Sometimes there are guided tours (the only way) to climb the two women’s galleries, or so-called matronei, the two passages that go up to see the structure of the Baptistery (contact Centro Arte e Cultura to have information). It is beautiful, because it is possible to see the structure of the building, discovering that it has two domes, an inner and an outer one, that gave Brunelleschi the idea to build the two domes of the Cathedral. In fact, Brunelleschi took from the Baptistery the idea of the domes like two shells and he wanted to decor his two domes with mosaics, as the Baptistery. But he died before the decoration, mosaics were expensive and Florence didn’t have a tradition of mosaics, so Florentines decided to paint Brunelleschi’s domes with frescoes, even if with the same subject of the Baptistery, the Last Judgement.
The Baptistery is a beautiful building, rich in history and art. Dante, the famous writer, described it as «Il mio bel San Giovanni» or «My beautiful Saint John», because he loved it. All Florentines love it and if you visit it, you will love it the same.
Caterina Bellezza
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