Scale, Scale, Scale!!!

That translates to "stairs, stairs, stairs!!!"

The last three days have been full of stairs. Stairs in the bell tower, stairs in the duomo, and stairs in the tower.  1,270 steps in the last three days - just going up - and not counting the miles walked or the steps taken throughout the city. Let's start at the beginning...

Tuesday we decided to climb the bell tower of the duomo. 413 steps up. Twisty, winding steps. But absolutely worth the view:

I couldn't find a haystack, though....

Alas, it was an excellent reason for more gelato. As if the bell tower weren't enough, we decided to follow that with a morning climb up the cupola of the dome (463 steps!!). Again, the views were absolutely worth it.

It was also amazing to be face to face with frescoes of ancient artists. And speaking of ancient, did you know there was an ancient Roman church buried under the cathedral? Yeah. There is. The ruins of the cathedral Santa Reparata are buried underneath the famous church. But that's not important. What is important is that you can buy rosaries with the pope's face on them!!

And of course, because the pope approved all manners of excess in holy buildings...the Baptistry of St. John has gold all over the ceiling!

At this point (which I believe was yesterday) we paused to venture through the Uffizi (i.e. uber famous museum number one). Unfortunately, nobody told us there were 100 steps to get TO the gallery. Luckily, the treats waiting at the top were divine. Unfortunately, I couldn't take take pictures inside, but they were the likes of Michelangelo, Da Vinci, and Botticelli (The Birth of Venus is EPIC!). And one of the most beautiful moments of the Uffizi was the cappuccino on the terrace overlooking plazzo Vecchio.

After all of these adventures, we felt that we had not climbed enough stairs. So today we ventured tho the incredible Pisa!! Yes. The tower leans. Yes. It. Is. Awesome.

After holding the tower up for a bit, we climbed it. 294 stairs. And it was so cool!!!! It twisted, it turned, and it leaned so hard in some places that you were leaving against the wall while climbing the stairs. And for you history nerds like me, the current lean of the tower (5 degrees / 15 feet to the north) is roughly the same angle it was leaning when Galileo performed his gravity experiments from the tower. COOL!!!

And, of course, because we needed to feel just a bit more Italian...we had a picnic lunch (meats, cheeses, breads, wines, and fruits) on the Field of Miracles in front of the tower and cathedral.

A very Italian and a very exhausting few days!! And now...I shall have to leave you...for I am about to learn the Italian way of making fresh pasta!! Nom nomz. 

Until we meet again!