Florence, Italy’s Duomo, Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore
Florence, Italy’s Duomo is one of the city’s most historical and well-known cathedral churches.
With construction begun in 1296 in the Gothic style with the care of Arnolfo di Cambio and finally completed in 1439 with the dome engineered by none other than Filippo Brunelleschi, the Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore is one of Italy’s treasures.
The complex actually includes three UNESCO World Heritage Site buildings and is one of Italy’s largest basilicas. Until the modern era, the Duomo was one of the largest in the world, only being surpassed by the Pantheon dome’s width.
While in Florence, don’t forget to visit one of the most important structrual engineering feats and make it up the dome steps to appreciate Florence as a bird.