I'm going back through my various vacation photos and pulling out those pics of interesting buildings or details. This photo is of one of the doors of the Florence Baptistery, an octagonal building across the plaza from the massive Duomo cathedral and the Campanile (bell tower) di Giotto. The Baptistery has three sets of these bronze doors, including this relief by Lorenzo Ghiberti depicting various Old Testament stories. Actually, my manservant Patsy is whispering that these are only copies, as the originals are now hidden away to protect them from further damage by exposure outdoors. Still, very impressive artwork, which took the artist and his workshop 27 years to produce. I can't imagine spending that much time on a single project, but it might be worth it for something that lasted this long!
