Chapter 1: "A More Beautiful and Honourable Temple" The chapter opens in 1418. At that time Describe the state of Italy in General and Florence in Particular. Describe the state of the church "Santa Maria Del Fiore". What was its history? Who was responsible for the church? How did they make the money they spent? How did they go about the process of design? Speculate about why they were building a church rather than some other kind of building. --------------------------------------------- Chapter 2: "The Goldsmith of San Giovanni" The chapter opens in 1418 and decribes the goldsmith Filippo Brunelleschi. What was he known for? (there are several things) Where did he come from? What was his background? How might we describe him today? What other important character is introduced? Speculate why he is important. --------------------------------------------- Chapter 3: "The Tresure Hunters" This chapter describes some history of Florence, and some of Filippo's earlier experiences. What other city plays an important role in this chapter? Why is this city important? What did Filippo do while in this city? Speculate why he choose this city. There is another building in this chapter that plays an important role. What is it? Why is it important? How was it constructed? What important lesson about dome design do we learn from reading this chapter? --------------------------------------------- Chapter 4: "An Ass and a Babbler" This chapter describes Filippo's life in the 2 years immediately before 1418. What do we learn about Filippo's personal traits in this chapter? We learn of several pieces of work done by Filippo. What are they? Why are these particular pieces of work important? What do they tell us about Filippo. What is the state of the art in dome construction techniques at the time? Speculate about both the positive and negative consequences implied by these techniques. --------------------------------------------- Chapter 5: "The Rivals" This chapter elaborates more on Filippo's relationship with several other people. Andrea Cavalcanti, Battista d'Antonio, and Lorenzo Ghiberti Who are these people? Describe their relationships with Filippo. The chapter doesn't say that much about them. Speculate why they might become more important later in the story. Speculate about what Filippo might have thought about each one.