BASILICA DI SANTA MARIA DEL FIORE & THE BATTISTERO
Perhaps the most famous landmark in Florence, the Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore (commonly known as The Duomo) took 170 years to complete, created by the best architects and artisans of the era. Begun by Arnolfo di Cambio in 1296, the many-faceted cathedral was taken over by Giotto (who began the Campinile, later finished by Francesco Talenti, and is given credit for designing the facade), then completed by Giovanni di Lapo Ghini, Alberto Arnoldi, Giovanni d’Ambrogio, Neri di Fioravante, Orcagna, and finally, Filippo Brunelleschi (who completed the dome and cupola). The dome was the first octagonal design in history, weighing 37,000 tons and containing over 4 million bricks. My favorite anecdote, which I learned from the tour:
At the base of the dome, just above the drum, Baccio d’Agnolo began adding a balcony in 1507. One of the eight sides was finished by 1515, when someone asked Michelangelo — whose artistic opinion was by this time taken as cardinal law — what he thought of it. The master reportedly scoffed, “It looks like a cricket cage.” Work was immediately halted, and to this day the other seven sides remain rough brick.
Across the street, the Battistero di San Giovanni (Baptistery of St John) is believed to be the oldest building in Florence, home of Lorenzo Ghiberti’s infamous doors; while these are adequate copies, the originals now reside at the Museo dell’Opera del Duomo. The 21-year-old Ghiberti claimed he had won the competition for the North doors, even though Brunelleschi shared the honor with him; his prideful competitor left for Rome, allowing Ghiberti to make the doors himself, which then took 21 years to finish. In 1425, the now famous sculptor began a commission on the East doors with the same technique (”rilievo schiacciato” or “flattened relief”), which took 27 years to complete. Michelangelo rightfully proclaimed them the Gates of Paradise. Dante was baptised at the Battistero and was rumored to have broken one of the lower baptismal fonts to rescue a drowning child.
