Italy #2: The Duomo

The Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore (Basilica of Saint Mary of the Flower) is the main church we saw on our trip to Florence. Normally, it is called "The Duomo". Construction was begun in 1296 during the Gothic period, and completed in 1436. The dome was started only after about 100 years of construction. The dome was supposed to reject traditional Gothic style and do away with the typical external flying buttresses (like at Notre Dame) which were disliked by Italian architects and forbidden in Florence.

The exterior of the Duomo is made of pink, green and white polychrome marble panels.

This is the front of the church - so much detail on every part of the structure!

And the the dome from the inside. I could have looked at it all day, because there was so much going on in the painting. It was supposed to be a representation of The Last Judgement. 

Then we climbed the 463 steps to the top of the dome to see the views outside. This is halfway up, and you can see the detailed marble floors in the church's main entryway.

And one view from above - it looks to me like the typical Italian countryside in the background.

In order to go up to the top of the dome, we had to buy a combined ticket with all the attractions. So to get our money's worth, we decided to "quickly peek" into the baptistery, and we were amazed. This is the ceiling inside, and it is entirely a mosaic!!! Again, it is a representation of The Last Judgement.

A part of the mosaic ceiling in the baptistery - it's gives both the amazing "how did they do that?" and the "ewww, gross!" feeling!