Today was the day, and we were fully prepared. After changing into cathedral-appropriate clothing and carbing up on pasta and ricotta cheesecake, we were finally going to climb the Duomo. 463 stairs, to be exact - each flight steeper than the next.
I know what you're thinking. The Duomo is gorgeous to stare up at, so why go to its top? I thought the same thing until I climbed up and stepped outside, with all of Firenze below me. The city spread out like a sea of terracotta, and the citizens below were hardly visible. In the hills of the distance, I could even spot the Villa Le Balze, resting comfortably up high in Fiesole.
We stayed atop the Duomo for as long as possible, both eager to take in the view and dreading the walk back down.
When it was finally time for our descent, we knew our next move was some celebratory gelato.
Along the way, as I was pretty desperate to document what I referred to as my Mary Magdalene-inspired outfit: long cream dress with long brown pashmina and brown sandals. I feel myself slowly turning into a little old Italian woman each time I choose to pair the scarf with an otherwise normal outfit, but it feels like I'm wearing a blanket, so no complaints here. (Apparently, I didn't get very many photos with it on)
The rest of our day was spent exploring other areas of the Piazza Del Duomo, from the stunning Baptistry of St. John to the Museo dell-Opera del Duomo. The brilliant ceiling of the Baptistry is so far my favorite thing I've seen in all of Italy.
Baptistry Ceiling
Post-exploration, my roommate Amy and I took to the streets to find the perfect dinner (requirements of perfection: costing under 5 Euros).
