Florence's Duomo from the outside

Our string of great weather continued as we toured Florence. OK, this is #2 on the "We need to come back to this great city, as we did not have enough time here either" list. Actually, Florence was my favorite city on this trip...while we did get a feel for the city, there as still many things that we would like to see and do. And it is quite a walkable city...super easy to see on foot.

The main sights we saw in Florence included the Duomo and Baptistry, Piazza della Signoria, Santa Croce, Palazzo Vecchio, Galleria dell'Accademia (see previous post), Piazza della Repubblica, not to mention just strolling down the streets of Florence exploring on our own.

Speaking of all things Duoma (and by the way, does every Italian town have one of these?), we toured the Duoma and Baptistry following the viewing of David. This church is the fourth largest church in Europe and its exterior is constructed almost entirely of marble. A truly amazing church from the exterior.





The painting above the entry doors of the church.



An example of one of the many sculptures on the exterior of the church,



and one of the many bronze reliefs on the doors of the duomo.



View of the side of the Duomo and Chapel as well as ...





the right tower of the Duomo.




The Baptistry of the Duomo in Florence.



The east doors of the Baptistry by Lorenzo Ghiberti's completed in 1452 called the "Gates of Paradise" depict several stories from the Old Testament. These are copies, but the originals are currently in the Museo dell'Opera del Duomo.