Chapter 19 Summary

Chapter Nineteen reviews in detail the painstaking process of building Santa Maria del Fiore's dome. Visitors today can also follow the steps these 15th century masons traveled ever day. Tourists climb the 150 steps from the southwestern pier, which led to the firing of capomaestro Giovanni d'Ambrogio because he could not climb the stairs to inspect the work, to the interior balcony where workers ate their lunch. From there visitors to this cathedral go through a small door that leads into the narrowing space between the two shells and up another set of stairs. Inside this narrow space, the techniques of Filippo and his masons can be seen up close, as well as the tiny portholes in the outer shell that allow in light and air. The final set of steps leads to a viewing platform at the base of the lantern, where visitors...