Here is an entry from the1420 expense accounts of the Opera di Santa Maria del Fiore, the office of works of the cathedral in Florence: ′′At 7 August: 3 lire, 9 soldi, 4 denari for a barrel of vermiglio wine and a flask of trebiano and bread and melons for a collation made on the morning the wall of the cupola began to be built.”
Thanks to the matter-of-fact entry of the bookkeepers, we know for certain that on 7 August 1420 Filippo Brunelleschi started building the great dome of the cathedral of Florence. It records the expenses occurred for a celebratory ‘breakfast’ offered to the skilled workers before the work began on one of the most extraordinary architectural achievements of all time.
If you would like to know more about its building, you could do far worse than read my novel about Renaissance Florence, a Matter of Perspective, which, as well as being a tale of murder and intrigue in the 1420s, gives insights into the building of the dome and the genius of Brunelleschi. You can buy the book from Amazon, by clicking here (US). or here (UK) (It’s free on Kindle!)
Here is an unsolicited testimonial from members of a UK bookclub, who have just been reading A Matter of Perspective “We all thought it a really good read, a page turner. A clever tale of intrigue with its  the many twists and turns, strong vividly colourful characters. The period 1425 Bill portrayed so well in the descriptions of their colourful clothes and the details of great  food consumed. With the scenes described so well, one was able to picture the streets of Florence and those early Renaissance days. The construction and creation of the huge dome was fascinating , we reckoned we learnt a lot.
“So congratulations Bill, on a most enjoyable read and long may it continue to circulate around the world.“