Piazza del Duomo

Piazza del Duomo is Florence's religious centre, where the cathedral, Baptistery, Giotto's bell tower and the Opera del Duomo Museum form a closely connected architectural ensemble. Their polychrome marble façades and contrasting styles record centuries of artistic ambition and civic life.

Why it matters

The square brings together buildings created and altered across several centuries. The Opera di Santa Maria del Fiore, founded by the Florentine Republic in 1296 to oversee construction of the cathedral, continues to manage the monumental complex. The surrounding Historic Centre of Florence was inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List in 1982.

What to notice

The cathedral's white, green and pink marble façade faces the Baptistery and Giotto's campanile. The cathedral measures about 153 metres long and 38 metres wide. Its dome, completed by Filippo Brunelleschi in 1436, dominates the eastern end; Vasari and Federico Zuccari painted its interior scenes of the Last Judgement between 1572 and 1579. The Baptistery's celebrated gilded doors are represented in the square by copies, while the original panels are preserved in the Opera del Duomo Museum. The Loggia del Bigallo, Archbishop's Palace and Column of San Zanobi add smaller monuments to the edges of the piazza.

Context and history

The square developed around the early Christian cathedral of Santa Reparata, remains of which are preserved beneath the cathedral. The decision in the 1290s to replace the earlier church with a much larger cathedral shaped the space and its later monuments. The Opera's museum now preserves works removed from the cathedral, Baptistery and campanile, including Ghiberti's original doors, Michelangelo's Bandini Pietà and sculptures by Donatello and Luca della Robbia.