I woke early today to a brilliant sunny morning, and was out with the camera by 6:55, taking pics of the buildings across the river and their bright reflections. Worked my way to the Duomo, Florence's startlingly-patterned cathedral, and took some photos of it in the deserted piazza. After grabbing some breakfast in a cafe at the edge of the piazza I joined the short queue for the climb to the dome just before the 8:30 opening time. The price has now increased to €8 from €6, but that doesn't seem to put people off.
The views of the city from the top were fabulous under the clear blue sky, as well as of the richly patterned Campanile that I climbed yesterday. The rail round the top is quite low, and the marble slippery underfoot, so a bit of care is required! I took a few photos on the way up to try to capture the twisting stairs that end up climbing between the inner and outer domes, all cleverly designed by Brunelleschi in 1430. Finally down to join the queue for the inside of the Duomo about ten minutes before its opening time of 10:00. It's really very plain after all the excitement of the outside, although the marble floor is strongly patterned and I did my best to get some photos of it in between the other visitors walking over it.
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