I was thinking of climbing to the top of the Campanile in Florence instead of the Duomo dome, with my primary goal of climbing being to get some nice photos (I'm certainly not a professional photographer, just looking for a few nice shots on my little point and shoot camera). My 2010 guide book says the 'cage-like' top of the Campanile makes it not as good for photos...my question is, how bad is it? Will I be able to get any photos without cage bars in them? Or should I wait in a longer line for the Duomo?
Posted by
Seattle, WA
16356 posts
I have done both and can't recall if the cage is actually an isssue on the bell tower. I will say the Duomo climb is fascinating, and if you go early iin the morning there should not be a line. We had the ascent all to ourselves at 9:00 am in late June.
Posted by
A tiny island in Puget Sound WA, USA
166 posts
Hi Patricia,
I haven't climbed the dome, but the campanile was fun and a great view at the top, including the entire Duomo. The screen at the top had very wide mesh, around 3 to 4 inches so I just put my camara right up to or through it (this was in 2004). The only problem you'd have is if you wanted to shoot video and wanted to pan the skyline. Still shots will be fine. Have a great trip! Lisa
Posted by
Centennial, CO, USA
1883 posts
I've done both. I recommend the Duomo, just because the climb up is much more interesting. You get to look down into the church on the climb up, and the view from the top is wonderful, plus, if I remember, it might be a bit higher up, so better. You have some opportunities for photos on the way up that are interesting. There is a cage around the top of the tower, but you can stick your camera in the holes and get an good shot. The top of the tower is a bit " close," not as much room to move around, again a good reason to climb the Duomo.
Posted by
Florence, OR, US
267 posts
If you are claustrophobic, I wouldn't recommend the Duomo. I haven't gone up the campanile, so I don't have a basis of comparison. If you can handle the claustrophobia, and the 463 stairs to the top, you will be rewarded with a great panoramic view, including the top of the campanile. You do have to walk around the cupola to get 360 views, but no biggie. If you get there as close to opening as possible, the line will not be an issue. We got there about 20 minutes after opening and encountered the slow-down about 4/5 way up, at which time the line went from stand-still to slow crawl. There is a point about 1/2 way up that exits out of the wall and onto a walkway high above the inside of the church, and some cool view can be seen from there looking down as well as up, looking at the underside of the dome (it's painted with a very large mural).
Buon viaggio!
Posted by
Wiesbaden, Germany
791 posts
I wholeheartedly recommend the Campanile. My favorite pictures of Florence were taken from up there instead of the Duomo and part of the reason I prefer it is because of the views of the Duomo you get from the Campanile, which are fantastic. I've recommended to people for years, get up early and go check out the Piazza del Duomo, it's really cool to see before the tourists arrive. Then hit the Campanile as it opens (0830 I think?) so you don't have to wait in line. I had no trouble at all getting some great shots from up there and I'm hardly a photographic genius.