Ark and Laura in Florence 2005 (81 of 172)

This tower is still without equal in the world. Giotto created the design in 1334 and in July of the same year, the foundations were laid. Unfortunately, Giotto died three years later. The work was continued by Andrea Pisano until 1348, and then finished by Francesco Talenti in 1359. They scrupulously followed the design of the great master except for a spire which was never built. The spire would have added another 30 meters to the tower which presently stands at 84 meters. The tower is covered in colored marble and adorned with bas-releifs by Andrea Pisano and Luca della Robbia after Giotto's designs. The reliefs represent the "history of human labor."