Florence Cathedral (Santa Maria del Fiore)

Location

Florence, Tuscany, Italy

Stories and legends

The anecdote that Brunelleschi won the dome commission by standing an egg on end is widely told; the details belong to legend.

History and context

Construction of the cathedral began in 1296 to a design by Arnolfo di Cambio; the dome is about 45.5 metres in diameter, a double-shell structure, and was consecrated in 1436; the campanile was designed by Giotto (begun in 1334, 84.7 metres tall); the Baptistery's east doors are Ghiberti's "Gates of Paradise" (1425–1452; the originals are kept in the Museo dell'Opera del Duomo); the cathedral itself is free to enter, while the dome, campanile and the rest run on reserved tickets (the Opera di Santa Maria del Fiore pass system — follow the official site).

Local life

The Duomo is Florence's "birth certificate": the Medici, the guilds and the bishops contested power here for centuries, and the completion of the dome became a landmark of the early Renaissance. Locals still take their bearings from the dome, and the leather school and the bustle of the San Lorenzo market grow in its shadow — the sacred and the commercial are a single street apart, as in Venice, only more concentrated.

Customs

The Easter "Explosion of the Cart" (Scoppio del Carro) is a great Florentine festival (a ceremony in the square, as announced by the city); tourists are held back in the cathedral during Mass times.

Beliefs

The cathedral of the Catholic Archdiocese of Florence; an active place of worship.

Local etiquette

Dress for the cathedral must cover shoulders and knees; keep silent inside and use no flash; the dome staircase is narrow and one-way — people with vertigo or cardiopulmonary conditions should not climb; do not step on the pitch areas of the chalk street artists around the piazza, who charge for photos.

Visiting notes

Best in spring and autumn and on weekdays; reserve the dome time slot several days ahead (official app/website); enter the free main church first thing at opening; spread the Uffizi and the Accademia over separate days to avoid aesthetic fatigue.

What to eat nearby

Florentine T-bone steak (Bistecca alla fiorentina, priced by the kilogram and traditionally served quite rare); tripe sandwich (Lampredotto, a street snack); Tuscan bean soup and bread salad (Panzanella, a summer dish); Chianti red wine

The food hall on the upper floor of the San Lorenzo Central Market, and the belt of old restaurants around Santa Maria Novella

Steak is ordered by the kilogram, usually starting at 1 kg and shared by the table; the local way is rare, and asking for well-done usually earns a polite attempt to talk you out of it (you may insist, but much of the flavour is lost); ask before adding the sauces to a lampredotto (salsa verde / picante)

Steak, shared out, €40–70 per person (approx. RMB 312–546, for reference only); market snacks €12–20 per person (approx. RMB 94–156, for reference only)

The Central Market closes early in the evening — go at lunch for the fullest choice; for leather goods around the cathedral, use proper shops and beware stalls selling "genuine leather".