Inside Inferno, following Langdon's footsteps in Florence, Venice and Istanbul

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Duomo of Florence

Santa Maria del Fiore was constructed on the site of the old cathedral of Santa Reparata, which had been built in the time of Bishop Zanobius in the early decades of the 5th century. The initial project was to enlarge the original cathedral, but in 1294 the Council of the Hundred opted for a completely new construction.
In 1296 the foundation stone for the new cathedral was laid and dedicated to the Virgin with the name of Santa Maria del Fiore. The architect was Arnolfo di Cambio. The old cathedral continued to be used while the new one was being constructed, but finally, in 1375, it was definitively buried. Arnolfo died in 1331 or 1332, which slowed down work, until the Arte della Lana, the most powerful guild in Florence, nominated Giotto as master of works, and he began work on the construction of the nearby bell tower.
Giotto died in 1337 and others, including Francesco Talenti, took charge of the Duomo project.
The cathedral was completed in 1415, with the exception of the dome, which was designed by Brunelleschi, who produced an engineering masterpiece. It was erected in just 15 years; first of all a bronze ball created by Verrocchio was put on top of it, and then a cross, also in bronze. Pope Eugenio IV consecrated the cathedral in 1436 on the occasion of the Council of Florence which was then underway.
The facade (the one we see today) was redone in the 19th century according to a design by Emilio de Fabris.
The interior has many monuments and other works of art, including the monument to Giotto by Benedetto da Maiano, the portrait of Dante by Domenico di Michelino (based on a drawing by Baldovinetti), and a tondo with a bust of Brunelleschi by Andrea Cavalcanti. The clock dial is by Paolo Uccello and the round glass windows were based on a cartoon by Ghiberti. The holy water stoup (now a copy) is dated circa 1380.
Behind the main altar by Baccio Bandinelli, to the left, there is the sacristy, where Lorenzo the Magnificent took refuge during the Pazzi Conspiracy in 1478.
In the subterranean area below Santa Maria del Fiore, it is possible to visit the old cathedral of Santa Reparata.
The duomo of Florence, 153 metres long and 38 wide, is the fourth-largest Christian church.
Like the cathedrals of Florence's rival cities, Santa Maria del Fiore was built with a Latin cross plan, with a basilica nave, three vast arms, and a dome; the latter starts 50 metres from the ground.
The cathedral looks out onto a large piazza called Piazza del Duomo, where the traditional rite of the Scoppio del Carro is conducted every year at Easter.

Langdon wandered around the interior of the Duomo, admiring the artwork that Ignazio had so deeply loved … Vasari’s Last Judgment beneath the dome, Donatello and Ghiberti’s stained-glass windows...

More of a tourist center nowadays, the piazza was already bustling with tour buses and throngs of visitors crowding around Florence’s famed cathedral.

A view of the Duomo, Bargello and Badia Fiorentina

Beginning to kiss the highest spires of the waking city—the campanile, the Badia, the Bargello. Langdon pressed his forehead to the cool glass. The March air was crisp and cold, amplifying the full spectrum of sunlight that now peeked up over the hillsides.

Brunelleschi had made architectural history by engineering the basilica’s massive dome, and now, more than five hundred years later, the 375-foot-tall structure still stood its ground, an immovable giant on Piazza del Duomo.

This enormous plaza with its complex network of structures was the ancient religious center of Florence. More of a tourist center nowadays, the piazza was already bustling with tour buses and throngs of visitors crowding around Florence’s famed cathedral.

At the heart of the skyline, a mountainous dome of red tiles rose up, its zenith adorned with a gilt copper ball that glinted like a beacon. Il Duomo.

At the heart of the skyline, a mountainous dome of red tiles rose up, its zenith adorned with a gilt copper ball that glinted like a beacon.