Many people have already visited Firenze (Florence), Italy and it is almost impossible to not have seen the Duomo or the Santa Maria del Fiore while there. It was designed by Arnolfo di Cambio as the third largest church in the world (after St. Peter’s in Rome and St. Paul’s in London) and it was the largest church in Europe when it was completed in the 15th century. You can read more of the history at this link: https://www.museumflorence.com/monuments/1-cathedral
I only wish I could have entered the cathedral but the lines were so long and it was during the height of summer of 2015 so I opted to just explore the exterior surroundings to maximize my limited time there. The artistic design of the building is breathtaking and I managed to capture some photos of the doors but this was before I became a minion of the Great Wizard of Thursday Doors, Norm Frampton.
This is what the lines and crowds looked like at the Duomo and it is like this around the entire building.
Looking above the doors, it’s amazing how the churches created such lasting artwork.
The last two photos are of the same door at slightly different angles.
Well, that’s it for this week; Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all.
Thanks for visiting my blog and thanks to Norm 2.0 for his Thursday Doors blog. For more blogs and photos of doors by others please go to: Thursday Doors.
I’ve never been to Italy. France and England have always called me though Italy, Spain, and other countries in the area have been calling their voices and pulling haven’t been as intense, but Italy is not whispering!
I would love to go and spend weeks there visiting places just like this.
The art in the exterior doors is timeless and speaks to those who know the stories of the Old and New Testament. They had a message that will forever be relevant to Christians. At Christmas time that message has a pulse and life that resonates with me and probably most people who are of the Christian faith.
Merry Christmas Gordon! I hope to see you in the new year to share some amazing photographic experiences.
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Thanks Deborah! Merry Christmas to you and your family too!
The world is getting smaller as we connect to other countries with supersonic jets and the economic chaos that seems to be occurring these days might make your bucket list attainable someday soon. I wish I had more time to explore to compose shots but on vacation you have to be quick cause the others are always waiting for you so I miss many photo opts but thank goodness for the digital cameras! If you go to Italy and Spain, there are many churches to explore as well as many landscape scenes.
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I’ve gone to France two times alone because I know He-Man would be bored to tears after two Cathedrals and there are always more than two on my list when in France. 🙂
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Good one for Christmas indeed. This brings back memories of our trip there in 2013. I would have loved to see the inside but we had the same problem with the line-ups, and not knowing any better, we didn’t reserve entrance in advance.
After that we did book guided tours for the Uffizi and the Accademia.
A very Merry Chirstmas to you and yours!
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Thanks Norm. Secret if you ever revisit Firenze; Academia opens at night (not sure if it was Friday or Saturday but check with Tourist Info), we stayed across the Academia’s entrance and just walked in during that night opening with no crowds to rush you along.
Merry Christmas to you n yours also.
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I am always amazed at the quality and the accuracy of all the details in these churches. When you consider the tools at hand when they were built, you really have to admire the craftsmen. Thanks for sharing these beautiful photos.
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Thanks Dan. I agree that the old world craftsman was amazing with their state of their art tools which we consider ancient. Merry Christmas!
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We spent a week in Lucca, an hour W from Firenze, and there was so much to see (also went to Nice in France, and Cingue Terre) that we didn’t make it! No regrets though, because I saw the things I wanted to see, the Chagall museum, painting in Tuscany, and Cingue Terre). Who knows if there is a next time… Italy is full of art, everywhere! Yes, I can see the crowds – sorry!
Merry Christmas to you and yours.
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Thanks Jesh. We had a similar itenerary; based in Cannes we visited several areas in France then moved on to Cinque Terre and then Firenze and took a day tour to Tuscany. All was good but not enough time.
Merry Christmas to you n yours also.
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That is Beautiful! Those doors are amazing! 🙂
Happy Christmas!
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Thank you, Joey. Looks like Santa is a no show here while I’m reviewing door posts but hopefully he visited your home. Merry Christmas to you and yours.
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Merry Christmas to you and yours as well, thank you!
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Such amazing doors, I can only think of the work entailed to create them… Lovely!
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Thank you, Vicky. European Cathedrals are amazing to see.
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Thank you for the beautiful photos! Florence is amazing! I went with a school tour, so we had reservations for the places we went en masse. I went off on my own to the Bargello, and was almost the only person there! There was plenty of beauty and interest to see, just walking around the streets. ~sigh~ My favorite place of all the places that tour went was Florence.
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Thanks for visiting my post. All the more reason to return! If you like the natural , scenic and quiet places, you might enjoy Cinque Terre; it was beautiful there and very conducive to writing. Google that place and you can see for yourself. Happy Holidays!
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The differences in the door, shot at difference angles, is striking. Thanks for sharing. I will definitely be back!
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Thank you, Donna! Happy New Year!
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Wow – you got so much more than I did. It’s been 20 years since I went to Florence and the Duomo was covered in scaffolding. Never got a chance to see either the inside or the outside.
So that’s what the door looks like!! Nice.
Hope the new year is treating you well so far 🙂
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Thank you, Joanne! Hoping the new year brings better outcomes than last year. I hope your broken collar bone is fully healed and you’re back to old routines.
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Thanks. Hopefully next week’s x-ray will confirm that too 🙂
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Such a magnificent place, Sorry you did not get to experience the internal sites. Those doors are so lovely and your photos are a wonderful reminder of some great memories for me. Happy to have found this blog…
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Thank you, dennyho.
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Smashing pics of the duomo. Love it there. Check out our new post on Florence if you wouldn’t mind, https://departingduo.wordpress.com/2017/02/13/florence-in-february/ leave a comment and let us know what you think! E&J x
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Thanks, sorry for the delayed response (just returned from Hawaii tonight). Nice work on your blog!
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