Duomo of Florence

Santa Maria del Fiore is the Cathedral of Florence. Its construction was begun on the ancient foundations of the church of "Santa Reparata" in 1296 by Arnolfo di Cambio, then continued by "Giotto", and - after 1337 - finished by Francesco Talenti and Lapo Ghini.
In 1412 its name was changed into "Santa Maria del Fiore" and on March 25, 1436, when the building of Brunelleschi's Dome was finished, it was consecrated by Pope Eugenio IV.
Inside are artworks by the greatest Renaissance masters such as Donatello, Michelangelo, Giotto, Brunelleschi and Vasari. In 1418 Filippo Brunelleschi won the competition announced by the "Opera del Duomo" to complete the Cathedral with a dome. The project was so revolutionary that it seemed almost inconceivable at the time. This extraordinary masterpiece of engineering resulted in the famous "Sciopero delle Maestranze" - the Workers' Strike - which ended with all the workers being fired.
The construction finally ended in 1434, and two years later the "lanterna" - the highest marble-made part of the dome - brought the total height from 298ft to 374ft, impressive for the time. Once ended the Dome immediately looked like something astonishing, never seen before.

The famous Giotto's Bell Tower is on the right side of the cathedral. Giotto created this tower between 1334 and 1337. Building proceeded slowly as Giotto created both the external covering and the structure simultaneously, thus slowing down work. After his death in 1337 the work was continued by his student Andrea Pisano who built the "Ballatoi", the upper floors with splendid double lancet windows. It was finished by Francesco Talenti in 1359.
The Bell-tower, 84.70 meters high, has a square plan with strong angular, octagonally shaped pillars running the whole way up, giving the building a feeling of continuity.