Piazza del Duomo, Florence, Italy

Together with the Piazza della Signoria and the Ponte Vecchio, it is the most important tourist square in Florence at Tuscany at Italy, with its trilogy of historical monuments in green, red and white marble, classified as World Heritage Sites. Situated in the heart of the historic centre of Florence with its neighbouring baptistery of St. John from the fourth century, Piazza del Duomo has become the heart of the city since the construction in the thirteenth century of the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, Giotto's bell tower and the famous dome of the fifteenth century by the architect Filippo Brunelleschi, the largest in the world, which, with its forty-three metre diameter, marks the beginning of Renaissance architecture.
The cathedral of Florence is located in Piazza del Duomo, in the heart of the old town of Florence. It was at the end of the 13th century that the City Council decided to replace the old cathedral of Santa Reparata, the martyred Virgin who died at the age of fifteen, with a building worthy of Florence, in imitation of Siena and Pisa. The project was entrusted to the architect Arnolfo di Cambio, but when he died the work had barely begun.
Giotto took over the work, but devoted himself mainly to the campanile. Several architects succeeded him in completing the naves and the drum of the dome. The elevation of the dome remained unsolved until Filipino Brunelleschi intervened. He opted for a double-capped dome, an internal one with fishbones and self-supporting rings and a very light external one.

The original façade was demolished and replaced by Emilio de Fabrice's project. This pastiche, although dazzling, is widely decried by purists.
One feels a certain disappointment when entering this immense nave, as its sobriety contrasts sharply with the exuberance of the exterior. Turn around to see a curious clock in the Piazza del Duomo with a large hand turning backwards indicating the hours of prayer starting at night. The two frescoes by the condottieri Nicolo da Talentino and John Hawkwood imitate, certainly for economy, bronze. For lovers of the Divine Comedy, a fresco depicts Dante in front of the city and its monuments. Brunelleschi's dome is decorated with a huge fresco of the Last Judgement painted by Vasari.
The tribunes of the singers, which overhung the entrances of the two sacristies, are now in the Duomo Museum. It is possible to go down to the crypt to see the foundations of the ancient cathedral and to go up to the dome to see the technical feat of building the dome.

The square also houses:
The museo dell'Opera del Duomo, to the north-east of the square, towards the back of the Duomo, a museum of the cathedral's work
The loggia del Bigallo, in the neighbouring piazza San Giovanni
The Arciconfraternita della Misericordia
The Palazzo dei Canonici
Palazzo Strozzi di Mantova
Torrini Museum

Accommodation:
Among the best hotels you can find:
-Il Salviatino
5 stars
-Palazzo Ricasoli Residence
5 stars
-Grand Hotel Mediterraneo
5 stars
-Hotel Cellai
5 stars
-Hotel Machiavelli Palace
5 stars

Gastronomy:
Among the best restaurants we can locate:
-Panini Toscani
5 stars
Cuisine: Italian Sandwiches Cooked dishes
-All'Antico Vinaio
5 stars
Cuisine: Sandwiches Prepared dishes
-Salumeria Verdi
5 stars
Cuisine: Italian Sandwiches Prepared dishes Pasta
-Il Bufalo Trippone
5 stars
Cuisine: Italian Sandwiches Cooked dishes Wine bar
-Pane e Toscana
5 stars
Cuisine: Italian Sandwiches Cooked dishes Wine bar