Italy! April 12 Tuesday - Giotto's Bell Tower

Visitors may choose to climb 400+ steps of Giotto's Bell Tower and get an amazing view of Santa Maria del Fiore, simply known as the Duomo. We were the last ones to enter before closing time, the guard looked at us saying we had just minutes to enter and exit. We stated that we could do so, and had a good workout before dinner. The panorama was well worth it! Descending from the top, we inscribed our initials on the electronic screen.

For dinner, we went with the Airbnb owner's recommendation and strolled to Trattoria Contadino, a restaurant popular with the locals, removed from the tourist attractions. Steve had the crostini appetizer and a huge Florentine steak, and I had wild boar linguine and swordfish. Massive, delicious, and very reasonable. We finished off our day with gelato from Eduardo's, right near our apartment. Organic and flavorful. The lighting of the bell tower and the Duomo made for breathtaking views at night.