Florence Day 17!

Whoa, today was some day! We went to Santa Maria Del Fiore, or the Duomo, and climbed its 463 steps! The 60 steps to our apartment with no elevator is nothing compared to that! Yesterday we had mentioned that we would be climbing the bell tower but when we arrived, we decided that climbing the Duomo would probably be a lot more memorable. After all, what are 49 more steps? Our thighs will probably answer that question tomorrow...

The climb to the top was definitely memorable. It is not every day that you have the opportunity to climb a medieval structure. The stone work is fabulous and was all done by hand. You really have no idea of where you are in the structure as you are climbing. For about 80 percent of the climb you are going up a spiral staircase. The staircases are tiny too, they were not built for dozens of tourists at a time. The steps are like tiny cheese slices! There were also a series of small hallways where you would make your way to the next stairway. Thankfully, small openings in the structure provided a breath of fresh air. When you reach the dome part of the cupola (the Dome itself), you enter inside the church. You are below the stained glass windows and directly under another level--both of which go in a complete circle around the dome. The painting on the dome itself is spectacular! There is a depiction of hell, purgatory, and heaven. Observing the painting from below is one thing, but having the opportunity to see it from the level at which it was painted is a real treat! You can almost imagine yourself a painter in Brunelleschi's time, helping paint the masterpiece. It was important for us to take our time and take it all in. From the lower level of the dome, we continued up to the top of the cupola. At one point, we were actually climbed a series of stairs that were built directly ontop of the cupola itself! They were at a steep incline.

Stepping onto the top of the cupola felt great... the view was incredible. After we took a few minutes to catch our breath and to get accustomed to being that high over the city, we were able to take in the city. You get a view of everything. The climb and sweat is completely worth every step. It makes one appreciate the hard work of many innovative men. We climbed it only once. The men who designed and built it, climbed it every day until the dome's completion. How admirable. We can say that we have been given a wonderful opportunity to climb what is considered to be Florence's crowned jewel.

Once back on the ground, we decided to treat ourselves to Gelato! We walked it to our favorite place near San Lorenzo and ordered up ourselves some "heaven in a cup." We took our time and enjoyed the gelato. Then we headed to the open air market in the San Lorenzo area. We bought some goodies to bring home as souvenirs and gifts for family. We also enjoyed looking at the hand-crafted goods on sale (leather bags, coats, wallets...). We stopped by the grocery store on our way to the apartment and ordered a pizza from the restaurant across the street. For dinner we enjoyed some left over spaghetti and fresh pizza, watched some television, and relaxed. The highlight to our evening was receiving three very special phonecalls--one from Maddie (Cindy's neice), one from Pox's mom, and one from Mary (Cindy's sister)--what a nice surprise!

Special Announcement:
Happy Birthday Angela in Pasadena, Ca! Hope you get some cake (cakequito con cafe)!