| DUOMO
SKYLINE
The Cathedral or Firenze Duomo was built in the late 1200s
and stands in the centre of Florence in a gigantic rectangular
area known as Piazza del Duomo. The Duomo is also known as
the basilica of Santa Maria del Fiore (the third largest cathedral
in the world after St. Peter's in Rome and St. Paul's in London),
and Piazza San Giovanni.
Not a lot of people know this but the Baptistery
is older than the Duomo and was the first christian church
to be built in the city around the 5th century... it replaced
what was formerly a Roman Temple designed for worshippers
to pay homage to the then much revered Roman God of War Mars.
Although the Duomo was built in 1297 the
Duomo's Cupola or Dome was only designed by Brunelleschi in
the early 15th century. It was considered such a masterpiece
of engineering that students from all over the world still
come to Florence to study it... The Florentine's themselves
love the Duomo so much that they still respect a medieval
law which decrees that no other building in Florence may be
built higher than than it... that is why even today from just
about any vantage point in Florence the Duomo still dominates
the Florentine Skyline...
The Duomo's facade Santa Maria del Fiore
was added in the 18th century.
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Hotel Botticelli Florence > Florence Virtual Tour > Duomo Skyline
