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The dome of the Duomo, as seen from the tower (Campanile di Giotto)

After the tower, visit the Duomo, Florence’s colorful cathedral, with Brunelleschi’s dome, an engineering marvel of the Renaissance. An interior stairwell allows hardy tourists to reach a spectacular view at the cupola level. The less ambitious can marvel at the frescoes in the ceiling of the dome, the centerpiece of an otherwise relatively plain interior. Arrive early (the Duomo is open 10.00am to 5.00pm except holidays) to avoid the long lines in tourist season, or plan to attend mass which is offered several times each day and allows free access via the south transept.

Across the narrow piazza is the octagonal Baptistery of San Giovanni (built in the 11th–12th century), Florence’s oldest religious building and an important example of Florentine Romanesque style. Its bronze doors were added in the 14th–15th century (two sets by Ghiberti and one by Pisano) and are themselves prized art pieces. Michelangelo called Ghiberti’s east doors, ‘The Gates of Paradise’. The ceiling is adorned with a spectacular mosaic, the earliest portions of which are attributed to the artist Cimabue.