Dome

View of the base, from southeast; The campanile, or bell-tower, of Florence Cathedral was begun shortly after Giotto was elected Master of Works in April 1334. He died in 1337, but a design attributed to him survives (Siena, Mus. Opera Duomo). Only the lowest zone corresponds to the completed tower. Work was continued during the 1340s by Andrea Pisano and finished in the late 1350s by Francesco Talenti, who increased the height of the storeys, thus enhancing the elegance and lightness of the structure; he also added a flat-topped belfry. The campanile is square in plan with octagonal corner buttresses. It is divided into horizontal zones: the lower ones are decorated with reliefs and statues, while the upper and slightly narrower part of the tower is pierced on each of its four sides, first by two storeys of twin, two-light openings and, finally, in its uppermost storey, by a single great tripartite window. The campanile is 84 m high and, like the cathedral, is faced in white, green and pink marble. Source: Grove Art Online; http://www.groveart.com/ (accessed 2/10/2008)