May 24, 2024 - Classic Italy
Florence:  Duomo

We had seen the long line to enter the Cathedral, didn't want to spend an hour or two waiting in it, and didn't think we would see the inside.  But there was a Cathedral side door right by the Bell Tower entrance, with a short line.  I vaguely remembered reading somewhere that out Bell Tower ticket also worked for the Cathdral, so we gave it a try and it worked!  We walked right in with virtually no wait.

So here we are inside the Cathdral and I was surprised by how underwhelming it was, compared with the beautiful exterior.

Commenced in 1296 in the Gothic style to a design of Arnolfo di Cambio and structurally completed by 1436 with the dome engineered by Filippo Brunelleschi;[1] the basilica's exterior is faced with polychrome marble panels in various shades of green and pink, bordered by white, and features an elaborate 19th-century Gothic Revival (west) façade by Emilio De Fabris.

The cathedral complex, in Piazza del Duomo, includes the Baptistery and Giotto's Campanile (Bell Tower). These three buildings are part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site covering the historic centre of Florence.

The basilica is one of Italy's largest churches and its dome, when first built back in the 15th century, was the largest ever built in western Europe. Although it was later overtaken by St Peter's Basilica, it still remains the largest dome ever constructed of bricks. The cathedral is the mother church of the Archdiocese of Florence,
   
Rick Steves describes it perfectly as usual:  "While viewing the Duomo from the outside is well worth two stars, the massive but empty-feeling interior is lucky to rate one start -- it doesn't justify the massive crowds that line up to get inside.  Much of the church's great art is stored in the Duomo Museum behind the church (which we would tour next).
   
 
   
Interior of the dome.
   
Main altar.
   
 
   
 
   
The church is particularly notable for its 44 stained glass windows, the largest undertaking of this kind in Italy in the 14th and 15th century.
   
Looking down the long nave -- third longest nave in Christendom -- back to the main entrance.
   

From inside the Cathedral, we descended below into the Santa Reparata crypt.

After a series of investigations that lasted ten years, this archeaological area was opened to the public in 1974.  The remains that have come to light provide a unique cross-section of the urban reconstruction of Florence between the 1st and 14th-centuries.  The early Christian cathedral was built in the first decades of the 5th century AD on an area inside the Roman walls. 

Could this be the tomb of the designer of the famous dome, Filippo Brunelleschi?  It's down here somewhere.
   
Evidence of the vitality of the city of Florence even in the 5th century can be seen in the beautiful mosaic carpet financed by the city's ecclesiastical and aristocratic elite.
   
An interesting model showing the original Santa Reparata church in comparison with the current Cathedral.  The outline shows how large the Duomo really is.
   
The old church fits comfortably inside only a segment of the nave.
   
An interesting exhibit showing some of the tools used to make the different tile shapes.
   
Old tomb covers.  Probably VIPs back in their day; now unknown.
   
 
   
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