10/3/17

I ascended to the summit of both my favorite cathedral and the Italian Alps. This is my account of climbing to the top of an incredible man-made structure, then climbing to the top of nature’s structure.

Santa Maria del Fiore

“Saint Mary of the Flowers” is more commonly known as Il Duomo. This cathedral is the pride and joy of the Florentines, as it should be.

Construction began in 1296 and mostly finished by 1436. Restorations and additions have gone on for years since. The architecture and intricate decor were both a product of steep competition between artists, all fighting for a claim to fame on what would be the world’s largest cathedral of the time. In this way, the Renaissance was born in Florence.

The dome atop the cathedral was thought to be impossible. However, we can thank Brunelleschi for proving them wrong.

Walking under the shadow of this seemingly impossible feat of man every single day changes the way you see “impossible“.

 

The Alps

Before this I had only snowboarded once, but I quickly remembered how not to fall and slide down the mountain. Even when I did fall, I couldn’t argue with the view.

So here’s to climbing to the top, in every way. 

Sometimes it’s hard to tell if it’s more humbling to see the sky from the ground or to see the ground from the sky.

Grazie,

Jamie