At the dawn of magnificence

摘要

Italy's self-esteem is at a low ebb. Last month's election was won by clowns. The Italian economy is struggling and the new pope is reading the results of an unhappy inquiry into the Roman Catholic church bequeathed to him by his predecessor. But for visitors to Florence, the dome that Filippo Brunelleschi built in 1436 rises "above the skies, ample to cover with its shadow all the Tuscan people", according to a contemporary commentator.