Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore

Florence Cathedral was designed at the end of the 13th century by Arnolfo di Cambio and is dedicated to Santa Maria del Fiore, a reference to the lily, the city's symbol.

The third largest cathedral of the world (after Saint Peter's in Rome and Saint Paul's in London), at the time of its consecretation in 1436 it was the largest in Europe. The building was erected on top of the earlier Cathedral of Santa Reparata, the remains of which are accessible via the nave.

The exterior, now clad in polychrome marble, remained incomplete for a long time; the original façade, which had been partially built to the design by Arnolfo di Cambio, was demolished at the end of the 16th century, and the current one was only erected at the end of the 19th century.

Inside, the nave and two side aisles end in a vast choir where the main altar stands, surrounded by the tribune on which the Cupola rests. On the left wall are frescoes depicting two condottieri, Sir John Hawkwood (otherwise known as Giovanni Acuto) by Paolo Uccello, who also did the fresco decoration on the clock on the interior façade, and Niccolò da Tolentino by Andrea del Castagno. The 44 stained-glass windows were the work of leading 15th-century masters, including Donatello, Andrea del Castagno and Paolo Uccello.