We woke up at 6:15 in the morning in the blue-gray dawn- usually a catalyst for the dread of the upcoming day but instead I was fiercely excited. Skipping breakfast, I shot out of bed, packed my bag, and checked and rechecked my pockets for money, my passport, and my keys.
We shuffled in the dew-y chill towards the taxi queue opposite our apartment and grabbed a ride to the train station. Arriving among the last of the students, my friends and I noted that the Cornell crowd made quite a large presence at this crowded station. All huddled and laughing and standing around the tables in front of a cafe. We were excited for our first trip. After grabbing a small snack we were herded into the high speed train towards our first destination, Firenze.
Settled into the seats and listening to the wakening babble of conversation, I noted a rising sense of familiarity and camaraderie among students from different departments dreading the soreness of their legs after a long day’s trip and the early mornings but still sharing their contentedness to have a few days off of school and to be in one of the fashion capitals of the world.
Photo by Omar Dairi
Florence could be Rome’s younger and chicer cousin. While Rome is home to antiquity, to the temples of the Gods, and to the people painted as gladiators and statues in front of these monuments, Florence is home to the renaissance, to the power and influence of the Medici family and other mercantile power houses, to some of the most famous fashion houses of the world, to the statue of David and to Brunelleschi’s dome.
Marvels of architecture, humanism and mannerism, and a rich urban fabric make for a different, but just as awe-inspiring of an experience as Rome. We arrived in the beautiful futurist train station of Florence around 9 in the morning and walked in the rain towards our hotel, the Albergo Firenze. There was no time to rest or for the weather to improve and we headed out on the glistening cobblestone streets to the great cathedral just a few blocks away. When you first see the cathedral there is at first a moment of complete shock.
Photo by Omar Dairi
Entirely clad in colored marble and beautiful sculptures , the cathedral looks more like a compelling pattern in the sky than it does a building – let alone one of the great sites of Italian piety and worship. There is such overwhelming intricacy it is difficult to not overlook some of the detail. This would prove to be a common theme in Florence. I could tell everyone had already made the mental note to return to this former capital of italy at a later date to see the things missed and revisit the things enjoyed. Entering the cathedral, our steps echoed down and across the incredible space. The acoustics achieved by both height and material incited contemplation of relative scale. Ascending the dome we entered into a seemingly infinite and almost sisyphean concrete spiral staircase. For a few minutes all that existed were the steps and the back coat of the person in front of you. Soon enough small and tantalizing openings punctured through the thick wall revealed to us small glimpses of an aerial view of Firenze behind metal grates, railings, or wire mesh.
After the first part of the ascent, we arrived at the small balcony at the very base of the dome and we could admire Vasari’s ceiling masterpiece up close. Some of the first question coming to mind being 1. How did he get up there? and 2. How did he not die from the anxiety of the sheer height below him?
In the second half of the ascent we began to encounter the sloping sides of the dome’s formwork. The stoic mass seen from any vantage point within the city disguised an entire group of students climbing to its top. I felt like I was in the national treasure movie and this was a secret passageway we stumbled upon. The view at the top was astounding. Rumors of the 28 accidental deaths of people not paying attention or being careful made people tentative to approach the railing but our eagerness overcame our fear and we took in the 360 view of the city and for the only time during this gray day the sky opened up and a ray of light warmed our skin. This I knew to be one of the most unforgettable moments of my life, and the shaking of my legs on the way down and the rain and the cold were all worth it.
Photo by Omar Dairi