Firenze: Scoppio del Carro and Random Stairs
By Katherine Pauletti, Dec 14, 2023
I know we're in Christmas season, but I'm going to write about Easter.
Italians don't celebrate Easter; they CELEBRATE Easter.
We arrived in Florence on Holy Saturday and it was pretty quiet...until the evening. Piazza del Duomo was packed during an evening, outdoor blessing. The smell of burning candles was in the air thanks to huge candles being held by many alter boys.
On Easter Sunday morning there is the Scoppio del Carro, or the explosion of the cart. It starts with a procession through the streets of Florence led by a cart being pulled by two oxen. Following the cart are people (idk who, though) dressed in 11th century costume. The cart's final destination is Piazza del Duomo between the Duomo and the Baptistry, where it "explodes" after the Archbishop of Florence sends a "dove" flying through the Cathedral to the cart. The explosion is a series of firecrackers that spiral up the cart after the mechanical dove provides the spark. It's very loud, there's a strong odor thanks to the firecrackers, and the streets are PACKED. More detailed info on this 350 year tradition is here.
We stayed at Hotel Spadai, about two blocks from the Duomo. It was nice but not fully accessible to those with limited mobility. Prior to booking any hotel I always research the accessibility needs of my parents. For my mom, that means a shower instead of a tub and, for both my parents, that means an elevator. Breakfast on site and a room with a sofa is a bonus for my dad. Hotel Spadai met these requirements, or at least I thought it did.
When we made our way to our rooms - we had 4 - we learned that there was no step-free access to three of the rooms because there were random stairs in the hall leading to the rooms. The one room with no step-access was mine and it was too small for my parents - there was no seating area and we tend to all gather in my parents room before venturing out. Hotel Spadai was not able to accommodate a room change for my parents until after Easter, so they spent two nights in the original room and we helped my mom navigate the stairs, primarily by holding the rope taut. It wouldn't have been so bad had there been a secure railing along the stairs.