Me and Gina had first gone into the cathedral on Thursday and were blown away. Constructed beginning in 1296, it is enormous with marble mosaic floors, gorgeous stained glass windows and ceilings that look like they go on for miles. When we walked through the church and made our way to the dome at the end of the aisle, I realized it was one of the most incredible things I have seen here. The entire space depicts the "Last Judgement," with frescoes stretching hundreds of feet from the dome's base to the top. At the furthest point up, there are painted figures that appear to be dangling from the dome, painted in an incredibly realistic 3-D style. As we stood there craning our necks at the extreme top, we realized there was a corridor that wraps completely around the dome. Up top, people were inches away from these amazing frescoes. We had to do it!
On Saturday, the 4 of us walked each of the 463 steps to the top. During part of the walk, we had to crouch because of how small the walkway was. After the second set of stairs, we entered the walkway that circles the entire length of the dome. I could actually see the individual brush strokes on these figures painted over 700 years ago!
We kept walking. Exiting through a small roof, we reached the top. We spent about 45 minutes gazing out over the dome. I was mesmerized by the terracotta rooftops that go on for miles and the massive shadow that the dome casts over hundreds of buildings.
From above, we spotted our neighborhood, our school and our library. It was a day I felt so fortunate to call beautiful Florence my home... (at least for a few months!)
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