Dedicated to Santa Maria del Fiore, it is the result of many artists who worked there over several centuries, probably is the city's most easily recognizable structure. The big orange dome of the duomo can be seen from quite a few streets away, and as you get closer, you begin to recognize the distinctive white, green and pink marble design on the facade.

From the outside, it has to be one of the most beautiful churches in the world - at least, it's the most beautiful one I've ever seen! My favourite features were the mosaics covering the entire floor of the cathedral, as well as the fresco painted inside the dome, which two painters, Vasari and Zuccari, took ten years to complete.

The duomo is huge, measuring 153 m in length and reaching a height of 90 m under the dome; it's estimated that 20,000 people can easily fit inside. In contrast to its exterior design, the interior of the duomo is surprisingly sober, but still very impressive.

Works for the construction of the cathedral began on 8 September 1296 and continued under several master builder: Giotto, Andrea Pisano and Francesco Talenti. The facade, in Gothic style, belongs to the period of eight hundred. In 1434, the work of the cathedral came to an end and the church was consacrated two years later.

In 1420 Brunelleschi won the competition to build the dome that was built with bricks placed in a herringbone pattern. The interior of the dome was frescoed by Vasari and Zuccari (1572-1579). The lantern was begun in 1445 and completed in 1461 with the golden sphere also designed by Brunelleschi.