Happy Travel Italy

The octagonal Florence Baptistery, standing in front of the famous Duomo, is one of the oldest buildings in the city. It is renowned for Ghiberti's 15th century bronze "Gates of Paradise", whose creation is sometimes cited as the dawn of the Renaissance. The mosaics on the inside of the Baptistery are of earlier origin. Work began on the arch over the altar in 1225 and continued to cover the entire roof vault during the next hundred years or so. The designs (cartoons) for the mosaics were provided by some of the finest Florentine artists of the pre-Renaissance era, including Coppo di Marcovaldo, who was responsible for the cartoon for this picture of Christ in judgment.
Like the earlier Byzantine mosaics of Ravenna and Venice, ungrouted glass and gold smalti (which catch the light in different ways from different angles) have been used. However, the representations here are more sophisticated. A few of the figures, such as those on the middle storey (the women's gallery), resemble the Byzantine mosaics, while one panel includes very stylised fish and an octopus which could have been copied from an early Roman mosaic. The mosaics show biblical scenes, arranged in six concentric rings centred on the roof dome. The first ring is decorative, while the second shows Christ (                surrounded by angels. The outer rings have images from the Old and New Testaments.
The Baptistery floor is of inlaid marble, in red, green, black and white, in a wide variety of patterns. The earliest are from the beginning of the 12th century, when the Cosmati craftmen specialised in this kind of floor, and were added to in subsequent centuries. The craftsmanship which went into these stone inlays must have contributed to the later development of "Florentine mosaic". Also referred to as pietre dure, this incorporates thin sections of stone and semi-precious materials into pictures which are as detailed as paintings.

Giotto’s Campanile is a free-standing bell tower that is part of the complex of buildings that make up Florence Cathedral on the Piazza del Duomo in Florence, Italy. Standing adjacent the Basilica of Santa Maria del Fiore and the Baptistry of St. John, the tower is one of the showpieces of the Florentine Gothic architecture with its design by Giotto, its rich sculptural decorations and the polychrome marble encrustations. This slender structure stands on a square plan with a side of 14.45 meters. It attains a height of 84.7 meters sustained by four polygonal buttresses at the corners.These four vertical lines are crossed by four horizontal lines, dividing the tower in five levels. Giotto dedicated from 1334 to 1337, year of his death, to this tower, created more as a decorative monument than as something purely functional, preferring it to work on the nearby Cathedral, assigned to him in the meantime. Building proceeded slowly seeing as how Giotto created both the external covering and the structure simultaneously, thus slowing work down. At his death he had not managed to see more than just a first part completed, just up to the height of the pointed entrance. In 1348, Andrea Pisano took his place and was then followed by Francesco Talenti who terminated the works in 1359. The sculptural decoration of the tower is extremely rich: 56 relief carvings in two registers, and 16 life-size statues in the niches, all by Florentine masters of the l4th and l5th century (among whom Andrea Pisano, Donatello, Luca Della Robbia).

The vast majority of sculptures preserved in the Museum are those that Arnolfo had chosen for the facade, which was only partially completed while the architect was still living. The partially erected façade remained in this condition until 1587, when the Grand Duke, following the suggestions of the architect Bernardo Buontalenti, decided to replace it with a more modern look, in accordance with the general plans for the renewal of the town.
Despite the several projects and competitions that saw the participation of famous architexts of several ages, the façade was completed only in 1887 by De Fabris, who gave it a completely different appearance as compared to the original project by Arnolfo. As a result of this remake, it was no longer possible to reinstall the statues that are however still preserved in the museum. In addition to the sculptures of Arnolfo, the museum exhibits also works of the 14th century removed from the bell tower and sculptures by Andrea Pisano (1290-1349) and by his pupils and those from the so-called "Porta della Mandorla" located on the left side of the cathedral. The sculptures of Nanni di Banco (1380/90-1421) and of Donatello (1386-1466), originally made for the bell tower and the church, can be considered masterpieces of the 14th century sculpture, like the two large "Cantorie" by Luca della Robbia (1400-1482) and Donatello removed from the cathedral' s interior. Other important works have been moved to the museum recently, like the "Magdalene", a wooden sculpture by Donatello, originally placed in the Baptistery and the "Pietà" by Michelangelo, which was removed from the cathedral in 1980. The collection also comprises other 16th and 17th century works by Tuscan artists, which shows the importance attributed to the finishing of Santa Maria del Fiore Down the centuries. An independent room exhibits a collection of working tools and materials, recovered during the restoration works of the Cathedral and the Dome. This manage to effectively evoke the commitment and technical ability of the workers who collaborated to the project of Brunelleschi.