A year and a half since first living in Florence, the excitement and enthusiasm of again meandering through the streets in an attempt to understand and capture the city’s architectural wealth, is undimmed.

Currently living just below the great Abbey of Vallombrosa in the Regello region of Tuscany, the brief train ride from Sant’Ellero into the city all adds to the anticipation. Passing through the Florentine hills, you are flanked by some of the great villa retreats of the Renaissance. The loggia of Villa Gamberaia is evident and Villa la Pietra, the former home of Harold Acton, is noticeable with its deep yellow render that so perfectly reflects the famed late afternoon Tuscan sun. Both sit assertively overlooking Florence, while on the skyline, the campanile of Fiesole seems vertiginous as you steam through the depths of the Arno valley.  

Striding out, determined to remember the fastest route to the Baptistery, I take many miscued turns before slightly unexpectedly arriving at San Lorenzo. Reassured by the sounds of carts rattling along the paved streets headed for the Mercato Centrale and catching a glimpse of the lantern and golden orb atop the Duomo’s cupola, I weave towards the Piazza del Duomo.

A typical autumn morning; bright but cool in the early hours, there is a feeling of expectancy that swathes the city. This thin shadow will soon give way to unadulterated heat and light. Finally, I step off Via Ferdinando Zanetti and to my left is the Baptistery. Overshadowed by this great Renaissance totem it stands quietly but assuredly. Feeling that confidence that an older sibling does toward their younger kin. It was, quite simply, there first.

Thought to be the oldest structure in the city, and beloved of Dante who called it ‘my beautiful San Giovanni’, it has stood at the centre of Florentine life from around the 4th century. Dedicated to Mars, it was believed to be a Roman temple but later in 6th Century it was replaced by a Christian baptistery. The final incarnation of the marble clad, octagonal baptistery we see today was only completed in the 12th century; re-consecrated in 1059 by Pope Nicholas II.

It initially feels solid, dense with its alternating green Prato and white Carrara marble defining the octagonal structure and its many features. Gradually though, the boldly striped corner pilasters give way to more delicate elements of fine fluted pilasters and carved Corinthian capitals. Moving up, attention is drawn to bands of intricate marble inlay wrapping all sides. The grace of the upper sections and topped with the white marble pavilion roof and octagonal lantern form a striking contrast from the heavier base. This harmony of decoration makes it one of Florence’s great architectural feats.

Underneath the distinctive marble revetment stands a sandstone structure. Like other buildings in the city, such as at San Miniato al Monte, the remains of the Roman settlement of Florentia was a useful supply of existing building materials. Much of the marble ‘spolia’ (literally meaning spoils) came from the forum in the now Piazza della Repubblica, as well as the conquered Etruscan town of Fiesole.

Until the 19th century, all Catholic Florentines were baptised here. In medieval times these baptisms would also act as the census for the city. A black bean was put in the census box to denote the birth of a boy, a white bean for a girl. It is unknown when this ritual stopped but as Florence grew to being one of the largest cities in the world by the 13th century, although surprisingly accurate, the system must have started to become a cumbersome counting device.

Three vast bronze cast doors ornament the east, south and north facades. Seventeen feet tall, these great panelled portals break up the continuum of marble. The first set of eastern doors, the most important due to their facing the Duomo, were created by Andrea Pisano in the 14th century. The 28 panels depicting stories from the life of St John the Baptist.

Famously, Lorenzo Ghiberti beat the now celebrated Filippo Brunelleschi in a competition to replace the east doors of Pisano doors in 1401. The competition was run by one of Florence’s wealthiest guilds and the guild responsible for decorating the Baptistery, the Arte de Calimala. Ghiberti created a matching 28 panelled set of doors that portray Christ’s life from the New Testament. Each scene set within quatrefoil borders. These doors were eventually moved to the north door after Ghiberti earned himself another commission in 1425 from the guild, to design yet another pair of east doors that would be the final and most astonishing. Later they were crowned by a group of statues in the 18th century to a design originally by Andrea Sansovino.

Ten panelled and gilded, with deep reliefs and a new mastery of perspective, the bronze doors incorporated scenes from the Old Testament and were named by Michelangelo ‘The Gates of Paradise’ so astonishing were they in their beauty and fine craftsmanship. The doors are a celebrated sculptural masterpiece that are a marker of the nascent Italian Renaissance.

Like many Romanesque buildings, the deep walls and small windows of the Baptistery make entering inside a bewildering experience. Plunging in from a blindingly bright piazza, darkness envelopes you but quickly revealed are swathes of intricate and glittering mosaic. Crafted between 1266 to the early 1400’s, the mosaic covers the apses and the entire dome by a number of artists and craftsmen.

Cimabue is attributed as well as a number of Venetian mosaicists who were heavily influenced by the Byzantine style. Iridescent, they cast their own light upon the space. Rays from the thin windows and lantern only marginally assisting. The floor’s marble mosaic filled with Arabic motifs radiates from the centre and dates back to the 12th century. It is a heady and unexpected spectacle that adds to the baptistery’s wonder.

Leaving the interior bling and stepping back out into the Piazza del Duomo a fresh perspective is felt. A deftness of touch that created this building by the many craftsmen whose minds and hands have over centuries worked to hone this building is truly realised.

Regrettably, I eventually have to turn my back and walk south. Florence is filled with innumerable architectural treasures, yet few hold such a lightness of being. Fewer still that are able to achieve this standing in the shadow of a giant.