CATHEDRAL, Dome

Despite Florence's urban sprawl and the fact that it's a city surrounded by modern neighborhoods, the Cathedral's dome has dominated the city for almost six centuries, and you can see it from far away.

Its designer Brunelleschi was the competition winner of 1418, and his designs obviously started out from the beautiful structure that had been set over a century earlier by Arnolfo di Cambio: the huge octagon surrounded by three symmetrical domes, which are also on an octagonal base and covered with red tiles.

To avoid complicated and dangerous scaffolding, Brunelleschi offered a revolutionary solution: he set a dome with a double shell, one on the outside for protection from the weather, and an internal one connected to the external dome by white ribs that vividly contrast the dark red bricks....