Duomo Santa Maria del Fiore, Florence Jun 27, 2024

Duomo Santa Maria del Fiore, Florence

Welcome to Florence, the cradle of the Renaissance. Let the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore transport you through time. More than just a church, this Gothic structure, with its red-tiled dome, is steeped in centuries of history. Built over an older cathedral, construction began in 1296 under the supervision of architect Arnolfo di Cambio. Italian architect Filippo Brunelleschi engineered its dome, the largest brick dome ever constructed. Its completion in 1436 was the final stage of the cathedral"s construction. It"s not just the outside that dazzles; inside there are artistic treasures to discover, from Giorgio Vasari"s fresco "The Last Judgment" to Paolo Uccello"s intricate clock face. The cathedral complex is also home to the Baptistery, a small basilica, and Giotto"s Campanile, a free-standing bell tower.

© Elena Pueyo/Getty Images

palette

Today in History

Jun 27, 2018In search of roadside attractions on ‘America’s Highway’
Jun 27, 2019The roots of invention
Jun 27, 2020Looking for peace on the precipice
Jun 27, 2021Bathing in the light of Pride
Jun 27, 2022Lavender fields on the Valensole Plateau in Provence, France
Jun 27, 2023Sedona, Arizona
Jun 27, 2025Splendid leaf frog

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Sep 28, 2022A. M. Foster Bridge in Cabot, Vermont
Dec 29, 2021Mountain goats
May 27, 2025Mona Vale Rockpool, Sydney, Australia
Aug 6, 2021Looking down upon Edinburgh
Jun 26, 2024Banggai cardinalfish with sea anemone
Dec 16, 2020Beethoven s 250th
Apr 29, 2024Fujian Tulou, China
Jun 29, 2023International Day of the Tropics
Feb 1, 2020Mapping courage in the Seventh Ward
Nov 26, 2020Happy Thanksgiving from an expert face-stuffer
Jan 27, 2018Bioluminescence at Trwyn Du Lighthouse in Wales
May 21, 2023Pont dArcole over the Seine river, Paris, France
Feb 3, 2020The moai you know
Jul 4, 2023Happy Independence Day!
Dec 7, 2022National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day
Aug 4, 2023Tintern Abbey, Wales
Mar 24, 2020Springtime in the Mediterranean
Dec 29, 2018When science looks like magic
Feb 19, 2023Humpback whales in Maui, Hawaii
Jan 16, 2018Lionfish off the coast of Indonesia
May 24, 2019Not your average sandcastle
Mar 3, 2025World Wildlife Day
Jun 28, 2022Tafilalet oasis in Morocco
Jul 1, 2022Tour de France
Dec 28, 2021Kjell Henriksen Observatory
Jan 16, 2021Oh, to sleep under the northern lights
May 18, 2020Desert rose of Qatar
Jul 12, 2019The ‘Night of Nights’
Feb 15, 2025The natural ice wall of Misotsuchi, Chichibu, Japan
Feb 15, 2022Lantern Festival