The bronze doors of the Baptristy, across from the Florence cathedral, are an artistic and technical marvel of the Renaissance. Crafted by Lorenzo Ghiberti in the 1400s, the ten panels of the 17-foot high doors, depict scenes from the Old Testament. I was awed by these magnificent works of art when I first saw them about 35 years ago. On this recent trip, I learned that the original panels had been removed and replaced with copies in 1966 after they were damaged in a major flood. The originals were restored and are now on display in the Duomo museum where I was able to photograph them through a glass partition. They were even more dazzling than I remembered them.
