started in 1296 and didn't complete until some 140 years later in 1436 with the dome engineered by Filippo Brunelleschi. 

The reason it took so long is because of the immense complexity of the cathedral's design especially the large dome, which required advanced techniques that didn't exist when construction started. It wasn't until Filippo Brunelleschi, a founding father of Renaissance architecture, developed a groundbreaking solution which took over a century to complete.

During the cathedral's construction, architects from all over the world attempted to figure out how to erect a dome that would be nearly 150 feet wide and that would begin 180 feet above the ground, atop the existing walls.

Brunelleschi solved the problem of how to build the dome by including horizontal and vertical chains to further strengthen the dome. These chains were made of stone and iron within the brickwork and acted as tension rings, holding the dome together and preventing it from collapsing under its own weight. The result has been called an architectural masterpiece. This icon dominates the Florence skyline.When it was built in the 15th, it was the largest ever built in western Europe. Although it was later overtaken by St Peter's Basilica, it still remains the largest dome built of bricks, an estimated 4,000,000 were used. When Brunelleschi died in 1446, he was buried beneath his achievement and remans there today..

The bell tower designed by Giotto di Bondone in 1334 was the most impressive feature of the cathedral before the dome was completed. It is over 49 feet wide and stands 275 feet high. Giotto died before the tower was completed in 1387 according to legend he was upset over a design flaw in that he made the tower's base too narrow. His fears proved correct and the tower was renovated after his death to allow the full height of the construction to be supported at the base. (It's possible to climb the bell tower, all 400 steps to the top; we did not.)

The Baptistery of San Giovanni Battista, the oldest building in the Duomo complex, is considered as one of the city's oldest places of worship. Built between 1059 and 1128, it was named for St. John the Baptist (San Giovanni Battista), the patron saint of Florence, who replaced the Roman god Mars, the god of war. Why? Christianity was attempting to overtake the Pagan religion and to to make this conversation easier, replaced a Roman god for a Christian saint. St. John the Baptist was considered less holy than other saints (not sure of that reasoning.)

Bronze was the primary material used for the baptistry's four entrances (portals). The eastern door, main gate, designed by Florentine goldsmith and sculptor Lorenzo Ghiberti, was renamed the Gates of Paradise (Porta del Paradiso) by Michelangelo Buonarroti because of its striking beauty. It took 27 years to complete (1425 to 1452) and 70-year old Ghiberti installed the last bronze panels The panels consist of 28 scenes of the life of Jesus Christ from the New Testament. 

Over time, the 17-foot high, 3-ton bronze door became one of the most famous works of art in the world praised by generations of artists and art historians for the compelling portrayal of scenes from the Old Testament. It remained in place for centuries, well preserved due to Ghiberti’s high quality of work. It was dismantled in 1943 and hidden in a gallery due to WW II bombings and returned to the baptistry in 1948. After flooding in 1966, some panels were removed for repair. 

We only viewed the exterior and didn't tour the interior of the Florence cathedral or the baptistry and didn't climb the bell tower. This was because of limited time on our visit and lengthy waits. Instead we toured another iconic church.

Piazza di Santa Croce, Florence, Italy

The Basilica of the Holy Cross (Basilica di Santa Croce) is a minor basilica and the principal Franciscan church of Florence. Situated on the Piazza di Santa Croce, about a half mile southeast of the Duomo, it's also one of the more prominent and recognizable churches in the city. It's associated with St. Francis of Assisi, Italy's patron saint.

Santa Croce was built in 1294 by Arnolfo di Cambio Ugo Foscolo to replace an earlier church. It's the largest Franciscan church in the world, noted for its tombs, cenotaphs (empty tombs honoring someone whose remains are elsewhere) and chapels.

Santa Croce has 16 chapels many decorated with frescoes by Giotto di Bondone. Years ago, well-to-do families had chapels built and decorated in their honor and dedicated to a favorite saint (either to appease the church or seek forgiveness for sins).

Tomb of Michelangelo in Santa Croce Cathedral

Initially housing the graves of Franciscan friars, it soon became the burial place of choice for wealthy families, who were commemorated by gravestones on the floor. But, it was with the construction of the tomb of Michelangelo Buonarroti that the basilica became a resting place of Italian notables. The Temple of the Italian Glories was what poet Ugo Foscolo called Santa Croce in 1807. 

When Michelangelo, a Florence native, died in 1564, he was laid to rest in a church in Rome. His body was later stolen by his nephew Leonardo who brought them back to Florence. While efforts were made to keep the news a secret, word spread rapidly. The church became so full that it was difficult to move the body into the sacristy. There, it lay in state to allow people to pay tribute to the artist who had been away for 30 years.

Tombs of Rossini and Galileo in Santa Croce Cathedral

Other notables interred here are Rossini, Machiavelli, and the Pisan-born Galileo Galilei, tried by the Inquisition for his beliefs about the earth revolving around the sun, and not allowed a Christian burial until 1737, some 95 years after his death. 

Dante Memorial in Santa Croce Cathedral

There's a memorial to Italian poet, writer, and philosopher Dante Alighieri, an Italian poet, writer, and philosopher. Dante is buried in Ravenna after being exiled from Florence for political reasons that included corruption and financial wrongdoing.

Fountain of Neptune, Florence, Italy

The Fountain of Neptune (Fontana del Nettuno) is situated in the Piazza della Signoria  in front of the Palazzo Vecchio. The fountain was commissioned by Cosimo Medici in 1559 to celebrate the marriage of Francesco Medici I to Grand Duchess Joanna of Austria. Cosimo Medici, Duke of Florence from 1537-1569, was responsible for many architectural and artistic elements in Florence that still exist now. The fountain has sustained a great deal of damage over the years due to vandalism. It underwent a major restoration completed in 2019.

The Palazzo Vecchio is the town hall of Florence, Italy. It overlooks the Piazza della Signoria, where there's a replica of the sculpture, David, by Michelangelo.

Within walking distance of town hall is the Piazza della Signoria which features the fountain of Neptune. This sea god was sculpted between 1563-65 to celebrate the opening of a new aqueduct. According to our tour guide, the sculpture is called the Biancone (great white) due to of the brilliance of its marble.

Our city tour of Florence was too short and on a very busy weekend on a day when there was no rain in the forecast, unlike previous days. To fully explore the city would require several days which unfortunately wasn't in our tour schedule. 

There are other ways to explore other than walking, here's a couple we saw like this one above. 

Despite the shortened visit time, we spent an enjoyable few hours in this amazing city. Before leaving, we shared a photo opportunity with our Nashua, NH, friends.