Florence Cathedral, Pazzi Conspiracy and the Godfather

The pinnacle of our Italy trip was visiting the Duomo of Florence, which is characteristic of the Renaissance dome. The construction took 142 years and several generations of architects, beginning with Arnolfo di Cambio in 1296.

By 1418 the construction reached the stage where they didn't know how to build a vault above the enormous dimensions of the dome. A competition was held to find a design solution, and the winner was Filippo Brunelleschi, who planned to build two domes, one on top of the other.

One story of the great Duomo is that it has witnessed the most dramatic and unsuccessful plot to overthrow the Medici family by its rival: the Pazzi family of Florence.

The Pazzi in conspiracy with Pope Sixtus IV and his nephew planned to assassinate the Medici brothers during the mass at the Cathedral of Florence on Easter Sunday in 1478. One Medici brother was killed, the other escaped. Meanwhile, other conspirators tried to gain control of the government. But the people of Florence rallied behind the Medici; the conspirators were killed and their bodies were hanged from a window of Palazzo della Signoria as a warning to those who dared to try the same against the Medici family.

The whole plot reminds me so much of The Godfather movie, having similar themes of conspiracy, family power, political rivalry, ambition and desire for power. Perhaps both were rooted in the same culture.