1 Italy

Marble in Italian Architecture

Building material abundant in Northern and Central Italy was highly prized for wall decorations, contributing to the use of stripes and panels in façades and side walls.

Italian Gothic Architecture

Also known as Romanesque Gothic, featured thick supporting walls, few small windows, and thick towers, deviating from the typical Gothic elements like external buttresses, narrow naves, high towers, large windows, and gargoyles.

Milan Cathedral

The 2nd largest Gothic cathedral globally, showcases a blend of Gothic and Islamic styles and involved over 50 architects in its construction over five centuries.

Doge's Palace

Located in Venice, has a unique mix of Islamic and Gothic architecture, featuring columns, pointed arches, capitals, and open tracery typical of Venetian Gothic.

Florence Cathedral

Gothic structure designed by Arnolfo di Cambio, includes a Renaissance dome by Filippo Brunelleschi and Lorenzo Ghiberti, with polychrome marble exteriors and Gothic elements like the Bell Tower and Baptistery.

Siena Cathedral

The Siena Cathedral, faced with Siena red and Prato green marbles, boasts polychrome details and zebra-marble stripes on piers and walls in the interior.

Orvieto Cathedral

Designed by Arnolfo di Cambio, features striped marble, basalt, travertine, and alabaster-filled windows, along with glittering mosaics on the facade by Cesare Nebbia.

S. Croce

The largest Franciscan church globally, housing chapels decorated with frescoes by Giotto and his pupils, and monuments of renowned Italians like Michelangelo and Galileo.