Last Watched

"Filippo Brunelleschi"  Sort by

Great Cathedral Mystery

   2014    Art
The dome that crowns Florence's great cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, the Duomo, is a masterpiece of Renaissance ingenuity and an enduring source of mystery. Still the largest masonry dome on earth, it is taller than the Statue of Liberty and weighs as much as an average cruise ship. Historians and engineers have long debated how its architect, Filippo Brunelleschi, kept the dome perfectly aligned and symmetrical as the sides rose and converged toward the center." More than four million bricks could collapse at any moment -- and we still don't understand how Brunelleschi prevented it. To test the latest theories, a team of U.S. bricklayers will help build an experimental "mini-Duomo" using period tools and techniques.
The Rehearsal

The Rehearsal

2022  Culture
Generation Iron

Generation Iron

2018  History
Chef's Table

Chef's Table

2017  Art
Wild Isles

Wild Isles

2023  Nature
Follow This

Follow This

2018  Medicine
The Big Conn

The Big Conn

2022  Culture
Bronze Age

Bronze Age

2016  History
Top Gear

Top Gear

2012  Technology