It’s well known that Brunelleschi’s dome is shrouded in mystery: the exact logic used in designing it has still never been 100 percent clarified, and even today, there are still varied theories about how it was carried out.
Among the many methods in place to help you better understand it are full-scale reproductions, and in this group, one in particular stands out. You’ll find it in the Parco dell’Anconella, just a little outside the center.
Created in 1:5 scale and produced by one of the leading Brunelleschi scholars, Massimo Ricci, it recreates the setting of single bricks, set up herringbone style.
The dome stands only 2/3 the size of the real structure to allow visitors to observe it from the inside. For its creation, the same techniques from Brunelleschi’s day were used, including tie-rods, pulleys and rib base systems.
It’s a real doozy and different from the usual sights.

Photo credits: 
Saliko under Creative Commons License, attribution 3.0 Unported (CC BY 3.0).

Brunelleschi’s Dome

OPERA DEL DUOMO MUSEUM & BAPTISTERY

CLIMBING OF BRUNELLESCHI’S CUPOLA

GUIDED VISIT OF THE CATHEDRAL OF FLORENCE

Tips

Address: Via Villamagna , 50126 Firenze (FI)