Morning of Day 2: Part a (I have to split these days into several parts because I was so busy and have so much to talk about! Please don't be discouraged. This is why it's taken me so long to post):
After such a long and exciting first day in Florence, I slept so soundly in the hotel that when I woke up I had no idea what day it was, or even that I was in a different country! Needless to say, I felt very refreshed.
Our hotel breakfast service ended at 9am (the same time as checkout), so my hotel roommates, Jessica and Razz, and I had to get dressed, pack our suitcases, run downstairs, and eat breakfast with enough time to check out afterwards. Breakfast was good; at least it was more filling than my usual croissant. I'm guessing the hotel gets a lot more tourists than the little cafes in Verona, and that's why there were so many more options. I had a bowl of fruit, a croissant, blood orange juice (which was surprisingly delicious), and *drum roll* I had my first cappuccino. Jessica and the photography professor, Peter, laughed at me while I tried to choke it down. The taste didn't improve no matter how much sugar I added. I figured I would try the cappuccino at the hotel so I didn't have to pay for it and regret my purchase. Smart move. If you want to refresh your memory of my 2-star hotel conditions (tiny elevator, 4-floor hike, yucky tub, stained towels, etc), you can re-read that paragraph in My Night In Florence.
One good thing about the Hotel Maxim was that they held our luggage after check-out so that we could explore the city! So Jessica, Stacey and I dumped our bags at 9am and took off for the Duomo down the street. To our disappointment, it didn't open until 10, so we went to take pictures and shop in the leather market again. When we came back an hour later, the line to get in was all the way down the side of the church! It looked even longer that that because it blended with the line to climb the famous dome.
When visiting churches in Italy it is very important to remember the dress code. Italians treat and expect others to treat their cathedrals with the utmost respect, which means that your shoulders and knees must be covered before you can enter the church. No exceptions. In some cases, like when we visited the Basilica of St. Anthony in Padua, my classmates could borrow scarves from the church guards to wrap around their knees so they could go in. The Duomo in Florence wasn't like this, however, and the guards wouldn't let Stacey inside. Her shorts were long (they touched the top of her knees) but didn't cover quite cover them, so she waited outside while Jess and I went in briefly. I felt terrible that she had waited so long to get in, and we had no way to help her.
After hearing so much hype about the Duomo, I was surprised by how plain it was! Very traditionally Gothic. The only thing remarkable was the fresco painted on the inside of Brunelleschi's dome - WOW. It looked incredible from the floor, and I was able to take a few pictures of it from a distance because we couldn't go near it.
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This is as close as I could get, with my camera zoomed in as far as it would go. See how bright the colors of the fresco are?! You can also see two narrow catwalks--one around the edge of the fresco, and one under the round windows. Remember these: they are important later.
After rejoining Stacey outside, we really wanted to climb up the dome (and stand on top of it to see the city), but when Jess and Stacy learned how expensive it was just to climb (8 euro = over $10), neither one of them wanted to spend the money. So I tackled it (both the long line and the stairs) alone. There are so many stairs. When climbing, it seemed like they never ended, only changed direction or pattern. First came the standard, rectangular flights. Next came the tight, spiral stairs that make you dizzy and trip your feet. Keep in mind, there are so many people trying to climb these stairs that everyone is swept along in the upward flow of traffic. No time to stop or take a breath. No breaks. By this time, I was really panting, and struggling to focus on my feet. I'm pretty sure I stumbled a few times. Then, finally, there was a small landing where we could catch our breath in front of some old statues (none of which I recognized). Up more dizzying spirals until we got spit out at the lower dome landing and I lost my breath from amazement, not exhaustion.
I found myself standing under the dome, on the first catwalk (under the round windows). With a closer view of the art, I started snapping pictures as fast as I could (thankfully this was allowed with no flash), but the crowd of people kept pushing me along. The catwalk was so narrow that no one could pass each other, but had to walk single-file.
Here's a few of the cathedral as I shuffled along the first balcony. The cathedral's official name is Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore, which means Basilica of Saint Mary of the Flower. Construction was begun in 1296 and wasn't finished until 1436 when Brunelleschi's dome was finally completed. Even after that, bits and pieces kept being added or completed for several more centuries.
Next came more spirals (this time I really did get dizzy, partly because I knew I was so high up and the stairs never seemed to stop. I was also very sweaty). Eventually there was a landing with two ways to go. I saw people up ahead, but since there was an arrow pointing right, I went right . . .
And stumbled dizzily onto the upper catwalk! I knew the fresco inside the dome was impressive, but being at eye-level with the bottom of it, I was blown away. I could have touched it, if the bottom wasn't behind glass. And the characters were HUGE! The characters at the bottom were so large that their heads alone were bigger than me! I can't possibly imagine planning or painting the dome, and having to keep the figures proportioned correctly.
BAM! Take a look at that. I'm still amazed as I sit here at my computer. (To give you some frame of reference, notice the railing at the bottom of the picture: that's how small the balcony is) I only know a little bit about what is happening in the picture because we didn't have to study it for class. I know that the dome is a depiction of the Last Judgement, was begun in 1568, and was the work of many artists. Most of the bottom is a hell scene where sinners get violently thrown into hell and are tortured in a variety of gruesome ways that usually have something to do with their sin. Heaven's angels (dead center, blowing trumpets) and other holy figures banish the sinners underground. Little satanic demons spear the sinners or tear their limbs off. All of the bodies are contorted in ways that show off the human figure, which is a common emphasis in Renaissance art.
Satan (with wings) munches on a sinner.
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Here is a perfect example of my vocab word "Trompe l'oeil." It literally means "deceives the eye." In case you haven't noticed the startling realism, remember that the architectural molding is entirely painted. None of it exists except in paint. Now look closely at the figures sitting on the molding and notice their feet dangling over the edge. Pretty good trick, no? For people in the Renaissance, this type of illusion was new, and would have looked alarmingly real. Imagine standing on the ground, looking up and seeing this for the first time. It amazes me. There are also little cherubs suspending the molding above our heads.
This section of the ceiling was painted by Giorgio Vasari. He was the first person to use the term "Renaissance" to describe Italy's rebirth of the classical arts. His definition of what made the "best" art is widely accepted and served as the basis for my Italian Renaissance class (Vasari unfairly praised Florentine artists and their style while ignoring Venetians like Titian (I'll talk lots more about that, later)).
Have you had enough art talk? I'll get back to my adventures now. This is where it gets good. If you remember, I saw an arrow and went right instead of continuing ahead. I circled around the dome following a crowd of people, but at the other end, we started to descend. This is when I started to worry. I knew that I was supposed to come out on top of the dome, in the open air, and get a view of the city, but I didn't know how to get there. I thought, optimistically, that "maybe we have to walk down a bit before we go back up." After all, I had followed the arrow. I thought this for a very long time. Panic began to set in. I felt like I had gone half way back down the dizzying spirals (not the ones I came up) before I had the courage to ask the family on the stairs behind me. They were a very nice British family; a mom, dad, and two children. I asked "Excuse me, did you guys get to go outside on the top of the dome?" The mother looked at me with horror and exclaimed in her British accent "You poor thing!" They looked at me with sympathy as the daughter explained that I should have gone straight at the arrow. Obviously poor signage on the part of the Duomo. I have to wonder how many people have made the same mistake. "You have to go back!" the woman said. "You are too close and the view is too good to give up now!"
So with a heavy heart, sore legs, clothes now soaked with sweat, and tears in my eyes, I thanked the family and started up against the flow of traffic. I had to do a lot of explaining as to why I was squeezing by in the wrong direction, but thankfully no one was mean to me. Getting around the dome's single-person-wide catwalk was even worse than the spiral stairs, but people were sympathetic when I apologized and explained my mishap. I finally got back to the arrow and considered it a small victory.
I thought at the arrow I would have been close the the top, so I wasn't prepared for how many more stairs there would be. The ceiling started to slope at an angle as I climbed up inside the dome itself. I could easily imagine myself sandwiched between the interior fresco and the exterior red tile roof.
The slope of the roof as I climb the stairs.
The ceiling got lower and lower as the curve of the dome increased. Finally, the ceiling was so horizontal that the stairs turned and almost became a ladder.
This is the view going down, but it gives you an idea.
A diagram of the dome from my class study guide. Imagine climbing that on a ladder.
I eventually reached a landing at the top of the dome (the top of the diagram, above) and had to wait. Since there is only one hatch to get out around the "lantern," traffic flows up and down the ladder in spurts.
Just as my British friends had described, the view was too good to miss. Immediately my frustration and exhaustion evaporated and I felt overwhelming relief and awe. Not only could I see around the city in any direction, but I could see the rolling green hills beyond it! It was beautifully breathtaking. And the refreshing breeze wasn't bad, either.
Another tourist and I took turns taking pictures for each other.
Just a minute after I reached the top, my phone rang! Whaaaat? It was Stacey and Jess, calling from the leather market, wanting to know how the dome was (they thought I had finished already)! I looked out from the dome in their general direction and Stacey exclaimed that she could see my yellow shirt! She stayed on the line as I used my camera to zoom in on the market, and after a minute of searching, I finally found the proverbial needle (or two) in the haystack!
Stacey is wearing blue, and is holding her phone to her ear.
Jess is wearing black and is shading her eyes with her hand.
After taking my time and enjoying the view, I reluctantly started the trek down. I even timed it! It took me exactly 30 minutes from the lantern on top, to the street. I still had to focus hard on not tripping down the spiral stairs, but it's much faster going down.
When I got safely back on the street, I took off for the leather market to buy myself a purse! I knew it was the last chance I'd get and I had my heart set on a Florentine one. I still haven't covered my visit to the Uffizi Gallery or the chaotic search for my bed & breakfast when I arrived in Rome! But that will have to come later. I think I've given you enough for one day, haha. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed reading about my adventures.
