Florence's Duomo

The Duomo at sunset


I took this photo standing atop a building that had a nice view of the Duomo (cathedral) in Florence, Italy. The construction of which started in 1296, and took about 170 years to complete. The big dome was designed by Brunelleschi in 1419. It likely served as inspiration for Michaelangelo in his design of the dome that sits atop St Peter's Basilica in Rome. The smaller dome you see is above the Baptistry, said to be the oldest building in Florence. Originally built in 1059, it has been much altered over the centuries.

It's been quite hot in Vancouver this past week. Yesterday evening it was 32 degrees Celsius in the shade. It's been reminding me a lot of Italy. I've been especially thinking about Florence. It's a great little city, relatively quiet, since there's no cars allowed in much of the city centre. The past little while I've been entertaining the idea of spending 1-3 months there in either the spring, or fall. I don't think it's really doable anytime soon, but it's a nice daydream.