Salisbury:
As seen on the exterior, Salisbury takes on a more vertical appearance, which is an English design feature. An intriguing design feature is that the flying buttresses can be clearly seen from the outside. The exterior is also very geometrical, made of stone, and had a somewhat "bland" color to keep the outside of this cathedral simple and to the point. The architects probably knew that those who would attend the ceremonies that went on within this cathedral wouldn't need a flashy entrance to be drawn in. Heading to the inside of the cathedral, one would notice that Salisbury put more emphasis on arches and had more surface decoration; this means that there was color in the aisles, but not in the dome of the structure. The windows are very slender and arched, as are the columns. The columns were constructed to appear thinner to not only keep the flow of the "skinny" design theme (windows), but to make things appear lighter.
Florence:
Unlike Salisbury, the Duomo heavily focused on proportion and not so much on creating a geometrical setting. Clearly, this cathedral catches the eye more than the Salisbury cathedral does. The exterior walls have a pattern to them and there is a separate tower, both factors of typical Italian design. Inside this cathedral, it flips with Salisbury because there is a beautiful pictorial in the dome and not much in the aisles. Rather than having arched windows, the Duomo has perfect circular windows that are filled with stain-glass. As a whole, the Florence cathedral is much more "lively" than that of Salisbury.
Although both of these cathedrals differ, they have many similarities. Both sites utilize their own design factors, but also take on a French design because France was in the middle of these two countries. They also have similar layouts, which take the shape of a cross:
They also have similar design features including a central nave over the door way and multiple rows of windows.
Both cathedrals are beautiful and are used for similar religious ceremonies, but the Salisbury cathedral definitely takes on a more truly gothic appeal, where as the Florence cathedral takes on a renaissance appeal.
