<previous Recently the original carvings have been removed for preservation and only copies of the bas-reliefs are displayed on the tower.

The construction started in July, the 18th, 1334. Giotto supervised the construction of the lowest stories before his death. The work was finished some 50 years later by Francesco Talenti who modified the design and topped the tower with a cornice rather than a spire.

Santa Maria del Fiore or Duomo [See Duomo from the top of the campanile] was once the largest cathedral in Europe. Now its size is superseeded by San Peter's in the Vatican, Saint Paul's in London and the Milan cathedral.