Brunelleschi's Dome

We just did this in June. The stairway is quite wide at the bottom and narrowerer at the top. There are walls on both sides most of the way. I can't estimate the rise and run of the steps tbut they felt "normal", not too small or tricky. There is a balcony mid-way, where you can look into the church and you walk from one stairway to the other. This part has a solid railing and glass the rest of the way up (to preserve silence in the church). There are places between flights of steps to stop and rest if you need to, so people can pass; in narrower parts of the stairway, near the top, you wouldn't want to stop on the stairway itself and block the way of others. We found that by going in the morning, even as late as 9:30 am, we had it practically to ourselves. I was a bit worried about feeling claustrophic and getting stuck behind slow people (we are fast at stair climbing) but by avoiding the crowds we had a great time. We took time on the way down to admire the construction details. After reading the book, I'm really glad we did this.

Karen, I still haven't gotten to climb the dome (AARRGGHH!), BUT if you haven't already read Ross King's book, "Brunelleschi's Dome" I HIGHLY recommend it. Your experience will be that much richer. I found it to be a quick and easy read...(also "Michelangelo and the Pope's Ceiling" - Sistene Chapel)....................<<EDIT>> Thanks, Lola, for the detailed info! Someday....:-D

Karen, as I recall, the stairs vary somewhat. To answer each of your questions in order. (1) the stairway is NOT wide in most places. In some areas, those going "up" have to move into an alcove to allow those going "down" to pass. (2) There are railings in some places, but I can't remember if these extend along the entire stairway. (3) Yes, there is room but it's "tight" in some spots. (4) The "rise" on the stairs was not that extreme, but they were old and some were "worn", especially in the centre. One other comment to mention is that I believe the stairway runs at an "angle" in some places, between the two layers of the dome as it does at St. Peter's in Rome (however my memory is getting a bit "foggy" on that point). I did the climb just after recovering from a severe knee injury and it was a bit of effort, but one that I felt was most worthwhile. The view from the top is incredible! I'm sure I took some photos of the stairway, however I can't find them at the moment (organizing my photos is one of my projects for this winter). Happy travels!

You can find YouTube videos of people climbing the steps. They are pretty jerky and amateurish, but you can see that for much of the way the stairs have walls on both sides, like going up inside a hallway. You can put your hands on the walls if you need to steady yourself. There is a railing where needed. What you can't seee in the videos is how well-lit it is. There are openings right through the roof, little windows, that you can look out. I assumed from the title that you had read Ross King's book, but if not, as Eileen says, it's a must read! You also might do some stair-climbing to get in shape for it. You'll enjoy it more.

In the morning, you will see two lines at il Duomo. The entrance to the dome is about half way down the left side. It's a smaller door. I believe that they open this door at 8:30 but I only saw the line. We didn't climb the tower. The second and often much longer line is the line to get into the front entrance of il Duomo. After you finish climbing the dome, you might want to visit the il Duomo museum which is directly across the street from the left rear of il Duomo. Its fantastic in there. Oficcially, its called the Opera del Duomo Museum. Entrance cost is about 6E. Very modern and air-conditioned. One treat is Brunelleschi's models that he used to design the dome. Also in there are the original "gates to paradise" metal plates that were originally on the baptistery. The ones on the baptistery doors today are copies.

We went on a crowded day. It was pretty crazy. The steps change in dimension but there is never a big ledge to step up. The slope of the roof and the dome, make for a fun house effect. Everything seems out of kilter. There are some sections that have no room to pass and if its crowded, this becomes a free for all as to which group is going up or down. Going down, seemed a bit hairier that climbing up.

Wow! Thanks so very, very much for all the great information!! You guys are the BEST! The You Tube suggestion was wonderful and so helpful. Can't wait to climb to the top of the Dome!!