Viva Italia - Firenze day 2

Today was climbing day or at least that's what my legs think it was, now that I'm here at the end of it. We started today by climbing to the top of Il Duomo. Ever seen a picture of it? See that cupola at the top? We were there. I'm not sure what's more amazing - the great view from the top or the tiny passageways you climb through inside the walls and roof to get there. Honestly, you feel like Quasimodo or some deranged monk working your way up the curve of the roof.

The Baptistery by comparison is magnificent. The dome in the cathedrale is frescoes. The dome in the baptistery is mosaic, mostly gold, depicting bible scenes. I would have liked to lie on the floor to gaze up at it better (but they frown on you doing that). We were all suitably in awe.

Late this afternoon, we got into the Uffizi. We had to go with a tour group because that was the only way to get tickets for any day we were here. (If you're coming to Florence, reserve your tickets online ahead of time). The main purpose to going was for A&E to see Botticelli's Birth of Venus, which we saw. The museum itself has beautiful ceilings in the 2nd floor hallway, not like any style we'd seen anywhere else.

The boys and girls split up for a couple of hours this afternoon so the girls could try to shop and the boys wouldn't have to be dragged along. The boys found a sundial outside the Gallileo museum that measures astrological time. The girls found, well, shoes but not in the right sizes, and E found some jeans. There have been wonderful stores in so many of the places we've visited, it was nice to have time to actually go inside them.

Tomorrow we head off to Venice. So many movies to rewatch because they take place in cities we've seen: Sabrina & The Devil Wears Prada (Paris), Roman Holiday & Only You (Rome), A Room With A View (Florence), Moonraker, Casino Royale & Indiana Jones (Venice).