GIOTTO BELL TOWER
Designed by Giotto, Florence Cathedral's bell tower, an ecclesiastical symbol, is considered the most beautiful in Italy.
To the right of the Duomo's façade, Santa Maria del Fiore, almost 85 metres high, stands the bell tower, the bell tower of Florence's cathedral, and an eloquent testimony to Florentine Gothic architecture of the 14th century. Designed by Giotto, the city's official architect, the bell tower was only partially built by him during the last three years of his life (1334-1337). The great painter Giotto di Bondone could only execute the lower sculpted register of the building. It is composed of seven hexagonal panels on the west, south and east sides, representing man's march towards perfection (the number seven is the biblical symbol). Andrea Pisano, until 1348, and finally Francesco Talenti finished it in 1359 by adding magnificent bas-reliefs and an original terrace.
An ecclesiastical symbol and a visible landmark throughout the city, the bell tower, considered to be the most beautiful in Italy, stands proudly up to the sky. Slim and slender building, with a facade clad in green, pink and white Tuscan marble. The relief decorations were created in terracotta by Andrea Pisano. The 14-metre square bell tower is entirely decorated with diamond and hexagon panels, as well as niches enclosing statues, the originals of which are now on display at the Musée de l'Œuvre.
The 414 steps to climb (there is obviously no elevator!) are rewarded with a magnificent view of the Place du Dôme, Brunelleschi's cupola, the baptistery and the roofs of Florence.
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