Top of Il Duomo - 06.03.06

There are 463 steps leading from the cathedral nave to the top of the dome. We pay six euros apiece for the privilege of climbing them all, two in a long line of boisterous Germans and Italians, clambering up a winding, cramped, 14th-century stairwell. In some places the up and down stairs are the same, and we squeeze against one wall to let the descenders by. Claustrophobia and fatigue dissipate instantly upon emerging at the top. All of Florence lies before us. It is windy and cold, but the sun is shining and we are happy to snap a billion photos and take in the view.