Views of Piazza di Porta San Giovanni on Sunday

I have invited all of you to walk in the footsteps of Filippo Brunelleschi around Piazza di Porta San Giovanni, and to observe carefully the square and its important buildings, and their relationships to each other. I have posted a number of views that we found were interesting on our walk this Sunday.





Entering the square from the south, our first view is of the side of Santa Maria del Fiore and the magnificent proportions of Brunelleschi's dome.












We then were immediately captured by the sheer proportion and elegance of Giotto's campanile.









Looking immediately west we saw the profile of the front of Santa Maria del Fiore and the beauty of the marble work on the facade.




















Following our eyes to the Baptistry, we are captured by Lorenzo Ghiberti's doors on the east side,facing the Duomo ~ the "Doors of Heaven" so called by Michelangelo.




















And then finally we are drawn towards the facade of Santa Maria del Fiore and the main doors. Try to stand in this main door and look out over the square, taking in the perspective and relationship of the buildings to each other, to the piazza and the surroundings.
















In Brunelleschi's time, this view of the Baptistry and the square was not so different, although he would have seen the edge of the old sheep market in the back streets, and of course, a very different range of activities going on in the square.

Post your views of the Piazza di Porta San Giovanni, or the view from the door of the Duomo, or anything in particular that is of special interest to you in this very beautiful and historic "heart" of Firenze.

Photos by Alexandra Ladly Hoffnung. Click on the photos to see a higher resolution image, well worth it, especially for the photo of the Ghiberti doors!