Duomo Cathedral

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Originally uploaded by steviwonderful

During the time that they Baptistery was just being finished, the Florence Government decided to build a new cathedral. The people of Florence wanted a new impressive looking cathedral to match their ever-growing city; they felt it was a shame to have a cathedral that did not match up to the size of their city. They stuck true to their plan and built a cathedral that rivaled all those around it, and boasted more marble than most people would see in their lifetime, all built into one impressive and perfectly ornate building.
The line to get into the Duomo wrapped clear around the building itself, so as you waited to get in, you were able to get a close up view of almost half the building just while standing there. I was luck to get in line where there was shade and it moved quite quickly with very little holdups or confusion. As I was standing there I took about fifteen pictures of all the same side at almost the same angle each time, looking back it seems so ridiculous, but while standing there I was in such awe at this amazing structure that it seemed almost a shame to not take a million pictures! Every angle seemed new and interesting and every shot felt like a completely different view. In reality, all of these pictures look so much the same, but flipping though you can appreciate the subtle changes and new interesting designs as my place in the line changed ever so slightly.
The building itself and all of its adornments took about one hundred and seventy years to complete, it was very much a work in progress that whole time, where several different architects contributed to the various domes, apes and hallways that make up this amazing building. Once inside the first thing that struck me is just how huge and empty it felt, the ceiling extended so high with arches that crisscrossed in the center creating nice, neat little x’s every where they met. The inside is decorated in a very simple way so that all of your attention it brought to the vastness of the space and to the simple beauty of the architecture. I have to admit that once I had been inside the building for about fifteen minutes, I was anxious to come back outside just to gawk at the outside, every chance I get I was either staring at or taking pictures of the domes and the various aspects of the outside. I really just couldn’t get enough of it, as you can probably tell from all of my pictures! Those are just the tip of the iceberg, I have so many more sitting on my computer waiting to be edited or put online! I am try to limit the amount of similar pictures that I am putting online, only because I am on my second flickr account and it looks as if I may have many more to come! So keep checking and letting me know what you like and what you don’t! I am LOVING any feed back I get, it helps me feel less homesick on those days that I miss my family and friends and it makes me feel more inspired and artistic on all the rest of the days!