Climbing Brunelleschi’s Dome in Florence: History, Tips, and What to Expect

Before the Dome: How Florence Built a Cathedral Without Knowing How to Finish It

Long before Brunelleschi ever laid a brick, Florence had already begun a project so ambitious it would take over 140 years to complete.

In 1296, the city tore down its old church, Santa Reparata, and laid the foundations for something much bigger: the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore — “Saint Mary of the Flower.” The name was symbolic, tied to both the Virgin Mary and the lily that represented Florence.

They wanted the biggest church anyone had seen in Italy.
And they were willing to wait.

The first architect was Arnolfo di Cambio, who envisioned a vast Gothic church crowned by a monumental dome — even though no one yet knew how to build it. His design launched one of the most famous construction efforts in European history. After Arnolfo died, the project stalled. Over the next 100 years, it passed through the hands of famous names:

Giotto became chief architect in 1334 and started the bell tower — but died just three years later.
Andrea Pisano and then Francesco Talenti continued the work, expanding the nave and shaping the colossal space where the dome would eventually sit.

By the late 1300s, the walls were up. The bell tower stood tall. The cathedral was almost done — except for the part that was impossible: building the largest dome the world had ever seen, with no way to support it.

Florence had built a church that could not be roofed.

Until 1418, when a public contest was held. The challenge?

“Build the biggest dome. No scaffolding. No supports. Just genius.”

That’s when a goldsmith named Filippo Brunelleschi stepped forward — and changed the story of Florence forever.

How Brunelleschi Designed the Dome of Florence Without Formal Training

Brunelleschi had no formal training in architecture. He was a sculptor, a goldsmith, and a man obsessed with ancient Roman engineering. He believed it could be done — not by copying the Pantheon, but by inventing something new.

He proposed to build a dome over 45 meters wide — the largest masonry dome since antiquity — without any scaffolding inside. His vision involved a double shell of external domes, resting on an octagonal structure so massive that many thought it couldn’t stand.

Florence was stunned. But Brunelleschi didn’t just make promises. He made models. He built machines. He studied ancient techniques and invented new ones — including the fish-bone brick laying technique, which helped the bricks interlock securely without falling inward during construction.

The city had waited a century for a solution. Now they had one.

In 1420, he got the job — and the giant construction of the Dome of the Cathedral of Florence officially began. It would become a marvel not only of the Renaissance but of human ingenuity itself.

Brunelleschi’s Dome Structure Explained: Double Shell, No Scaffolding

What Brunelleschi built still amazes engineers today. His dome was made of two shells — a strong inner dome and a lighter outer one. Between them, hidden staircases wind upward.

He laid the bricks in a herringbone pattern, locking them into place as the dome rose. No central support. No wooden frame. Just geometry and gravity.

He used iron and stone chains like belts to hold the structure together and invented lifting machines powered by oxen — designed to raise tons of materials hundreds of feet in the air.

No one had ever done anything like it before.

16 years of work. Still standing after 600 years

Construction took 16 years. In 1436, the dome was completed — just in time for the cathedral’s consecration by Pope Eugene IV.

Brunelleschi didn’t live to see the lantern added on top, but he had already given Florence something no other city had: a dome so bold, so beautiful, and so well built that it became the symbol of an era.

Even Michelangelo, while designing the dome of St. Peter’s in Rome, admitted:
“I can make it bigger — but not more beautiful.”

Why Brunelleschi’s Dome Still Stands: Engineering Secrets Revealed

Florence asked him to build the largest dome anyone had ever attempted — over 45 meters wide — without scaffolding, without concrete, and without steel reinforcement. And he did it. But how?

It didn’t collapse because Brunelleschi solved problems no one had ever solved before. Here’s how he did it:

• Double shell design: The dome isn’t one thick structure — it’s two. An inner dome carries the weight; a lighter outer shell protects it. Between them are narrow staircases and hidden supports.
• Herringbone brick pattern: He laid the bricks in a zigzag pattern, not straight rows. This locked each layer in place and prevented the bricks from sliding outward under their own weight.
• Chains of stone and iron: Like belts holding a barrel, Brunelleschi added tension rings around the dome — horizontal chains of sandstone and iron — to keep the walls from bursting outward.
• Ribs for strength: The dome has 24 vertical ribs built into its structure. These act like the bones of a skeleton, channeling the weight down to the base instead of letting it push outward.
• No central support needed: The dome supported itself as it rose. Each brick was placed carefully, one at a time, with gravity and geometry doing the work.
• Custom-built machines: He even invented new hoists and cranes to lift materials over 50 meters high — machines that amazed everyone who saw them.

All of it was designed in his head. There were no drawings, no blueprints, no manual. Just vision, math, and mastery.

And 600 years later, Brunelleschi’s Dome is still standing.

What It’s Like to Climb Inside Brunelleschi’s Dome

Here’s the best part: this isn’t just something to admire from below. You can climb inside the dome today, walking the exact space Brunelleschi created between the two shells.

The climb begins from a side entrance of Santa Maria del Fiore. There’s no elevator. No alternative route. Just 463 steps, winding through tight stone staircases, ancient corridors, and passageways that once echoed with the footsteps of masons and laborers six centuries ago.

About halfway up, you step into the gallery just beneath the frescoed interior of the dome. Painted by Giorgio Vasari and Federico Zuccari, the massive Juicio Final scene surrounds you in vivid color. Angels and saints, sinners and demons—it’s overwhelming in scale and detail. And you’re standing right in the middle of it.

Then comes the most unique part of the climb: the final ascent between the inner and outer domes. You’re literally inside the structure, curving upward, step by step, toward the light at the top. It feels secretive. Historic. Slightly surreal.

Finally, you emerge onto the lantern terrace—100 meters above the city—and the view opens like a painting.

Florence Views from the Top of Brunelleschi’s Dome

From the highest point in Florence, you can see the entire city laid out in perfect Renaissance order. Terracotta roofs stretch in every direction. The hills of Fiesole and Chianti ripple on the horizon. You’ll see the Arno River, the towers of the Palazzo Vecchio, the tiled curve of Giotto’s Bell Tower just across the square—and the whole sweep of Tuscany in the distance.

It’s the kind of view that makes people fall quiet, phones forgotten in their hands.

Brunelleschi’s Dome Tickets: What’s Included and How to Book

If you’re planning to climb the Dome, you’ll need to purchase the Paso Brunelleschi — the only ticket that includes access to the Dome itself. It’s not just for the Dome, though. This all-in-one pass gives you access to five key sites within the Florence Cathedral complex:

• The Dome – This is the big one. Climbing to the top of Brunelleschi’s Dome requires a timed reservation, which you choose when booking your ticket. Once it’s set, it’s locked in — there are no late entries.
• El campanario de Giotto – A separate climb with stunning views of the Dome itself from above.
• El Baptisterio de San Giovanni – Famous for its golden mosaics and the iconic “Gates of Paradise.”
• Museo de la Ópera del Duomo – A treasure trove of original sculptures and architectural models from the Cathedral’s history.
• Santa Reparata – The ancient church buried beneath the Cathedral floor, where you can literally walk through centuries of Florence’s past.