About This Location
This stop takes place in the very heart of Florence, in Piazza del Duomo, where three landmarks sit almost side by side. Standing here, it is hard to know where to look first - the striped marble surfaces, the huge dome nearby, and the steady flow of visitors moving between entrances. Giotto’s Bell Tower, or Campanile, is the tall marble tower next to the cathedral. Work began in 1334 under Giotto, but after his death it continued under Andrea Pisano and then Francesco Talenti, who completed it in 1359 and added the panoramic terrace at the top. The exterior is faced with white, green, and red marble in geometric patterns, making the tower look like a carved piece of architecture rather than plain stone. Right nearby is the Baptistery of St. John, one of Florence’s oldest major buildings, known for its Romanesque design and its glittering interior mosaics. Many visitors come for the bronze doors. Lorenzo Ghiberti’s gilded east doors, made between 1425 and 1452, are nicknamed the “Gates of Paradise,” a name linked to Michelangelo’s famous reaction to them. The third place on this stop is hidden underfoot. The Crypt of Santa Reparata preserves remains of the earlier cathedral that stood here before Santa Maria del Fiore was built over it. Excavations in the 1960s and early 1970s brought its foundations, burials, and floor fragments to light. A particularly human detail is connected to Filippo Brunelleschi - his tomb is marked by a simple stone and can be seen in the area linked to the cathedral complex. From this point, the surroundings are pure Florence: the cathedral complex fills the square, while nearby streets quickly turn into busy shopping routes and museum entrances. It is a place where medieval stonework, Renaissance ambition, and modern city life all meet in a few steps.