Our Trip to Italy -- Florence at the Duomo

Well, we finally did it!  After talking about going to Italy for, oh I don't know, maybe 15 years -- we actually traveled there in October.  What a wonderful 2 weeks we had!

After flying into Rome and spending one night there, we took the train from Rome to Florence, the home of the the Renaissance.  We checked into the Hotel Dali, and then ventured out to explore the city.  We started out at the Duomo, which was just a few blocks from where we were staying.

This is the beautiful front of the cathedral . . . 

For some reason, we decided to climb to the top of the Duomo.  How hard could it be, we thought -- we're from Colorado.  

We made it to the top, after 463 steps (I found out later), for a great view of the city . . . 

A view of the top of the Campanile, from the top of the Duomo's dome . . . 

Inside the cathedral . . . 

The bronze doors of the Baptistery . . . 

After dinner at ZaZa's, we enjoyed strolling through the streets of Florence at night . . .