Brunelleschi’s dome in Florence is one of the Renaissance’s great stories of persistence, failure, invention, and starting again. After more than 25 years teaching yoga, meditation, and Yoga Nidra, I’ve learned that practice often asks us to stay present when things don’t unfold the way we imagined. Walking through Florence this week, I’ve been thinking about that same pattern on a much larger scale—and about one man who found himself literally face-down in the street before building something the world had never seen.
Face Down In The Street
It's 1418, and Filippo Brunelleschi—goldsmith, sculptor, and amateur architect—is lying face-down in the filth of the Florence streets. The guards have just thrown him out of the cathedral works committee meeting by his collar. In his head, he’s holding the answer to an architectural puzzle that has stumped the greatest minds in Europe for over a century, and he’s just been tossed out on his ear for refusing to share it. His body and ego are bruised. Lying there, I imagine him taking a deep breath (not too deep, though, cuz you know, face-down in the street during the Renaissance can’t be pretty), wondering whether to walk away from the whole damn thing.
But let me back up.
A Hole in the Roof
In 1296, Florence starts building its cathedral, and the Florentines decide to go for broke. They want the biggest cathedral in Christendom, crowned with a dome even larger than the Pantheon’s in Rome, the greatest dome the world had ever known.
Problem: nobody alive knows how to build it.
But Florence is feeling confident. They have recently shaken off their feudal lords to govern themselves, and the rising merchant class has built a momentum of getting things done. They know that building the cathedral will take 100–150 years and while they don’t have a solution for their dome problem, they lay the foundation anyway having faith that someone in the generations to come will figure it out. Otherwise, they will have the largest open-air cathedral in Christendom.
About 50 years into the construction the Black Death comes along and kills almost half of Florence. They recover then keep building.
The Goldsmith Who Lost
Filippo Brunelleschi isn’t an architect. He’s a goldsmith. It’s 1401 and he competes against Lorenzo Ghiberti in a very high-profile competition to design some doors on the Baptistery. And loses. Brunelleschi is crushed and basically gives up goldsmithing. This competition galvanizes a rivalry that will continue the rest of their lives.
He leaves for Rome with Donatello (hello!) where they drink a lot of wine and measure ancient ruins.
Eventually, Brunelleschi comes back to Florence, right when the cathedral is all but done. There’s still a gaping hole where a dome should be. Florence is freaking out, interviewing architects from all over Europe, searching for someone, anyone, who might possibly build their dome. Even though Brunelleschi is not an architect, he has an idea about how to build the dome. And the more he thinks about it, the more he knows it’s going to work.
Florence is Crazy Town
He’s cracked the code for building this impossible dome but in this competitive environment he also knows that he can’t tell anyone how or someone else will steal his idea and get this prestigious gig—a much bigger deal than the Baptistery doors.
One day, Brunelleschi's in a meeting with the works committee about the dome. They're like, "Tell us how you plan on building this dome so we can consider whether to hire you." He's all, "Look, I've told you a million times—I've totally cracked the code on how to build this dome. I will build your dome. Send these architects packing!" "Yeah," the committee retorts, "but again, HOW do you plan to do it?" "Again, I can't tell you how I'm going to do it. You just have to trust me." "That's crazy town!" they shoot back. "You know what's crazy town?" he spits. "FLORENCE IS CRAZY TOWN!”
The historical records are hazy on this fact but I’d bet serious florin that it’s the “Florence is crazy town” spat in their faces that gets his ass thrown out into the street.
Walking Back In
So, there he is lying face-down in the street seething in a bitter cocktail of humiliation, rejection, and anger. Maybe he should just forget the dome, forget Florence. But he’s conflicted. He knows his idea for building the dome is brilliant. It will work. Plus, what it would mean for his career to get this contract. And as an added bonus, maybe he could finally win a really big contract, showing Ghiberti who’s best.
After cooling down for a minute, he’s suddenly overcome with a stark truth: this dome is destiny, his purpose for being here and it’s crucial that he somehow wins over the committee. He’s got to build that dome.
So, after a moment of communing with the fleas and flies, he gets over himself. I picture him picking himself back up, brushing himself off, and calmly walking back into that room, to do what he needs to do.
Maybe the works committee felt they were out of options, maybe it was Brunelleschi’s change in attitude, maybe it was the sympathy induced by the fresh horse manure smeared all over his shirt, but Brunelleschi miraculously does convince the committee to give him the contract.
The only problem is … now, he has to build the biggest dome in history.
Oh, and there’s one catch.
He has to share the gig with Ghiberti.
The Impossible Dome
It’s taken Florence 125 years to get the cathedral to this point and Brunelleschi not only does the impossible by finishing the dome, he does it in only 16 years. Plus, he somehow manages to get his rival Ghiberti kicked off the project. Building the dome means also inventing the heavy and complex machinery needed to build it. In fact, some of the inventions often attributed to Leonardo da Vinci are actually drawings that a young Leonardo drew of the machines Brunelleschi invented to build the dome. Undoubtedly, Brunelleschi’s inventions stimulated da Vinci’s passion for engineering.
In 1436 the dome is complete so that finally, the only birds attending mass are the ones who sneak in through the doors. When it’s finally finished, all of Florence gathers in the Piazza to celebrate. The church bells ring, singing to the faith of those long dead who laid its foundation. Brunelleschi becomes Florence’s biggest hero.
Ghiberti who?
Still Admiring the View
This past week, we climbed all 463 steps inside of Brunelleschi’s dome, squeezing between its two shells to see his genius from the inside, until we stepped out on top to see all of Florence spread out beneath us. Afterward, with a new respect for his brilliance, we stood in the piazza beside a marble statue of the goldsmith-turned-architect. He’s seated, compass in hand, head tilted back, gazing at his dome. After six hundred years, he’s still admiring the view.
Interested in experiencing Florence and Tuscany with Scott on a future retreat? Join the interest list to receive upcoming dates, details, and retreat updates.
Your Street
We love Florence and the Renaissance and heroes like Brunelleschi because their stories mirror the journey we are all on: being tested, failing, wandering in exile, studying, innovating, and finally, if we keep going, triumphing. Most of us will never build an impossible dome. But sooner or later, every one of us ends up face-down in some street.
Maybe it’s a job that didn’t come through, a relationship that ended, or a dream that got squashed. Maybe you’re lying there right now, wondering whether to walk away or walk back in.
What got Brunelleschi off the ground wasn’t pride. It was knowing, deep down, that the dome was his to build. So if you’re in the street, ask yourself what you know that’s worth getting up for.
And may we remember that often, it’s our apparent failures that are the hidden catalysts, activating talents we didn’t know we had.
Walk These Streets With Me
Every year, I walk these streets with a small group, from the Baptistery doors all the way to the top of the dome. If you’d like to hear first when the 2027 dates open, join the interest list.
FAQ — Brunelleschi’s Dome and Florence
Who was Filippo Brunelleschi?
Filippo Brunelleschi was a Florentine goldsmith, sculptor, and amateur architect who ultimately designed and built the enormous dome of Florence Cathedral. Before taking on the dome, he competed against Lorenzo Ghiberti for the Baptistery doors and lost.
Why was Brunelleschi’s dome in Florence considered impossible to build?
Florence had designed a cathedral requiring a dome larger than anything builders of the time knew how to construct. By the time the rest of the cathedral was nearly finished, a huge opening remained where the dome was supposed to go, and architects from across Europe had been unable to solve the problem.
How long did it take Brunelleschi to build the dome?
Brunelleschi completed the dome in just 16 years after Florence had already spent roughly 125 years building the cathedral to that point.
How many steps are there to the top of Brunelleschi’s dome?
There are 463 steps to climb through the interior of the dome and reach the top, where visitors can look out over Florence.
What can Brunelleschi’s story teach us about failure?
His story suggests that an apparent failure can sometimes become a catalyst. Losing the Baptistery doors competition changed Brunelleschi’s direction, and later rejection by the cathedral committee forced him to decide whether the dome was worth getting back up for.
How can I receive updates about Scott Moore’s Tuscany retreat?
You can join the Tuscany retreat interest list to receive updates about future retreat dates and details, including opportunities to experience Florence and its Renaissance history with Scott.