Duomo and Baptistery

You are standing between two buildings that sum up Florence: the octagonal Baptistery, where for centuries every Florentine was baptised, Dante included, and the cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, whose dome changed the history of architecture.

1Brunelleschi's dome

The cathedral was begun in 1296 to a design by Arnolfo di Cambio. The problem came at the end: nobody knew how to roof a gap some 45 metres across. In 1418 a competition was held, and it was won by Filippo Brunelleschi, a goldsmith with no architect's training. Between 1420 and 1436 he raised a double brick dome without centring, the wooden framework that was always used, laying the bricks in a herringbone pattern so they held themselves up. Pope Eugene IV consecrated the cathedral on 25 March 1436.

The facade you see is not medieval: the original was left half-done, dismantled in 1587, and the present one, by Emilio De Fabris, was unveiled in 1887.

2The Gates of Paradise

Turn towards the Baptistery. Its east door, the one facing the cathedral, is the work of Lorenzo Ghiberti, who spent from 1425 to 1452 on it: ten panels of gilded bronze with Old Testament scenes in perspective. According to Vasari, Michelangelo said they were fit to be the gates of Paradise, and the name stuck. The ones you see are copies; the originals are in the Museo dell'Opera del Duomo.

3What to look for

• The Gates of Paradise, facing the cathedral facade.
• Giotto's bell tower, begun in 1334 and about 85 metres high.
• The white ribs of the dome, converging on the lantern.