In my last article, I spoke about the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore and the crypt, but I’ve not talked about its dome although there were a few shots of the inside view with its magnificent fresco. So today, I’ll talk about the visit of the dome because as Saint Peter’s Basilica in Rome, you can climb to the top. For this, let’s start by being patient because unless being the first to arrive, it takes a little over an hour to get there. Here is the queue we had (photo above). At least with this waiting time, we take the time to admire the exterior details of the cathedral. Please note that access to the dome is from outside at the left side of the cathedral (relative to the main entrance).
If you want to access to the dome, you must worth it! There are no less than 463 steps and there is no elevator. The stairs are quite narrow and poorly lit. Fortunately there has small openings to let in air and light of day! As we go up and down from the same stairs, sometimes you have to stop for passing each other.
The first level allows to catch your breath but especially to see the cathedral from the base of the dome and admire the fresco more closely.
Once the 463 steps are climbed, we are at the top of the Duomo to admire the view over Florence. I let you discover my few shots with this view of these buildings with colorful facades and the greenery beyond.
If you have climbed the 500 steps to get the dome of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, you can climb the 463 of the cathedral Santa Maria del Fiore. By the way, in addition to being slightly less high, the rise of the dome of Santa Maria del Fiore is also more »comfortable » as stairs are less narrow, there is more air and light. And next time, I’m talking about the Campanile (see the picture below) and the baptistery and the museum.
