Santa Maria Del Fiore

The cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore with its distinctive red-bricked dome is the fourth largest church in Europe and the tallest structure in Florence.

The octagonal dome, completed by Filippo Brunelleschi in 1436, consists of a double layer of bricks, the interior shell acting as a platform for the exterior. The dome rests on a drum instead of the roof itself. This revolutionary design enabled the dome's construction without ground scaffolding, a wooden supporting frame or external buttresses.

The dome is toped by an octagonal lantern, also designed by Brunellescvhi, whose conical roof is crowned with a guilded bronze sphere and cross by Verrocchio. The dome is 115 metres high and offers panoramic views of the city.

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