The Cricket Cage

Today I had the opportunity to use my umbrella shaped like the Duomo in FlorenceThere’s a detail on it most people don’t noticeLike the Eiffel Tower in Paris or Big Ben in LondonFlorence’s skyline is recognizable based on the DuomoOr, more formally, the Basilica di Santa Maria del FioreThe cathedral grew with Florence’s prominence in Italian historyFirst, just a small church on a northbound Roman roadThen a 5th century upgrade to “Santa Reparata Basilica”But as the middle ages became the RenaissanceFlorence came out swingingAnd this Russian nesting doll of a churchBegan to take its modern shape1296 brought a new cathedral which took 100 years to buildBut left a nearly 150 foot hole in the roofAnd in 1420, Brunelleschi began the octagonal dome that is now known the world overThe first and still largest brick dome in the worldIn what was a drama worthy of a telenovelaHe built it in only 16 yearsWith incredible innovationUsing no scaffolding or wood supportsAnd confusing the hell out of the architects and artisans of the dayBut, for some reason, Brunelleschi left the base of the Duomo unfinishedYou have this incredibly fancy, two-tiered, intricate domeAnd a bunch of raw stone and sandstone beams attaching it to an incredibly ornate cathedralHe died more than a decade later… He could’ve finished itNo one else had the gutsNo one understood the engineering above it and didn’t want to be responsible for collapsing the structureBut eighty years later, as the Renaissance was hoppingFlorence set an architect to the taskAt about the same time they commissioned Michelangelo to carve “David” to sit at the cathedral’s rooflineSo, this architect designed decorative columns for where the cupola meets the cathedralAnd he completes one of the eight sides before Michelangelo comes back to town with DavidA couple of things happen nextOne, David is so beautiful - and so heavy - they decide he must live where he can be appreciatedAnd even Michelangelo’s archnemesis, DaVinci, agrees David should be placed in front of the town hallSorry, Palazzo VecchioWhere he sat for the next three hundred and fifty yearsBut, the other thing that happenedIs someone asked how Michelangelo thought the Duomo base was coming alongHe snickered and said the columns made the Duomo look like a cricket cageAt which point, the work was abandoned. Permanently.I mean, if Michelangelo doesn’t like it…So, that’s what my umbrella showsOne edge of the octagon with it’s cricket cageAnd seven more completely unfinishedBecause of one man’s opinionAnd here, 400 years later, it remains the sameLook at a picture - any pictureOne of the most ornate and visited buildings in the world remains visibly unfinishedAnd absolutely no one caresBut it does make me chuckle every time it rains. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit fallingtenderly.substack.com