Year of grace 1418: a congress of architects and engineers from all over the world is held in Florence. Congress topic: giving a dome to Santa Maria del Fiore.
Among others, there was also Filippo Brunelleschi; in cloak, hood and clogs, as always, modest and poor in appearance, but full of ideas and great intentions.
Nobody paid attention to him. And then, undetected, Philip left.
“I'm going to Rome; in Florence, I don't know why nobody wants to listen to me; I said my idea, and it was so beautiful!”
In the meantime, while he was in Rome, the others in Florence bang their heads against the walls. There was no way to find The way to "cover" the dome, as hoped!
Someone said softly: "Yet Filippo Brunelleschi had a way."
Some others raised their voices a little more: “Call Filippo Brunelleschi”.
And Filippo was brought back.
Anxiously awaited him; they spoke to him. solemnly, they told him about the difficulties they encountered, the failed tests, the disappointed hopes ...
“There is no doubt”; Filippo said gravely, "big things are always difficult, and this is a enterprise to shake in one's boots. But if I think that this church, which is still waiting for its completion, is consecrated to God and to Our Lady, I trust that inspiration and courage come from above.
But I can't and I don't want to start anything on the spot. We will meet here in a year; renew the invitation to the architects of every land; each one will bring his own sketch, his own model; there should be a race, there should also be a battle; we will see who will be the most worthy! I have nothing else to say.”
Those who had called him back to Florence crowded around him.
“Don't leave, Filippo! Stay here! Prepare your sketch immediately, your model, show it to us, stop!”
But Filippo left again. And in Rome he threw himself madly to work around his secret and terrible project: "completing the dome".
In the meantime, the invitations to the architects had arrived in France, Germany, England, Spain, and they began to study and prepare their models. Finally on the fixed day, they arrived from across the Alps and overseas; and Filippo came from Rome.
They gathered, and each exposed his idea in the clearest and most extensive of ways.
Filippo had prepared a model, but kept it hidden under the cloak; he wanted to win only with words, with his persuasion, with his faith.
“He's a fool! A fool!” - people said hearing him speak, hearing him expose his daring idea of a light, airy dome, similar to a large sail inflated by the wind …”
But Filippo did not fear, he did not tremble anymore. His idea comforted him, exalted him. He was sure of it.
“You don't believe me, and I tell you that I will be able to "cover" the dome, without fear.”
“Impossible!” - shouted the most avid foreign architects, backed by many others - “What you propose to do is absurd, like making an egg stand on a marble surface!”
“I’ll take your word” - Brunelleschi replied calmly and confidently. - “If I manage to keep an egg upright, it will mean that it will not be impossible for me to cover the dome; do you accept the challenge?”
Everyone accepted, convinced that Brunelleschi would lose ... both the egg and the dome
A craftsman ran to get a dozen eggs and brought them to the meeting; the architects came around him, each of them armed with an egg, fiddling, trying again and again: in vain. And Philip, last of all, took the last egg, gracefully, and nudged him with a pat: and that one remained standing, firm and bold, on the marble surface.
“Oh, big deal!” - the others grumbled and rumbled - “We could have done that too!”
“Quite right; why didn't you do it?” said Philip
“Show us the model! We want to see the model!” the others shouted.
“Ok; so, seeing the model, it's like seeing the egg standing up: you could do it too!” - argued Brunelleschi.
“It’s up to you, it’s up to you!” said the thousand others who had followed the dispute - “It is up to you as you are the most worthy!”
And so the dome was entrusted to him; and still today it rises in the sky of Florence to speak of his brilliant architect, who thanks to an egg "covered the dome".
Taken from BURLE,TAVOLOZZE E SCALPELLI di Giorgio Vasari- Riduzione da “Le vite” di Giorgio Vasari a cura di Augusto Timperanza e Galante Garrone Fabbri Editori 1979