Not only Renaissance in Florence... Here is a rare example of industrial archeology in the heart of the city. The nineteenth structure is rather curious, composed by iron beams with decorative tips on top, vaguely reminding the Arabian 'Thousand and One Nights'.
When Florence was lit by gas lamps, there were several containers to store the gas (called gasometro). The latest built and the largest one, is nothing less than the one still existing and visible: the Gasometro dell'Anconella, built in 1896.
There is no more the movable covering that raised when the container was full and gradually lowered when the gas, day by day, was consumed (at that time the quantity of energy could be controlled with a quick look!) so as to mantain a constant pressure gas.
The gas lighting mastered for just over than half a century and since the end of 1800 were beginning to appear the first electric lamps. In the early 30s had remained only about 50 gas lamps, survived because they were considered more romantic (the survivors were indeed those nearby Piazzale Michelangelo, still today considered the most romantic place ever!).
In the recent years the municipality of Florence has been discussing to recover the space currently occupied by the Old Gasometer for giving it a new life. Will it become the umpteenth shopping mall of high cultural values?!