The Florence Dome was begun in 1429 and was completed in 1434, but the lantern was constructed later, between 1445 and 1461.
This magnificent Santa Maria del Fiore Dome is the work of Filippo Brunelleschi who built it without any supporting scaffolding from the ground. His daring technique was derived from examples of buildings by the ancient Romans.
The bricks interlock in a herringbone fashion to create a spiral structure that is a double-shelled dome supporting itself.
An external gallery was planned by Baccio d'Agnolo, but the work was interrupted and never finished, when Michelangelo said that it made the dome look like a "cage of crickets".
The diameter is 45.25 meters and, if we exclude the lantern, the height is 91 meters.
