Exploring The Duomo

Having one of my best friends from high school studying in Florence at the same time as me (hi Meg!) is so fun! Last week, we went and explored all the different monuments of the Duomo. The museum, the cathedral, the baptistry, the bell tower (which was 416 steps to the top), and the dome (which we didn't make it up to since the bell tower tired us out and getting to the top of the dome was another 400+ steps). It was so, so cool!

First we went and climbed the bell tower. 416 steps. Quite the climb, but well worth the view all the way up. The stairs were so tiny and the stair well was so thin that you couldn't fit two people. If someone was walking down while you were walking up, you had to turn sideways against the wall and basically squeeze past them. But once we got to the top, it was unbelievable. You could see all the little houses in Florence all the way back to the hills. 

 

After the exhaustion of the bell tower, we went into the cathedral. The best word I can think of to describe it is grand. Inside there's pews and chairs for mass every week. The detailing in every part of the cathedral is unbelievable. The floor, the ceilings, the arches, it was so beautiful. 

Then came the baptistry. It's so beautiful inside. The ceiling is all gold with crazy detailing painted in. It's kind of a small space, but it's unlike anything I've ever seen.  

Then we went to the museum to finish up our little Duomo adventure. I'm not exactly one for museums, but I'm trying to broaden my horizons and make myself go to them (because why not when you're halfway across the world?!).

So far so good in Italy.. I have some more adventures to blog about, but I don't have time to write them today, so stay tuned :)