This must be one of the most beautiful buildings on earth from the outside. It is simply stunning. Just look.
It didn’t matter from which direction you looked at it it exuded beauty.
Against the clear blue Tuscan sky it was incredible.
And with the right sunlight it looked like a painting come to life.
The Duomo was begun in 1296 in the Gothic style to a design of Arnolfo di Cambio and was completed by 1436, with the dome designed by Filippo Brunelleschi. The exterior of the basilica is faced with marble panels in various shades of green and pink, bordered by white, and has an elaborate 19th-century Gothic Revival façade.
It is jaw-dropping. But the inside? Not so much.
Yes, pretty. But not stunning. The dome itself is quite beautiful.
But there was always an hour long line to get inside and honestly that’s an hour you can spend sitting in a cafe marveling at the exterior.
