In the Footsteps of Mike L. Angelo

Good evening friends!

After a wonderful dinner outside last night at a restaurant down the way, we enjoyed a leisurely strole back to our hotel by way of the surrounding piazza. We walked past our street chalk drawings (amazing art done in chalk on the street with a new picture each night) and we saw an artist create a work of art in less than 10 minutes using only spray paint (we bought one).

Today was our last day in Michelangelo's city of Firenze, and probably our longest and most tiring day so far. We started the day early and with great ambition. Today was the day we visited the Duomo. We had taken pictures of it, gazed at its beauty from the Tuscany hills, and read all about it, but today was the day we climbed to the top. That's right folks; 463 stairs to the top. The first 100 steps or so really burned and we were thinking twice about the trip, but after that we found our second wind and made it to the top. The stairs are actually in between the two domes. The structure is such that there is a dome inside of the dome and the stairs are in that space, thus making the stairwell a little tight. There were actually several spots that Matty had to crouch to get through. When we climbed the final steps and our heads peaked out into the fresh air, the view was breathtaking. We could see the entire Valley and the surrounding hills, as well as the town surrounding the Duomo. We didn't want to waste the time (and ridiculous amount of energy) we had just spent to get to the top, so we let ourselves linger on top for a while. Before long though, the crowd began to gather and we began our descent.

Both on the way up and on the way back down there were ledges that took us to the inside of the dome. The ledge was only about two feet wide and hundreds of feet above the floor of the church. It was actually more frightening on the ledge inside the church than it was on the roof outside. At that early morning hour, the church was closed to the public, but there was a service in one of the wings and the church was filled with beautiful chanting.

From there we made our way through the streets and had a post-breakfast snack. A waffle sandwich with caramel gelato as the center and chocolate sauce as the dressing. It was superb (by the way, that was our 2nd feeding out of a total of 6 for the day). Yup, we figure that with all of the walking (and stairmastering) that we're doing, we shouldn't gain too much weight...we hope.

As we mentioned early, this was the longest and most exhaustive of our days so far (or perhaps it's all just catching up with us). So, after our snack we headed back to Hotel Pendini for a sieste. We relaxed (and had a cat-nap) before we set off to join the 'Hop On Hop Off' double-decker tour bus.


This tour bus drives tourists around the city, with complimentary headphones that feed in tidbits about the sites as well as pleasant music as filler. The bus took us to the nearby hilltop town of Fiesole. We were able to see Florence from a new perspective, get some refreshing cooler air, and see the masses of cypress trees common in that area. There were lush flowers and greenery as we made our way up the hill. It was peaceful and relaxing and the perfect way to spend a few hours after such a busy few days rushing around.

The bus also took us across the Arno river to the 'laid back' side of town and we were able to get a few really great shots of the Ponte Vecchio bridge as well. At the conclusion of our bus tour we quickly peaked into the Duomo (at floor level) and were amazed at the interior, looking from the ground up this time.

This evening we enjoyed a 'night walk' tour that was sold as a 'ghost walk'. Our tour guide, Molly (no, she's not originally from Italy, but from California), showed us several sights on the south side of the Arno river. We saw the flood line from 1966, which was clear above our heads, several churches, Pitti Palace, and the church and hospital where Michelangelo first began his studies of the human anatomy, as he talked the hospital into letting him dissect several bodies. People believe that this lead him to his success in being able to so perfectly sculpt the human form. Molly has been studying in Italy for 7 years (working on her doctorate in history) and was a great guide. She even told us several tales about scandel, murders, and mistresses from centuries ago, thus giving their tour the name 'ghost walk'.

We ended our tour with a glass of wine and then made our way to dinner at Mamma Gina's. The friends that we made in Venice (the mother and daughter from Florida) recommended the restaurant and we just happened to walk past it during our tour. It seemed like fate, so we stopped in. The staff, the atmosphere, and most importantly, the food, were wonderful. Matty enjoyed a pasta with meat sauce and Savannah tried gnochi (knee-o-key) for the first time. Both dishes were rich and tasty.

The evening concluded with a trip to the best gelateria in town, the same place we visited just two nights ago. Hey, when you find something this good, you just have to go back. We sat on their patio (yes, everyone has a patio here) and enjoyed our treat. And yes, that was our 6th 'meal' of the day...

Our final night in Florence was relaxing. Tomorrow morning...on to Roma!