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Cupola del Duomo
Cupola del Duomo (Piazza del Duomo)
Start with the earlier-opening Cupola (the earlier the better, to avoid the worst of the inevitable lines) for an insight into one of the most impressive engineering feats of the 15th century. Brunelleschi worked on the project from 1418 to 1434, solving the enormous difficulty of how to place such a large dome (at 41.5 m/136 ft in diameter, it was of a size not seen since Rome’s Pantheon) on top of the already-constructed cathedral by laying the bricks in so intricate a manner that the dome supported itself as it grew. By engineering the crowning of the dome (although it was not actually placed until after his death), now over 100 m (328 ft) above ground level, with Verrocchio’s gilded ball and cross, Brunelleschi again proved wrong those critics who couldn’t believe the structure would be strong enough to support the weight. Aclimb of 463 steps takes you to the top, alongside Giorgio Vasari and Federico Zuccari’s 16th-century fresco cycle The Last Judgment, time enough to appreciate the architect’s skill and well worth it for the views over Florence and surrounding countryside.
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