When you arrive at the Cathedral Duomo Santa Maria Della Fiore you first arrive at the Baptistry with it's beautiful door called "The Gates of Paradise". These doors to the Baptistry of the Cathedral were created by Lorenzo Ghiberti and took 27 years to complete (1425-52). They are gilded bronze and were called by Michelangelo so beautiful that they were worthy to be the Gates of Paradise and the name stuck. They are considered to be one of the most beautiful works of art ever created. What you see here are cast-copies of the original doors which now reside in the cathedral museum to protect them from the weather.
