While visiting Florence in the early years of their marriage, Victoria and Albert were greatly impressed by the city's architectural splendor, exemplified by Brunelleschi's dome. Revisiting Florence several years after Albert's death, Victoria was pleased to discover that the dome had been magnificently restored.

Ordering her carriage to stop in the piazza outside the cathedral, she rolled down her window, opened the locket around her neck, and turned the tiny picture of her beloved husband toward the building so that he might share her appreciation of the restoration. After a moment of silent reflection, she closed the locket and drove away.