4 Likes
The cathedral is covered in the inside and outside with white and greenish-black marble. It is basically a late Romanesque building: started in the late 12th Century, cathedral, vaults and choir were finished around 1260. The choir was enlarged in the 1320s. Afterwards a reconstruction was planned that would have made the existing church to the transept of a giant new building. The plan was abandoned in 1355 after the great plague. Instead the height of the nave was increased and a new vault was built.
The most outstanding pieces of art are the pulpit by Nicolo Pisano, the marble floor and the Piccolomini Chapel.
The floor of the whole church consists of intricate marble inlays (1369-1562), designed by many different artists. Large parts of it are almost always covered, during the panorama shots too.
Parts of the pulpit by Nicolo Pisano can be seen on the left when looking to the choir. It was finished in 1267. The octagonal pulpit rests on nine pillars, some of which stand on lions, which are tiny visible. Outstanding are the reliefs of the balustrade with eight themes from the life of Jesus.
The upper wall of the choir is dominated by glass windows designed by Duccio (1287).
Wikipedia: here
The panorama shots were taken handheld in low light
...
The Tuscany, one of the most beautiful Italian regions, is known throughout the world for its Landscapes and for the Works of Art that it houses (It is the birthplace of the Italian Renaissance). Six localities have been designated World Heritage Sites: the Historical Center of Florence, Siena, San Gimignano and Pienza, the Square of the Cathedral of Pisa with the Leaning Tower and the Val d'Orcia. It is in the central Italy and borders with Emilia Romagna (north), Marche and Umbria (east) and Lazio (South). The West coast is bathed from the Ligurian and Tyrrhenian Sea; here we can find the islands of the Tuscan archipelago including the island of Elba. The regional capital is Florence and the other provinces are: Arezzo, Grosseto, Livorno, Lucca, Massa, Pisa, Pistoia, Prato and Siena.
