Where in the World is Chelsea Gibbs?: The Duomo!

This was our only full day in Florence, since it took us all day to get here yesterday. I've really enjoyed Florence. Several people told us it was hotter than Rome and there was no breeze, but luckily we have experienced the opposite. There was a really nice breeze today, and a lot of cloud coverage (the first clouds I've honestly seen since being in Italy) that provided a nice break from the heat and sun. There are also more signs (that we couldn't see last night) that direct you to the main attractions, like the Duomo and the Galleria Accademia. Florence is smaller than Rome, and it was a lot easier to navigate. We only got lost once, and we got back on track easily. We also haven't had to take any public transportation. We've been able to walk everywhere we wanted to see, which probably has helped lessen our confusion. I would definitely come back to Florence if I got the chance!

The one thing I really wanted to do in Florence, since we had limited time, was climb the Duomo. The Duomo is the dome of the Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore, or the Florence cathedral, that is characteristic of Florence. I've seen many pictures of the Duomo, and of the cathedral, but it's incomparable to how breath taking it is when you walk around the corner and realize, that's it! The cathedral was made with pink, green and white marble, and it's ornateness really stands out. The dome was designed by Brunelleschi in the 15th century. He used a herringbone brick pattern to successfully distribute the weight between the ribs of the dome. I was really excited to go inside, check everything out and climb to the top. Like I said in my last blog, I had a professor this past year that told our class we didn't officially pass until we went to Florence and climbed the Duomo. I have definitely passed now!

Inside is beautiful too and there was a lot to look at. The fresco inside the dome was pretty unreal. It was done by Federico Zuccaro. We walked around and then we were lead upstairs to the base of the dome, and outside. We hadn't even climbed the actual Duomo yet and the views were already breath taking. I probably took 50 pictures. We were led back inside the cathedral, only this time we were on the same level as we were outside, so we could see down into the cathedral and up into the dome. I could have touched the fresco in the dome, it was so close, but I'm not ignorant and I don't touch art. Unlike some other people that I gave dirty looks to.

Then came the real climbing. If you've ever climbed a light house, it was sort of like that, except way more claustrophobic. There were a ton of people going up, and some coming down, and the width of the stairwell couldn't have been more than about 4 feet. It was also a little hot and stuffy. There were windows letting a breeze in, but with all those people, the air flow was minimal. The climb was fairly slow paced, so it wasn't too tiring. When we got to the top, it was beyond worth it. You could see everything. I really enjoyed looking around and taking pictures, and just taking it all in. It was very beautiful. It was also still partly cloudy, so it wasn't blazing hot, and there was a good breeze. I'm really glad we climbed the Duomo! The climb back down wasn't bad at all either.

We were pretty hungry afterwards, so what did we do? Got gelato! I'm partial to the mint and chocolate (together), while mom likes the fruity flavors like mango and strawberry. We ate gelato in one of the piazzas, and went back to the hostel to fill up our water bottles and recollect. I really wanted to see Michelangelo's David and everything else at the Galleria Academia, so we started walking there, got a little lost, found it, and figured out that the line was too long and it was getting too late to wait. That and viewing the Galleria Uffezi (which houses many big name Renaissance artists, like Leonardo) would have been ideal to do, but I guess we can't do everything. I'm only 22, maybe I'll come back some day :) Anyway, we ended up browsing through the market by San Lorenzo and eating dinner near the Duomo. Mom tried some new wine, that I can't remember the name of, but that she liked. We got pastries on the way home too. All in all it was a great day. Mom let me pick what we did in Florence, but she really enjoyed the Duomo too. She is really excited to go to Cinque Terra, after Venice. Tomorrow we are off to Venice! City of canals and gondolas! If only we could figure out that train...

Best things about today: Climbing the Duomo!! It was spectacular. Not seeing any more naked people :)
Worst things about today: Having a limited amount of time.

I tried to add a lot more pictures but the internet is being slow so these will have to work...