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Florentine Gothic masterpieces: Giotto's Bell tower

We very often talk about Brunelleschi's spectacular Dome - an unrivaled architectural enterprise- the largest masonry dome ever built to date. Sometimes, however, we forget the other architectural masterpiece that sits right next to it: Giotto's Bell Tower!

 

It was July 18, 1334 when Giotto began to lay the foundations for the bell tower, one of the most spectacular examples of Florentine Gothic architecture of the fourteenth century.

The new cathedral had not yet been completed, but it was already clear at the time that the old bell tower belonging to the ancient church of Santa Reparata, appeared  disproportionate for the new structure. Something more imposing had to be created.

This very important task was therefore appointed to Giotto di Bondone, who at the time was 67 years old and was an established Florentine artist.

 

Although the bell tower bears his name, Giotto was able to follow the project only until his death that occurred three years after the beginning of the works, thus seeing the tower built only up to the level of the hexagonal tiles at its base.
These panels were made by Andrea Pisano following Giotto’s design, and constitute a figurative tale starting from the creation of men, but having “work” as its basic theme.

Placing such a decoration at the base of the bell tower, an architectural structure that represented the pride of a city, was equivalent to saying that the greatness of Florence was to be attributed to the hard work done by artisans, merchants, bankers and many others, which had brought wealth to the city making it one of the most powerful cities in Italy. A message of great impact for the time.



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The iconographic project continues with the representation of the Planets that regulate the course of human existence, the Virtues that fortify him, the Liberal Arts that instruct him and the Sacraments that sanctify him.
Going up we find niches that house 16 life-size statues made by different Florentine masters of the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, including Andrea Pisano and Donatello.
Figures of Kings and Sibyls and statues of Patriarchs and Prophets, among which the sculptural group of the Sacrifice of Isaac by Donatello stands out, representing one of the highest peaks of fifteenth-century naturalism in sculpture.
An extremely rich sculptural decoration, which makes the bell tower of the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore unique.


Upon Giotto's death in 1337, construction was carried out first by Andrea Pisano, who completed the first two floors and was then completed by Francesco Talenti in 1359.
It is to the latter that we owe the design of the large windows in the upper levels, the tympanate trifore windows, and the large panoramic terrace on top of the bell tower. More than 400 steps separate the visitor from the top, but once you reach the terrace you can enjoy a wonderful panoramic view over the city that is worth all the effort.

 

The bell tower stands next to the cathedral reaching 84.5 meters in height, but adheres nonetheless to the principles of solidity typical of the Florentine Gothic, with its 15 meters squared base and the angular reinforcements that run along its entire length.
An imposing but very elegant structure, covered with white, green and pink polychrome marble, with an coating unique in the world for the richness of the materials and the elaboration of the decorative elements.

Like many other Florentine sites, the monumental complex of the Cathedral of Florence is currently closed in compliance with the measure for containment of the spread of Covid-19, but nothing prevents us from admiring the bell tower from the outside, a perspective from which it certainly looks its best!

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