Scala

"Scala" means "stairs" in Italian.  This was the first of many, many, many stairs I would climb that day in Florence.  This is walking up into the Ufizzi Art Museum.

 

I actually thought it was interesting.  Some parts were more exciting than I was expecting, but other parts were kind of boring.  It's a really, really big art museum.  Some of the pictures were good, some of the pictures were wierd.

 

Apparently a really wierd picture.  Kieran's face says it all.

 

There was a nice view from the window of the Ponte Vecchio, which is a famous bridge.

 

From the Uffizi we could also see the Palazzo Vecchio, and it's tower....which we climbed...

 

See?  This is where we could climb up to....

 

This is inside the Palazzo Vecchio. 

 

It used to be a government building but then got turned into a private palace for the Medici family.

 

 It was kind of cool with the painted cielings and everything.

 

From the top of the tower in the Palazzo Vecchio you could see our next climbing destination...The Duomo.  At the time it was the largest dome built, designed by Bruneleschi.

 

 

The Duomo is a huge church.  We walked inside it and then....climbed up all the way to the top of the dome where there is a look-out area.

 

But before we did, we looked at the doors of the baptistry next door to the Duomo.  There are made of bronze and are super detailed.  They were designed by Ghiberti and it took him 40 years to make the front and back doors.  Michelangeo said they were beautiful enough to be the gates of paradise when he saw them.

 

Inside the Duomo...

 

We reached the top of the Duomo in time for sunset.  Here is the bell tower of the Duomo, as seen from the top.  It was designed by Giotto.

 

 

Florence has a lot of two things: a lot of art, and a lot of stairs!