I Climbed Brunelleschi's Dome!

Last night I was sitting on my rooftop terrace talking with Chip, when suddenly I saw a flash come from the top of the Duomo. I soon realized that it was from a camera and I could see people up there; until that moment I had no idea that you could actually climb to the top. My plans for Friday were sealed!

After breakfast I walked immediately over to the Duomo (which means“cathedral”; almost every town in Italy has a duomo, but Florence’s is certainly one of the most famous). The actual name for this cathedral is the Santa Maria del Fiore (Saint Mary of the Flower), and she is a beauty. The dome itself is the tallest structure in Florence, and the Baptistery portion of the cathedral is one of Florence’s oldest buildings, dating back to the 4th century. Santa Maria del Fiore is massive; in addition to the dome, the Campanile, which was designed by Giotto and completed in 1359, can be seen from all over Florence.

The interior of the cathedral is stunning; I was taken aback just by its sheer size. I actually found the floor of the cathedral the most interesting. Intricate, mazelike patterns have been laid out in marble, in a surprising array of colors. And, of course, looking up into Brunelleschi’s dome to see the fresco series depicting Il Giudizio Universale (The Last Judgment) left me speechless, and did so even more as I got even closer to it. More on that later.

After viewing the inside of the cathedral, it was time to do some climbing. I decided to tackle the Campanile (“bell tower”) first. A total of 414 steep stone steps later, I was at the top! And suddenly the city of Florence was laid out dizzyingly all around me, her red terracotta rooftops glowing in the sun. That’s one of the things I love about Florence: those red rooftops. If you look closely at the tiles, you’ll see that they’re all curved. I learned that the basic design for these rooftop tiles dates back centuries and is actually quite simple. A laborer would cut a square of clay and, while still wet, fold it over his thigh and then place it in the sun to dry. Nothing like making use of what you have!

Anyway, I digress. I spent a long time up their just taking in the views, trying to find my rooftop terrace out of so many below me. Then it was time to climb down. I first said “Ciao” to the man sitting in the glass booth at the very top. Oh, did I mention him? Yes, there’s a guard of sorts at the very top of the Campanile. And my husband thinks his commute is rough!

Once I reached the bottom, it was time to take on the Duomo. This structure is even higher, with 463 steps to climb, many even steeper than the ones in the Campanile. Portions of the climb involved narrow spiral steps that seemed to go on forever, but I keep pushing along. And it was worth every breath, to be able to say that I made it to the top. And one of the best things about this climb is that about halfway up, you’re taken right inside the cupola (“dome”) where you can even more clearly see the magnificent fresco series by Giorgio Vasari and Frederico Zuccari. Then, after being somehow energized by this incredible work inside the dome, it’s back into the stairwell for the most grueling part of the climb. When you reach the top, you enter an exterior walkway that surrounds the top of the dome, which you can see in one of the photos. The views from here are breathtaking (of course the climb did a pretty good job of taking my breath away too!). Brunelleschi’s dome is truly a remarkable architectural feat, and I will always remember my climb to the top.

And after climbing these two magnificent structures? Well, gelato, of course! I figured I had earned it!