View of the Dance

After a couple of travel hitches yesterday, I finally arrived in Florence this morning. I am staying at Soggiorno Battistero - literally "sojourn at the Baptistery." Their sign downstairs says "Rooms with a view" and they are not kidding - the first two pictures are the view from my window, looking out on the Florence Baptistery and the courtyard of the Duomo of Santa Maria Del Fiore. I'm not sure it could get better than this.

I watched the dance in the courtyard this morning. Among the cast members are the good people of Florence, the tourists, street vendors trying to make a quick euro, a few horses, and the local police. It goes like this... the vendors set up - sunglasses, prints of Florence sights, wooden trains, battery operated cars that flip. More than one selling each type of item, they move their wares left and right, subtly challenging the other guys' turf without quite invading it. The tourists shuffle in the line snaking around the dome. The horses eat hay, waiting to pull buggies for hire. The bells ring. Strains of an accordion playing something that sounds rather French (or is it just that all such accordion playing sounds French?) A police car wanders through, and the vendors collapse their displays in a wave, dissipating behind guided groups and cafe umbrellas like a waft of smoke. An arm from the police car wags a cautioning finger as the car exits the piazza. Less than a minute later, all of the vendors are open for business again - sunglasses unfolded on cardboard, prints in the racks, but this time the setup is different. The tourists shuffle towards the Duomo. One or two look at some prints, and get hounded for a half a block when they decide not to buy. The accordion plays "Hava Nagila" (huh?) and the tourists shuffle a little more, some getting past the line as they follow a guide with a bright flag. A different police car drives by, and again the vendors fade quickly into the crowd. Tourists walk by with gelato to get in line... rinse, repeat.

The Duomo is a special milestone in the history of art and architecture. Designed by Brunelleschi, it is the first dome of the Renaissance. Many different colors of marble and stone riot across the facade, a welcome change from the unending white of St. Peter's or St. Paul's, neither of which would have been possible without this modest little dome. I hope to climb it tomorrow.

This afternoon, after visiting the actual church (far more interesting on the outside than inside) I decided to climb the Campanile, or bell tower. Last year, my traveling buddy, Alexis, was fond of saying "feel the burn, love the burn" as we climbed every church dome and tower we found. The third picture is the bell tower, the fourth is a view of the Duomo from the top of the tower. There were 414 steps... surely enough burn to justify a second gelato of the day?!