Climbing up from Purgatory to Heaven

Had a busy day trying to complete all the things we want to do before moving on to Pisa for flights etc. So lots of trailing round shops, packing and tidying. However, it also represented a chance to nip out and climb up Filippo Brunelleschi's Dome, Cattedrale Santa Maria del Fiore. The basilica is one of Italy's largest churches, and until development of new structural materials in the modern era, the dome was the largest in the world. It remains the largest brick dome ever constructed. The dome is painted with a representation of The Last Judgment. This enormous work, 3,600 metres² of painted surface, was started in 1568 by Giorgio Vasari and Federico Zuccari and would take until1579. We have been looking at the outside everyday and my ears are still ringing with the bells .