So many stairs! 😅

Today we went up the Duomo! There were 463 stairs. There was a spiral staircase for awhile and it was narrow. Our tour guide said that the stairs to St. Peter’s dome in Rome are much narrower though.

Our guide’s name was Natalia. She had a daughter the same age as me. She told us important information. I would rate her tour 4 1/2 ⭐️. It only took 16 years to build the dome and only 60 people were building it. Brunelleschi is the architect who figured out how to build the dome. Even architects today are not 100% sure how he built it. His idea was based on how to balance an egg on a table. He broke the egg and it stood on the table. Ever since, architects have used his idea for domes.

On the way to the top we saw the paintings up close. The view from the top was magnificent. Natalia showed all the important places in Florence. Also, I think I underestimated how big the top piece of the duomo was.

When we were done we went into the cathedral and then to the remnants of the old church under the cathedral. I am glad we went up the dome because from the inside it is hard to realize how big it is.

After the steep climb, we enjoyed lunch at the Piazza del Duomo. The dessert was delicious!

We have lots more to see. We are going to the museum and Baptistery tomorrow.