by Primo Arquilla, Florence '14

Making our way up the steep steps to the top of Il Duomo

Today we had a great experience at Il Duomo in Florence even though we waited in the line for twenty minutes to find out we had to go to a different line to buy the tickets to climb the stairs to the top of the dome. After the security guard escorted us to the line where we buy tickets we found a way to get back into the same spot in the original line. Once we got inside we climbed all 463 steps to the top! At the top of the Duomo we took great pictures and enjoyed the view for some time. When we were in line to go back down the stairs we engaged in a discussion about whether Chicago or New York is a better city. Favoring Chicago, I was greatly outnumbered. Then we started asking people around us which city they thought was better and many people said Chicago over New York! After that we went back down the stairs and joined the rest of the group for dinner in the beautiful city of Florence.