Just follow the circular stairway about 400 steps up. You can’t miss it.

Those that have visited or lived in Europe will know what I am talking about here. For those that haven’t, I’ve posted a short video of the climb that I made today. As an FYI, I made a similar climb yesterday but being the dork that I am about charging batteries (I charge them only when they are drained completely), I didn’t charge the battery on my camera, and so, when I made the climb and finally got to the top, I was greeted with the all to familiar and disappointing: “Change the battery pack.” I’m going to have to write a note to Canon to add “please” to the error message. I mean, they could at least be polite about it.

Back to the tall buildings. So, for whatever odd reason, every architect of medieval buildings thought it wise to build buildings and their corresponding towers as tall as possible. Those towers by the way, “tower” above the building itself. When I say tall building, I mean REALLY tall. As in, if 200 NBA players (or 190 Yao Ming’s) could stand on top of each other’s shoulders, they probably still couldn’t touch the ceiling. It makes sense though, when you stop to think about it. These high towers were typically for the bells and for the lonely soul at the top that got stuck watching over the town and its people. It probably helped to be able to see an invading army when it was still thousands of kilometers away. Typically, these buildings are churches but today’s adventure was the Palazzo Pubblico. In medieval Sienese times, this building was the center of all the action; it was everything. Think South Coast Plaza, plus City Hall, plus Target, plus every possible market all rolled into one. It also doubles as your place of worship and in the evenings, it turns into a club. OK, so not really but maybe.

In modern times though, the Palazzo Pubblico is still an amazing structure that absolutely blows you away. Inside, much of the original frescoes have been restored and are very well preserved. The amazing thing to me is that with such high ceilings, it must have taken a long time to create these frescoes. They were most certainly labors of love because they are amazing. The details of each figure are incredible, and from that I mean, it’s incredible the use of color, the illusion of depth, and of course the symbols. It’s no wonder that there are large volumes of books that cover works of art. Incidentally, that’s just about the frescoes; there were also unbelievable choirs carved from wood and iron gates with an acute sense of detail about them. We simply don’t make stuff like this anymore and when we do it’s usually for a special occasion.

This brings me to the stairs. I was downstairs at the entrance to the tower and the signal light (which you’re supposed to obey) said “STOP”. My first thought was, guasto, or out of order. So, I walked right past it and ran up the stairs or I should say, the first 50. These stairs were an odd juxtaposition of old and new. The first 30 or so, were probably part of the original building. The next 20, were definitely built recently and probably as part of the last restoration and preservation project. I got to the top, and of course, it turns out the sign was functioning after all and since the guards think that Italians follow the rules (uh, that would be no) she immediately got angry at me in English. I responded in Italian and she switched but she was still angry and told me that I had to go back down. As I’m leaving, here comes an Italian girl, and of course, the guard gets angry again and in English again. This girl though, gets angry back. That quickly silenced and changed the tune of the guard. I heard sorry a couple of times and the best part: “I thought you were a foreigner.” Because of course, Italians always follow the rules. HA!

I’m climbing to the top of the tower and just to give you a good feel for this climb, it’s inside a circular staircase completely made of stone (part of the building) and it’s made for people that weigh 70 pounds (31.5 kgs) and about 4 feet tall (1.2 meters). Even I had to duck and that never happens. To call it a tight squeeze is a huge understatement. I felt bad for these two Japanese girls coming up after me. They were panting like they had just run a marathon. It’s a pretty tough climb though and you do have to be careful. If you lose your footing and slip and hit your shin, it hurts. Trust me, a few years ago in Rome, it happened to me. The reward for all this work, of course, is an unbelievable view of the Tuscan countryside, the people sitting in the Palazzo, and of course extremely fresh air. Just like a few years ago in Rome, I got to the top and was sort of gasping for air, my muscles asking for oxygen. One thing that I will never understand, are those people that finally get to the top and the first thing they do is light up a cigarette. I equate this to quenching your thirst after a race with a glass of red wine. Those guys at Gatorade just didn’t get it!

400 steps later, I’m totally engrossed in this unbelievable view of the Tuscan countryside when, suddenly, the bell rings. I think we all jumped and quickly gave thanks that it was only three o’clock in the afternoon. Imagine a small earthquake with an alarm going off in your ear at the same time capped off with the feeling of looking down from a really high spot (a spot originally designed for the rough equivalent of 1/2 of today’s modern person).