Our reservation for the climb to the top of the Duomo was for 12pm, and here’s the point where the FirenzeCard failed us completely. We could not get a reservation time for the climb even though we tried days before. Instead, we had to book a tour in order to go to the top of the Duomo. This was definitely an extra cost, however, it was important to the teens to go up there. It’s interesting to me that there was “no availability” for us even though we were trying to book days in advance, but we were able to find a tour with availability the evening before- something is definitely not right with the system, but we were stuck because of our time frame in Florence.

Prior to the climb, we visited the Opera Del Duomo museum. We learned about the construction and reconstruction of the church, basilica, and Duomo. Then, along with our tour guide and started the climb. If you’ve never climbed to the top of a church dome, be prepared for an enclosed space and tight climb. Here we are in a rare spot that was big enough to snap a picture- notice how many people are in the background.

It’s a long climb and no matter how fit you are, you will huff and puff a bit, but there are parts where you will catch your breath. The best one is where you walk along the inside of the church. This gives you spectacular views of the oculus.

You’ll also get a view of the entire church below through the protective plexiglass. I have a pretty decent fear of heights so I didn’t really look down, but it is spectacular. Then on to the last of the climb which is actually a tighter space parts of which you’ll be sharing with the people coming down, until you finally reach the top. Even though I have a fear of heights and my legs literally shake the entire time, I will say that getting to the top is something everyone should do. It’s amazing.

Do I look terrified? I might have been- a little. Notice the knot on the side of my dress? That’s because of the wind- it was blowing a bit and I didn’t want my dress flying up. And after this picture was taken, I made the descent back down all those stairs. I will say, it was worth it. 

We were a little tired and overheated so we grabbed a quick sandwich and ate it at the apartment while we cooled off. Then we headed back out to the House of Dante Museum. If you’re interested in his works and are looking for a quick museum, this one fits the bill. You’ll see some interesting works of art based on The Divine Comedy: 

 

Additionally, you’ll see artist renditions of Hell, Purgatory, and Heaven as described by Dante.

Lastly (and my favorite part) was the amazing old books on display:

The whole museum took us about 40 minutes to complete and offered us a small interlude before our next big climb at the Palazzo Vecchio, our next destination. Entrance was easier here with the FirenzeCard. We just went to the marked sign and got our entrance ticket. The only snafu was having to wait behind a woman who did not want to check her backpack. They allow purses, but not backpacks of any size (hers was “purse” sized. Although we did not tour any of the secret passages, we did take a leisurely stroll through the rooms and apartments before climbing to the top of the tower.

Again, in 2016, the FirenzeCard gave us special access with no wait, however, this time, we had to wait in line for about 45 minutes to climb the tower. This climb isn’t tight like the one to the dome, but I will say, there was no need to go to the gym on this day- I certainly got my workout. The view from the top is great and less steps than the Duomo!

After we took our pictures we decided to find somewhere to eat dinner. As we were walking, we noticed the Salvatore Ferragamo Museum. It was also included in the FirenzeCard so we decided to stop in. It’s located in a basement and it focuses on the designer’s use of sustainable materials.

There was also some vintage items on display. We were the only patrons in the museum so we were able to take our time looking. The staff members asked if we had any questions throughout, but I suspect they were there more to keep an eye on the patrons to make sure the items weren’t touched or damaged. Not that I could blame them- most of the displays were open and only a few of them had some sort of protective barrier.

This was one of those places that we would have never gone to on our own, but because it was included, we didn’t mind stopping in. It was a nice diversion for about a half hour and the girls really enjoyed checking out the fashion- score for the adults on this one!

By the time we finished, we were all spent. We went for a quick pizza and then back to the apartment to get some sleep before our early train ride in the morning. Stay tuned for more about training in Italy!