If you are able and time permits, I strongly encourage you to take the opportunity to climb the steps to the top of the Cupola of the Duomo in Florence!
The dome of Florence Cathedral dominates the landscape. It is a beautiful, remarkable achievement, and I want to take the time to tell you what you are actually seeing, and, hopefully, climbing.
History
There has been a church on the site of the current cathedral since the year 300! The current church was begun in 1296. By the year 1368 the building was mostly completed. Left undone was the construction of the dome - because no one at the time knew how to construct a dome. In other words, in 1296 they began a building that they did not know how they would finish!
Prior to the dome of the cathdral, the largest dome in the world was the Pantheon in Rome. This ancient Roman structure was built in AD 125. The dome is a perfect semi-circle and spans a diameter of 142 feet. The structure was amazing to the Romans, to the citizens of Florence during the Renaissance, and is still a major draw in the city of Rome today.
In the early 1400's an artist of Florence, Brunelleschi, along with a sculptor, Donatello, traveled to Rome and saw magnificent remains of ancient Rome, including the Pantheon. He knew that he could bring the art and architecture of Rome to Florence. A competition was held in Florence to see who would complete the cathedral, and the award was presented to Brunelleschi. Brunelleschi revolutionized architecture and did what had not been done in 1300 years. He built a dome.
Attempts had been made to cover large open spaces. There were essentially two methods to construction. The first involved setting up a center pole that would support the structure as it was being built. Upon completion, you would tie a rope to the center pole and pull. (I feel I have seen similar tactics in Buggs Bunny cartoons.) Another method was to bring in dirt, filllng the open space, and, then once construction was done, the dirt would be removed. Due to the immense space in Florence, neither method was practical.
The dome of the Pantheon, remember, covered a diameter of 142 feet. The space that the dome of the Florence cathedral would cover is 143. 5 feet. This is not an accident. The builders of the cathedral and the citizens of Florence were ready to make a statement.
The Construction
Work began under Brunelleschi in the year 1426. And it is not just the construction - the laying of bricks and tiles - that gained Brunelleschi his fame. Brunelleschi developed an entire fabrication universe, the likes of which had not been seen prior to the Romans. He developed cranes that were driven by gears that were driven by oxen. These cranes could change gears (like a bicycle) and even reverse, so that equipment could be raised and lowered, without having to change the direction or speed of the oxen. In this way, materials could be delivered all day long, and workers were able to remain on location up on the construction levels all day long. He was even able to provide meals up on the heights!
The Dome
The dome actually consists of two layers, one inside the other. When you walk up the steps you are actually walking between the inner and the outer layer of the dome. You are absolutely aware of the curve of the inner dome as you move higher and higher. Finally you break through to the top and are treated to a magnificent 360 degree view of the Tuscan rooftops.
Part of your ascent will take you inside of the Florence Cathedral, where you can look down on the central area of the cathedral, and up at the interior decoration of the dome.
You can purchase tickets for the cupola in the Museo dell Opera dell Duomo, right in the piazza. Head to the end of the cathedral at the "dome end" and look for the signs for the museum. You can actually climb the bell tower too, and purchase tickets at this time. The lines are long, but, as of the time of this writing, tickets are timed, so you can buy them in advance and line up for your time.
I am often asked about entering the cathedral itself. It pains me to say that more often than not the interior of the cathedral is a disappointment. If you are on a limited time frame, I would be hard-pressed to encourage you to take the time to wait in line to enter the Duomo. I whole-heartedly support climbing the cupola - without hesitation. But for the cathedral itself, you may want to wait until you have more time.
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Piazza del Duomo, Google Maps
For tickets, Museo del;'Opera del Duomo, Google Maps
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