However, before that, I decided to head to the Museo di Palazzo Vecchio (thinking to beat the museum crowds), where once again I met with the interesting Italian ticketing system. The ticket-office opens at 9am, as does the museum, but the tower (they have one too, and for the extra 4 euros I was thinking about climbing it) wasn't open until 10am. So far, so good. I asked if I could buy a combined ticket for the museum and tower, but was told that the tower tickets weren't sold until 10am, as that's when the tower opened. Trying my luck again, I asked if I could just buy the ticket then (it was about 9:15am), go see the museum, and then when the tower opened, go to that; I was greeted by an incredulous face, and was told that the tower ticketing (which was at the same window, by the same person) didn't open until 10am, so if I wanted to I could buy the 10 euro museum ticket, and then come back at 10am and buy the 10 euro tower ticket; or I could simply go away and come back at 10am and buy the combined ticket.
A little bit frustrated, and more than a little bit perplexed by this "system", I decided just to go away, and go firstly to the Cathedral and see what that had to offer.
At the Cathedral, I thought about doing the dome climb first, but you can't buy a ticket at the dome entry, so had to go to the bell-tower anyway, so decided to climb that one first (414 steps). At the top of the bell-tower, you are rewarded with a great view of the dome, as well as across Florence - well worth the effort, I'd say.
The ceiling of the dome is lined with 13th Century mosaics, which are quite elaborate, and the tiles definitely glisten in the light.
They also hold one a Pieta by Michelangelo (one of 3 that exist - you may recall the one from St Peters); this one is unfinished - a section broke or was broken when Michelangelo found an impurity in the marble after working on it for 8 years, and then Michelangelo died before it could be completed (or he simply never went back to it, rather abandoning it); it is believed that the face of Nicodemus is actually a self-portrait of Michelangelo - cunning, really.
The figures are arranged in a pyramidal structure, which appears natural, and draws your gaze upwards. It is quite stunning, and with reasonably small visitor numbers (at least compared to the one at St Peters), it was easy to get a really good view.
The humanity of the moment is captured in the arrangement and in the face of the figures; I'm glad I came to see it.
The Palazzo Vecchio dates to the early-14th Century and is the Florence town hall; in the middle of the 16th Century it was home to the Medici family, and it was the administrative centre of the Kingdom of Italy when Florence was its capital. It retains the Monumental Apartments, which house the museum.
Having already climbed up and down 877 steps, I decided that I didn't need to climb another 400+ (although I'm sure it would have been good to see the city [and the Cathedral!]from a different angle, but I'm not sure my legs would have thanked me tomorrow), so I opted for the museum-only ticket. The rooms are sumptuous, and richly decorated; included below are a few of the frescoes.