Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Sample Book Insights:#1 The competition to design the Cathedral of Florence attracted the attention of carpenters, masons, and cabinetmakers from all across Tuscany. The Opera del Duomo, the office in charge of the cathedral, reassured all prospective competitors that their efforts would receive a friendly and trustworthy audience.#2 The cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore was the largest building project in Florence during the 1400s. The builders had to figure out how to build a dome that would be the highest and widest vault ever raised. Many experts considered its erection an impossible feat.#3 The foundation stone for the new cathedral had been laid in 1296. The designer and original architect was a master mason named Arnolfo di Cambio, the builder of both the Palazzo Vecchio and the city’s massive new fortifications. But as Florence grew smaller, the cathedral grew larger.#4 The fate of Santa Maria del Fiore was about to change. The cathedral was being built by a group of artists and masons led by another master mason, Neri di Fioravanti. They rejected the external supports proposed by Giovanni di Lapo Ghini, and offered a different approach to the structure of the dome.