The Baptistery in Florence is home to Lorenzo Ghiberti's famous Gates of Paradise doors, which feature bronze panels that illustrate various Bible stories. The doors on the Baptistery itself are now replicas, and the original panels can be seen nearby in the lovely Museo dell'Opera del Duomo.
Here's Mr. Hunter admiring the replica doors.
We'd paused to take these photos on our way to the Accademia. Earlier that morning, we'd caught a bit of a parade for the Festa di San Giovanni and the Calcio Storico. When we got to the Accademia, we realized that we had plenty of time before our reservations to go see Michelangelo's astonishing David, so we headed back toward the Duomo and the Baptistry to see if we could catch more parade action. When we got there, another part of the parade was in full swing, and the Gates of Paradise were wide open!
Here's a snippet of the Festa di San Giovanni parade.
Battistero di San Giovanni
Piazza del Duomo
Florence, Italy
June 24, 2008
