We started the day early with a climb up Bruneschelli’s dome, the dome of the Duomo. Now this we’d trained for, moving in to our new home, a townhouse with 5 levels (if you include the basement and the roof deck) and high ceilings. The 463 steps were just a normal day for us. I’d wanted to see the construction of the dome close up and the views of Florence were a fabulous bonus.
We weren’t the only ones waiting for the door to open at 0815!
There was a display on the way up, meant as something to do as you caught your breath. We didn’t really need the rest but it surprised me to learn what some of the statues were made of.
We found the Mailboxes Etc. location closest to our accommodation and they said no problem to send our cases; we only needed to bring them in. The rest of the morning was spent putting the bikes together. This time, all went well. The tires held air (losing the bead when deflated for travel is a concern with tubeless) and the gears and brakes all worked (verified with a test ride around the block). But when I sat down to update this journal after lunch, I couldn’t keep my eyes open. So I went for a walk instead while Al worked out his packing strategy. We met up later for an overpriced aperitif in Piazza della Signoria (but we saved 8€ because Al’s second beer didn’t make it onto the bill).
It was a much better dinner tonight, not in Piazza della Signoria, decent food and a friendly Albanian waiter who brought us each a glass of Vecchio Amaro del Capo, a herbal liqueur from Calabria as a digestif.
