Florence’s Duomo clock, measuring 7 metres across, is among the oldest clock mechanisms in existence. One of its kind, thanks to its privileged location, it has now been returned to its full splendour after restoration work was carried out thanks to the Opera di Santa Maria del Fiore and the Officine Panerai.
The unique timekeeping system, the so-called Ora Italica, or Italian time, harks back to the system primarily used during the 14th Century in Italy. Interestingly, the 24th hour does not represent midnight, but instead, the hour of the sunset. The clock is regulated in such a way that the final hour of the day will always be the hour of the sun setting and is now ticking away once again.
It is often referred to as the Paolo Uccello clock, since the artist decorated the face. Uccello represented the 24 hours in Roman numerals and in the four corners, the portraits of four mysterious men with halos above them appear to look into the centre of the clock.
