This being Italy, intrigue occurred from the start, involving personal and professional jealousies. But the project, and Brunelleschi, endured, and the Duomo was completed on March 25, 1436.

FLORENCE, Italy — If you would ever get lost in Florence, it’s easy: just look for the Duomo di Firenze or Florence Cathedral, and you’d be right on track! Smacked right at the heart of ...