Why go
The dome repays close attention because its construction is inseparable from its appearance. Brunelleschi's design used two shells and was built without conventional wooden centering, a radical answer to the cathedral's scale. The lantern, completed after his death, continues his design. Inside, the later fresco cycle by Giorgio Vasari and Federico Zuccari turns the engineering feat into an immense painted interior.
What to look for
- See the dome as two shells built to stand without conventional centering.
- Look for the lantern that follows Brunelleschi's design and was completed under Michelozzo.
- From inside, find the vast Last Judgment fresco begun by Vasari and completed by Zuccari.
Useful to know
- View the dome from Piazza del Duomo before entering; its double-shell solution is clearest against the cathedral's mass.
- If visiting the interior, allow time to identify the fresco cycle as well as the dome's scale.