Florence: The Ultimate Stair-Climber.

Florence is a city known for beauty and it proved nothing short of beautiful when Travis and I visited in early June.  It was our first stop on a three city tour of Italy and it was just as amazing as the last time I visited about four years earlier.  The first few days it rained, but that did not stop us from climbing up to the top of the Duomo and witnessing one of the best views of the city.

I am not one for heights, and the climb up the narrow stone steps was not my favorite thing in the world, but the view was well worth it.

This picture is from about half way up, and even here I could tell that this was going to be amazing.  I can't stress how narrow these steps were.  And how out of shape I felt while climbing these steps.  I like to think that I am somewhat healthy, I work out regularly and eat pretty well, but I was wheezing like an 80 year old by the twentieth step.  Sweat was forming on my forehead and my thighs were burning.  But, I soldiered on.

We finally reached the first landing, which gave us an interior view of the famous dome.  Again, heights are not my thing, and the only thing separating me from a hard, stone floor ten stories down was a thin, almost wafer-like plexi-glass wall.  But, I was able to see this. 

It is hard to tell from the first photo, but the painting is pretty graphic.  It depicts Heaven and Hell, and after viewing the sinful bunch on their way to this Hell, Travis and I decided it did not look like a fun place to end up.  The sickly sinners had looks of immense pain on their faces, and some were cut down the middle, displaying their guts.  Some were growing horns, some were melting into the fiery abyss, and others were being tortured.  I like to think that it was a pretty convincing deterrent for Renaissance church goers.  At this level, you get an up-close view of the dome, which was an interesting perspective.  There was still more to see, so we worked our way up.

At this point of the trip up to the top, the stairs have narrowed even more and you find yourself walking in the dome.  The stairs seemed to be cut out of the dome itself and you have to duck and twist yourself into some strange positions.  Also, people are traveling down, so you get very close to complete strangers.  I was hugging the stone wall, trying to have as much contact with something solid so as not to tumble down the stairs.  If you are a Germaphobe, keep in mind that millions of people have touched these walls, and all of their germs seems to making it onto my hands, forearms, calves, and anything else that could keep me stable.  Travis seemed to be just fine.

We finally made it to the top and at this point I am very sweaty.  See below.

But man, look at that view!  Pretty cool, huh!  This was as close to the fence that I would get.  I chose to stay as far away as possible.

The red tile roofs that stretched across the landscape seemed to never end.  There was a marching band playing in the square below.  I even was able to reprimand some French teenagers.  (I can't help it, the high school teacher never seems to disappear).  Without sounding cliche, it was magical.  

As you can see, it miraculously cleared up while we were on top of the Duomo, so we had a great view.  We marveled for some time, taking pictures that just couldn't seem to capture everything and reluctantly started our descent.  After the arduous climb up, my legs were a little shaky, and after a long wait for a middle school group to pass, we made it down.  The view was amazing, but the mid-morning gelato at our favorite shop Grom, completed the experience.

Travis has fragola y lemon (strawberry and lemon) and I have fragola y vaniglia (strawberry and vanilla).  I think mine was better.  You know a vanilla is good when you see the little flecks of vanilla bean in the ice cream.  We became gelato connoisseurs by the end of this trip, and I'll save my opinions of where to find the best gelato for another post.  In the end, I highly suggest a trip to the top of the Duomo!  It is a one of a kind experience that gives you incredible views of Florence.

Details:
When to visit:  Go in the morning.  There was absolutely no line.
Cost:  I think it was around 6 euros each.  Well worth it.  Also, if you don't want to stand in the long line for the Cathedral, you can see everything from the first landing.  
Clothing:  Be prepared to sweat.  And wear shoes that can withstand the steps.  I wore these throughout the trip and they served me well. 
When to go:  Do this first in your list of things to do!  It gives you a great view of the city and orients you to the destinations you want to visit in the following days. 
Directions to Grom from the Duomo (very necessary):  Duomo to Grom.