Rodney Campbell's Blog

Probably the most famous of all the places in Florence is the Duomo.

The monuments of the Complex of Santa Maria del Fiore, a symbol of Florence to the world, constitutes one single big open-air museum located in the main square of Florence, Piazza del Duomo, religious, historical and artistic centre of the city.

I was enthused by my outing the previous evening with tripod and my camera gear in tow. So I decided to rise before sunrise and head out to take some images.

Twilight at the Duomo

NIKON D750 + 13.0 mm f/2.8 @ 13 mm, 1/2 sec at f/8, ISO 100

Note: These photographs (especially the wider shots) look much better when larger. To see larger versions in an inline overlay slideshow gallery viewer click any of the images.

Truth be told it’s somewhat easier when sunrise is almost at 8AM and my shoot location is a mere two minute walk from the bed :).

Florence’s cathedral is the 4th largest in the world, after St. Peter’s in Rome, St. Paul’s in London and the Duomo in Milan.

Duomo

NIKON D750 + 13.0 mm f/2.8 @ 13 mm, 1/2 sec at f/8, ISO 100

These earlier shots were taken around one hour before sunrise so we still had a very dark sky. As twilight crept in the sky started turning a very deep rich blue.

Giotto’s bell tower is one of the four principal monuments on the Piazza del Duomo.

84.7 metres tall and approximately 15 metres in breadth, it is the most eloquent example of 14th century Gothic architecture in Florence, combining a strong vertical thrust with the principle of sound solidity, its corner buttresses rising the full length of the tower to the projecting terrace at the top.

Clad in white, red and green marble like the cathedral adjacent to it, the majestic square bell tower, considered to be the most beautiful campanile in Italy and probably designed more for decorative than for functional purposes, was begun by Giotto in 1334.

Duomo & Giotto’s Bell Tower

NIKON D750 + 13.0 mm f/2.8 @ 13 mm, 1 sec at f/8, ISO 100

Florence’s cathedral stands tall over the city with its magnificent Renaissance dome designed by Filippo Brunelleschi, with the baptistery right across. The cathedral named in honor of Santa Maria del Fiore is a vast Gothic structure built on the site of the 7th century church of Santa Reparata

Duomo Blue

NIKON D750 + 13.0 mm f/2.8 @ 13 mm, 1 sec at f/8, ISO 100

This is actually the door where you queue during the day to climb the dome (as we did later).

Blue Fire

NIKON D750 + 13.0 mm f/2.8 @ 13 mm, 1.30 sec at f/8, ISO 100

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