Thursday was a beautiful, clear day so, Teague and I decided that we would do what everyone who goes to Florence should do, and climb to the top of the Duomo. The experience proved to be a much needed respite from the perpetual maze of narrow city streets and gave me a whole new perspective on the city. What we refer to as "the duomo" is formally called the Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore.
 |
| We climbed to the top of the dome in the background (It's bigger than it looks in this photo). |
Teague and I both pushed our fears of small spaces and heights aside and made the climb. I am grateful I did the trip on a weekday because I can not imagine how scary it would be to climb the narrow spiral staircase on a busy weekend day.
 |
| This was the easy part... |
 |
| This was the hard part. We had to climb straight up. |
When I got to the top, I sort of freaked out and began to grasp the railing and my purse because it is SOOO high and there isn't much standing between you and a flying death. It was extremely windy at the top and I could definitely imagine someone being jolted by a gust of wind, losing their balance and flipping over the meager railing on the edge of the dome. After collecting myself a bit, I moved closer to the edge of the dome and peered over. The contrast between the pristine blue sky and the expanse of orange roof tops was breath-taking. I was beginning to feel a bit frustrated with the business of the tourist filled city, but the peaceful quiet of the top of the duomo more than redeemed Florence in my eyes.
Teague and I had a lot of fun with our cameras.
Eventually we climbed down (my calves are still sore) and ventured into the inside of the cathedral. The inside is enormous and decorated with shocking and beautiful images.
Totally worth 8 Euro admission.
No comments:
Post a Comment