🇮🇹 Free Version of the "Last Judgment" at Florence Cathedral

After four nights in Florence, I finally understood why people say "No one can escape the spell of the Duomo" ✨ First Encounter: A Shock to the Senses Wandering through Florence's maze-like alleys, I turned a corner and—BAM!—there it was: the Duomo, its white, green, and pink marble facade glinting like a colossal gemstone in the sun. Photos don’t do it justice; you have to see it in person. ⛪ Inside the Cathedral The mix of Gothic grandeur and Renaissance elegance hit me instantly. Standing beneath the dome, I finally grasped Michelangelo’s words: "I could build a bigger dome, but never a more beautiful one." Compared to the Vatican’s Last Judgment, the softer hues and didactic tone here felt more intimate. 📚 Key Takeaways (For the Cultured Traveler) 1️⃣ Gothic + Renaissance fusion 2️⃣ Three-colored marble symbolism: Carrara white = purity Prato green = hope Maremma pink = martyr’s blood 3️⃣ Brunelleschi’s genius: Double-shell dome (1.2m gap for weight distribution + quake resistance) Herringbone brickwork (self-supporting, no scaffolding) 8 hidden ribs (white marble disguised in red brick) 4️⃣ Dome stats: 91m tall, 45.52m wide, 3,600 sqm of frescoes by Vasari & Zuccari (11 years!). The forced perspective warps figures at the base for correct viewing from below. 🎟 Ticket Tips Main church: Free (20min queue at 9:30AM) Brunelleschi Pass (€30): Dome + bell tower + museum + baptistery (book online!) 💔 My Regret: A seafood-triggered bronchitis kept me from climbing the dome. But as they say, travel’s beauty lies in its unplanned gaps—next time! #Florence #ArtHistory #ArchitectureLover