Overview
Brunelleschi’s answer was two shells with a herringbone brick pattern that locked each ring as it was laid, so the dome supported itself as it rose. The exterior marble front is nineteenth century; the fabric behind it is fourteenth. Giotto’s campanile stands beside it and the octagonal Baptistery in front, whose east doors Michelangelo is said to have called the Gates of Paradise.
Highlights
The dome climb is 463 steps between the two shells, timed-ticket only and not for the claustrophobic; the campanile is a similar height, less crowded, and gives you the dome in the view. One combined ticket covers dome, campanile, baptistery, crypt and museum, valid three days. The museum holds the original Gates of Paradise panels and Donatello’s Magdalene.