Cattedrale Di Santa Maria Del Fiore, Florence

A while back ago, I went to Florence and saw the famous cathedral and shared it with you guys. On my second trip to Europe recently, I went back to Florence and spent time at the cathedral once again. It was so nice being back there. I was so happy to be back in Florence.

The cathedral at night.

• Construction of the cathedral began in 1296 by Arnolfo di Cambio. The duomo was completed by Filippo Brunelleschi. After Cambio died, artist and architect Giotto continued with the project with Cambio's design.

I wanted to share with you guys the photos I took of the church. On my previous post from last year, I shared the history of the cathedral along with my photos. This time, I thought I would just share my photos, experience, and a few quick facts.

The Baptistery of St. John with the duomo in the back.

• The Baptistery of St. John was built between 1059 and 1128. It is one of the oldest buildings in Florence. It contains the monumental tomb of Antipope John XXIII, done by Donatello.

Giotto's Campanile

• The first stone of the bell tower was laid on July 19th, 1334. Giotto only had the lower floor completed before he died in 1337. Andrea Pisano succeeded Giotto and continued with Giotto's work and design. Pisano was then replaced by Francesco Talenti who completed the bell tower in 1359.

The cathedral, bell tower and a hint of the baptistery.

As I said before, I was so happy to be back in Florence. I was so excited to see the cathedral again. We spent so much of our second time in Florence sitting at cafes next to the church having a bite to eat, some drinks, people-watching and just enjoying the view of the incredible masterpiece that the cathedral is. You seriously cannot go to Florence without seeing the it.

Anyway, thanks for coming by! Don't forget to follow!