Florence Duomo - detail of the exterior by Mark Sukhija

Florence Duomo - detail of the exterior

The current façade of the Florentine Cathedral, designed in 1864 in the neo-Gothic style, is made almsot exclusivly of green, white and red marble. It's not difficult to see why it's often criticised for being excessively decorated - but it is consistently decorated in the same design as the Campanile and Bapistry which rank amongst the most important buildings on the Piazza del Duomo.

Most visitors don't stop to look at the façade in any great detail - which is their loss - as there's a lot of detailed carving and sculptures in niches. Even if you don't know who all the saints on the outside are, the decorative aspects are worth spending sometime appreciating.

Related Posts

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Map

Further reading

Florence - Duomo Cuppola and Campanile - Cathedral Cuppola and Campanile in Florence

Italy - 5 great hotels - Recommended hotels in Rome, Florence, Turin and Milan

Florence - Parrocchia S Santa Maria Maggiore - Historical notes on the Parrocchia S Santa Maria Maggiore in Florence, Italy

Italy - 10 places not to miss - 10 places you shouldn't miss in Italy

Florence - Basilica San Lorenzo - Information about the Brunelleschi designed Basilica San Lorenzo in Florence, Italy

San Gimignano - Pieve di Santa Maria Assunta - Historical notes on and about the Pieve di Santa Maria Assunta in San Gimignano

Italy - 5 great restaurants - Recommended places to stay dine in Rome, Florence and Venice

Florence - Arno waterfront in the early evening - View of the Arno river running through Florence in the early evening light

Florence - Ponte Vecchio straddling the Arno - Trinket on sale in front of Florences famous Ponte Vecchio bridge

Pisa - Chiesa Santa Maria della Spina - Some brief notes on the Chiesa Santa Maria della Spina on the banks of the River Arno in Pisa

Key facts

Name: Florence Cathedral
Address:
Piazza del Duomo, 50122 Florence

About Mark Sukhija

Mark Sukhija is a travel and wine blogger, photographer, tourism researcher, hat-touting, white-shirt-wearing, New Zealand fantatic and eclipse chaser. Aside from at least annual visits to New Zealand, Mark has seen eclipses in South Australia (2002), Libya (2006), China (2009) and Queensland (2012). After twelve years in Switzerland, Mark moved back to London in 2012. You can follow Mark on Twitter or Facebook