After successfully climbing the 320 steps to the top of St. Peter’s Basilica, I am feeling some “Let’s climb something else!” inspiration. So, today I walked over to Florence’s main Duomo (Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore) with high expectations. Inspiration and expectation were promptly squashed by super-long lines. (I don’t really do lines.) But, while the cue to climb the duomo was wrapped around the building, I discovered that only about 10 people were waiting to climb the bell tower. THAT I can do.

So, I did it! 414 steps this time and with four observation levels, the views made the climb totally worth it. I had great fun doing a Periscope from all four levels. Almost 1,000 viewers from around the globe joined me for a birds eye view of this golden city.

After descending the narrow staircase, I wandered around Florence for the rest of the afternoon, simply enjoying the details. (Including an opera singer performing right in the middle of Piazza della Repubblica.)