The next question which would require not only the visual prompts, but curiosity to find out ‘why the half-moons?’ Firstly, the blue cross started out as the family crest and then half-moons were added until the final number of five was settled on. Because my curiosity is insatiable, I took a peek at the family history and, extraordinarily, the half-moons came into the picture, so to speak, because the 16th century Italian archbishop and astronomer Alessandro Piccolomini located a prominent lunar crater in the southeastern sector of the Moon! This lunar impact crater is named Piccolomini after the archbishop/astronomer. Even the floor tiles and ceiling in the Piccolomini Library in the Siena cathedral, are glazed with the half-moons. Who knew?!

MEDICI

Now on to the Duchy of Florence and the Medici. They were the Duchy's most powerful ruling family. The family, patrons of the arts, included princes, bankers, cardinals, and popes at one time or another. The family stemma is six palle (or balls) where the palle are either in high or low relief. The stemma appears everywhere in Florence and Rome, and, thereby, tells us something about the buildings to which they are affixed.