Sturdy yet light, with its typical red color it made the cupola of Firenze’s duomo unique in the world: this isthe terracotta dell’Impruneta, a small village only a stone throw away from Tuscany’s capital. Jars, vases, tiles, shingles, all baked for two days at 900 degree Celsius to become incredibly resistant to cold and heatthanks to the clay and marl they contain.
Since the Middle Ages, terracotta production represents an immense cultural and, indeed, culinaryheritage of Italy. Legends tell that, at the furnace where the shingles used for Brunelleschi’ cupola werebaked, there were also plenty of pots filled to the brim with peppered meats, marinated in local wine: nothing better to “feed those working hard on the cupola’s construction.”
