Giotto’s Campanile (or Bell Tower), Florence

At 414 steps, the climb to the top of Giotto’s famous Bell Tower (Campanile in Italian) probably shouldn’t have been undertaken at 12:30 in the afternoon, in August. But the queue for Santa Maria Del Fiore and the famous cupola was massive (take note; early morning, it opens at 10, or late afternoon are better unless you book a tour which lets you skip the queue – see the tours box below) and I wanted to make a Flip Florence Video with a panoramic view of the centre of Florence. I needn’t have worried as there are 3 stops on the way up which offer gradually more spectacular views. Be aware that although it doesn’t appear in most of the video, there are wire grids covering the apertures which can make photos less impressive.

There’s an interesting trick of perspective going on with the Campanile which is almost as good as David’s wonky eyes. The three top levels of the Campanile (which were designed by Francesco Talenti not Giotto) are not the same size so that they appear to be the same size. Follow? Each of the three is larger to give the illusion from ground level that they are in fact the same size. Plus, you can thank Francesco for not following orders not building the spire that Giotto had planned. With it, the tower would have been higher (by 120m) but would have been lacking the flat observation deck from which some of this video is taken.

The history of Giotto’s Campanile, like most Italian monuments is a long one. The Campanile was not even planned until 30 years after the death of the first Master of the Works of the Cathedral, Arnolfo di Cambio. At this time Giotto was a not-too-spritely 67 (this was 1334, remember) but he set about planning a great tower to accompany the main cathedral. Unfortunately (not for Francesco), Giotto died three years later having only finished the lower floor – just be grateful he wasn’t fitting your bathroom. In Giotto’s place, Andrea Pisano (he did the bronze door on the south side of the Baptistry; it took him 6 years) was appointed and he followed Giotto’s design exactly until the Black Death arrived in 1348. This was Francesco’s chance and he completed the campanile to his own specifications in 1358. 24 years after Giotto first put pen to paper, or quill to parchment.

Florence Duomo – The City’s No 1 Tourist Attraction?

Dominating the skyline (and occasionally guiding a lost tourist back to the centre!), the Duomo of Florence is amongst the most photographed buildings in the city along with the Ponte Vecchio. Once you come here and see it for yourself, you realise that the scale of this building must have inspired awe in those who saw its “cupola” for the first time in 1436. The cupola is the domed bit – duomo means Cathedral, not dome apparently.

The Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore is at the centre of the Piazza and though it was started in 1296, the gothic facade is actually a 19th century addition. As expected, the area can get really busy, especially in the summer months and is busy with hawkers trying to sell over-priced tat and posters. “No, grazie” is a useful phrase in the centre of town!

The small building to the west is the Baptistry for (you guessed it) baptisms and along with Giotto’s Campanile (the tower), the three buildings are a Unesco World Heritage site which basically means they can’t paint the thing pink without completing lots of forms. Also, the cathedral is old and  is permanently swathed in scaffolding somewhere as part of the cleaning process (thanks to Alexandra at ArtTrav for the insight). This is important if you are coming to take photos of the Duomo, or Florence in general; be aware that building works may obscure some of the best shots of the city and its monuments.

Later on, I’ll be posting more videos about the Duomo so follow me on Twitter to find out as soon as it’s live! Do you think that the Duomo is Florence’s biggest or best tourist attraction? Leave your comments below;.

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