Giotto designed this 85-metre bell tower in 1334, the year he was appointed Master of Works for the Florence cathedral complex. He died three years later having built only the first stage; Andrea Pisano and Francesco Talenti completed it by 1359. The tower is clad in the same green, white, and pink marble as the Duomo facade and features two tiers of sculpted reliefs depicting the labours of man, the planets, the virtues, and the liberal arts — the whole of medieval knowledge rendered in stone.
The climb (414 steps) rewards with one of the best close-up views of Brunelleschi's dome, nearly at eye level from the top. Less crowded than the dome climb, often overlooked by visitors who head straight for the Uffizi. The hexagonal reliefs on the lowest zone are copies — the originals are in the Museo dell'Opera del Duomo a short walk away, and worth seeing in detail.