Must-see highlights:
- Climb 463 steps to the top, passing through the inner and outer shells of the dome.
- Get an up-close view of The Last Judgment, a vast fresco cycle by Giorgio Vasari and Federico Zuccari, which vividly decorates the interior of the dome.
Current use:
- Still part of the functioning cathedral, the dome is also a major tourist attraction and offers panoramic views of Florence from its summit.
Unique facts:
- It is the largest masonry dome in the world and was constructed without the use of traditional wooden scaffolding.
- Brunelleschi invented custom machinery to hoist materials, which was revolutionary for 15th-century architecture.