The “Pietra Serena” stones of Brunelleschi's Cupola

Brunelleschi conceived the Santa Maria del Fiore (Florence Cathedral) Cupola as a self-sustaining structure. To that purpose, he introducd new techniques and a selected use of building materials. The archives of the Opera del Duomo show that particular materials were chosen for specific uses, and in many instances the precise quarry where the stones had to come from was specified. In the Brunelleschi's idea, the chains containing the outward...