Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, Florence, Italy

The Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, known simply as the Duomo, is the cathedral of Florence and the city’s great landmark. Begun in 1296 to a design by Arnolfo di Cambio and consecrated in 1436, it is crowned by Filippo Brunelleschi’s dome (1420–1436), still the largest brick dome ever built: about 43 meters across inside, weighing around 37,000 tonnes and raised without the usual wooden centring. With its lantern, the cathedral rises 114.5 meters above Piazza del Duomo.

The walls are clad in white, green and pink marble, but the neo-Gothic facade was only completed in 1887 by Emilio De Fabris. Inside, the cathedral is surprisingly plain: look up at the Last Judgment frescoes by Giorgio Vasari and Federico Zuccari (1572–1579) inside the dome, and above the main door at Paolo Uccello’s clock of 1443, which runs counterclockwise and counts the hours in the old Italian way. Under the nave lie the remains of the older church of Santa Reparata.

Entry to the cathedral itself is free, but the queue can be long; it is open Monday to Saturday 10:15–15:45 and on Sundays only for services. The climb up the dome (463 steps, booking required) is part of the Brunelleschi Pass (€30), which also covers Giotto’s bell tower, the Baptistery, the Opera del Duomo Museum and Santa Reparata; the Giotto Pass (€20) is the same without the dome. The square is small, so for a view of the whole dome go up the bell tower or to Piazzale Michelangelo.

Key points:

• Built: 1296–1436; dome by Brunelleschi 1420–1436; facade 1887.
• Height: 114.5 m with the lantern; the dome is about 43 m across inside.
• Cathedral: free, Monday to Saturday 10:15–15:45.
• Dome climb: 463 steps, Brunelleschi Pass €30, booking required.
• Nearby: Giotto’s Campanile, the Baptistery of St. John, the Opera del Duomo Museum.