One thing you could certainly say about the Renaissance without fear of contradiction is: “they did things differently back then”. We have reason to be thankful for that, obviously. The Renaissance mind built Florence. Filippo Brunelleschi’s classical overhaul of the glories of Italian Gothic left us the Pazzi Chapel in Santa Croce, the 38 symmetrical chapels of Santo Spirito, San Lorenzo’s Old Sacristy—and an unbroken line of influence to many of the Western World’s great buildings.
And, then, of course, there’s his dome. It was the largest span ever attempted when it was built. The huge hole in the Duomo’s roof was a problem that, without Filippo’s obsessive study of antiquity, 4 million bricks and a large serving of cojones, might never have been solved. But he fixed it, and lived long enough to see the project well on its way.
Perhaps, though, “do it like Brunelleschi” isn’t something we’d advise when it comes to workplace safety. From Vasari’s Lives (Oxford edition, p. 135):
The structure had grown so high by this time that it was extremely disruptive to go down to the ground after having climbed up, and not only was a great deal of time lost by the masters [builders] in going to eat and drink, but they suffered great discomfort from the heat of the day. Filippo therefore found a way to open eating places with kitchens on the dome, where he sold wine as well, and in this fashion no one left work until the evening.
“In this fashion” presumably being a euphemism for “completely legless 140 feet above Piazza del Duomo”.
All of which is a very roundabout way of saying “it’s amazing what you can find out from a book”. I love Vasari, and have read him over and over, but as a travel guide he leaves a little to be desired. He made some of it up, for starters. He hated the artistic traditions of Siena, for seconds. You won’t find any such bias in my new guidebook, Florence and Tuscany Day by Day, published last month in the US and out here any day. I’d be delighted to hear from anyone who has read it, or has comments positive or negative to pass on. I’m very proud of the finished product, but these projects are always a work in progress.
If that doesn’t take your fancy for holiday reading while you’re in Tuscany, here are some other suggestions. Enjoy.
Tags: architecture, Art, brunelleschi, guidebooks, vasari
