Ancient animal tracks discovered on terracotta tiles used to cover Florence’s most famous church
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Workmen involved in restoration work on the Santa Maria del Fiore cathedral in Florence, Italy, discovered intriguing sets of paw and hoof prints on its ancient terracotta tiles.
Experts who have analysed them say they were left not by modern day four-legged visitors, but by animals who traipsed across the clay tiles as they were laid out to dry in the sun before being laid on the dome centuries ago.
The prints were discovered during winter maintenance by a team of specialised masons, restorers and technicians who corded up to repair and replace damaged tiles on the south cupola of Santa Maria del Fiore cathedral.
While harnessed high atop the famous Renaissance church, they found tiles showing paw prints of dogs and cats, and tracks identified as belonging to fox, marten and deer. There were also many species of birds and raptors.
Some tiles were branded with a unique cross, while others showed dates and the names of artisans, said architect Samuele Caciagli, a director of the restoration project.
Upon lifting off the cap of the south cupola, the team found a Lira coin dated 1956. It either fell from a worker’s pocket or was left purposefully to mark the year the area was last systematically restored.
Main Photo: View of the Cathedral of Florence, with Brunelleschi cupola (R) and Giotto’s toer (L) on sunrise, Florence, Italy. EPA-EFE/FABIO MUZZI
