Basilica of Saint Mary of the Flower

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The Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore (English: Basilica of Saint Mary of the Flower) is the main church of Florence, Italy.

The Duomo, as it is ordinarily called, was begun in 1296 in the Gothic style to the design of Arnolfo di Cambio and completed structurally in 1436 with the dome engineered by Filippo Brunelleschi.

The exterior of the basilica is faced with polychrome marble panels in various shades of green and pink bordered by white and has an elaborate 19th century Gothic Revival façade by Emilio De Fabris.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duomo_of_Florence

The Gates of Paradise

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The east pair of doors to the the Florence Baptistery  or Battistero di San Giovanni (Baptistry of St. John), dubbed by Michelangelo as "the Gates of Paradise"

The Baptistry is renowned for its three sets of artistically important bronze doors with relief sculptures. The south doors were done by Andrea Pisano and the north and east doors by Lorenzo Ghiberti.

The Italian poet Dante Alighieri and many other notable Renaissance figures, including members of the Medici family, were baptized in this baptistery  In fact, until the end of the nineteenth century, all Catholic Florentines were baptized here.

The octagonal Baptistery stands in both the Piazza del Duomo and the Piazza di San Giovanni, across from the Duomo cathedral and the Giotto bell tower (Campanile di Giotto).

These are not HDR by the way.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florence_Baptistery

Brunelleschi's lantern at the top of the Duomo

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And here we have Brunelleschi's lantern at the top of the dome of the The Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore in Firenze, Italia (Florence, Italy) or just the Duomo, as it is more widely known.
   
To get to the top, requires the purchase of a ticket and then 414 back breaking steps (no elevator).

   Like a tree where lovers carve their initials as show of affection for viewers to come, hundreds of couples have written their names or initials on the lantern. 

  After the miraculous construction of the dome by Brunelleschi, his ability to crown the dome with a lantern was questioned and he had to undergo another competition. He was declared the winner over his competitors Lorenzo Ghiberti and Antonio Ciaccheri. His design was for an octagonal lantern with eight radiating buttresses and eight high arched windows (now on display in the Museum Opera del Duomo). Construction of the lantern was begun a few months before his death in 1446. Then, for 15 years, little progress was possible, due to alterations by several architects. The lantern was finally completed by Brunelleschi's friend Michelozzo in 1461. The conical roof was crowned with a gilt copper ball and cross, containing holy relics, by Verrocchio in 1469. This brings the total height of the dome and lantern to 114.5 metres (375 ft). This copper ball was struck by lightning on 17 July 1600 and fell down. It was replaced by an even larger one two years later.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florence_Cathedral

http://www.obscure.org/~perky/uofr/fall2002/ISYS203U/Duomo_Site/construction.html

Dante Alighieri Statue - his spirit, which had left us, returns...

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        In front of the Basilica of Santa Croce stands the statue dedicated to Dante Alighieri. It is a marble statue made by Enrico Pazzi.
         
         For Dante, exile was nearly a form of death, stripping him of much of his identity and his heritage.
         
         Prince Guido Novello da Polenta invited him to Ravenna in 1318, and he accepted. He finished the Paradiso, and died in 1321 (at the age of 56) while returning to Ravenna from a diplomatic mission to Venice, he died possibly of malaria contracted there. Dante was buried in Ravenna at the Church of San Pier Maggiore (later called San Francesco). Bernardo Bembo, praetor of Venice in 1483, took care of his remains by building a better tomb.
         
         Eventually, Florence came to regret Dante's exile, and made repeated requests for the return of his remains. The custodians of the body at Ravenna refused to comply, at one point going so far as to conceal the bones in a false wall of the monastery. Nevertheless, in 1829, a tomb was built for him in Florence in the basilica of Santa Croce. That tomb has been empty ever since, with Dante's body remaining in Ravenna, far from the land he loved so dearly. The front of his tomb in Florence reads Onorate l'altissimo poeta—which roughly translates as "Honour the most exalted poet". The phrase is a quote from the fourth canto of the Inferno, depicting Virgil's welcome as he returns among the great ancient poets spending eternity in Limbo. The continuation of the line, L'ombra sua torna, ch'era dipartita ("his spirit, which had left us, returns"), is poignantly absent from the empty tomb.
http://www.casasantapia.com/engels/firenze/santacroce.htm