...and the oculus, a purely Italian invention. |
The oculus, or skylight :) |
The Duomo is famous for several things: Its Michelangelo sculptures, its Library, and its floor, which has intricate carvings of Renaissance events. |
The Piccolomini Library inside the Duomo, with its incredibly colorful, intricate, and well-maintained frescoes. |
It is possibly the most amazing room I have ever been in. |
The frescoes were all done by just one man- Pinturicchio. |
A close-up of one of the Library's frescoes. |
The jaw-dropping ceiling. |
The frescoes are not only beautiful, but have a cool optical illusion as well- you have to look very closely to notice that the arches aren't three dimensional. They're just painted to look that way. |
At the end of the day, as we awaited our bus back to Florence, we relaxed in the Piazza del Campo. |
...and finished off the 2 euro wine. No open container laws and all that. |
Our final night in Florence! We indulged in more wine, and a Tuscan salumi platter at an outside cafe. We will miss this weather in London :) |