THE CUPULA OF THE DUOMO,
FLORENCE, ITALY

The Cathedral, or Duomo, of Florence as we see it today is the end result of years of work that covered over six centuries of history. Its basic architectural project was designed by Arnolfo di Cambio at the end of the 13th century; the eight-sided cupola that has made it a symbol for the whole of Tuscany was created by that genius of the Renaissance, Filippo Brunelleschi who started the construction of the cupula in 1420 and spent the rest of his life working on it.

The decoration of the gallery around the outside of the cupula was never finished and remains unfinished to the present day. The balustrade was designed by Baccio d'Agnolo and carried out on only one side of the octagon. It did not meet with the approval of Michelangelo who, defining it "a cage for crickets", decreed its final condemnation.

Text based upon information, and photo taken, from Firenze by Net

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