The Golden Ball That Fell from the Duomo

Most people walk past this little marble marker without ever noticing it. But it tells the story of one of the most curious accidents in Florence.

High above the city, at the very top of Brunelleschi’s magnificent dome, stands a golden sphere known as the Golden Ball of Verrocchio, created by the Renaissance artist Andrea del Verrocchio and placed on the lantern in 1471.

For more than a century, it stood high above Florence—until one stormy night.

On January 26, 1601, lightning struck the lantern of the Cathedral. The impact was so powerful that the huge gilded copper ball was knocked from its position and came crashing down from the top of the dome.

Imagine the scene: a massive golden sphere falling from the highest point of Florence’s Cathedral and hitting the ground below.

Today, the original ball has been replaced by a new one, but the memory of that dramatic fall is still visible.

Behind the Cathedral, look carefully at the pavement. You will find a small circular marble plaque marking the spot where the golden ball landed.

It is one of those details that is very easy to miss— and exactly the kind of hidden story that makes Florence so fascinating.

So next time you are standing beside the Duomo, don’t just look up.

Look down, too. You might be standing on the very spot where Verrocchio’s golden ball came crashing to earth more than 400 years ago.

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