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Published: August 15th 2009
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Hi Everyone!
I am here in Florence, home of Michelangelo's
David...and other interesting things. When I thought of Florence Michelangelo's sculptures are the first thing I thought of, and every one in the tourist industry here is happy to profit from that acquisition. I wonder how Americans would behave if their city contained works of art that were over 500 years old and created by one of the all time best artists in history. I must say that it is hard to immerse yourself in culture when you are surrounded by beggars and souvenir hawkers. But on the other hand for 4 euro you too could own a four inch made in China plastic David model. Believe me I was tempted.
It wasn't until I was planning this trip that I learned that Michelangelo's David represents the David of Biblical fame who slew Goliath and chopped off his head. Now if there had been a severed head a his feet, that would have been more illuminating. The David statue by Donatello in the nearby Bargello museum has a nice severed head. But maybe Michelangelo didn't want to be a copy cat.
Michelangelo's David is calm and collected; a study in Renaissance
masculine perfection. It is also completely huge: fourteen feet. It was designed to go on the roof of a church but everyone liked it so much they left it in the courtyard and then eventually moved it to the Academy of arts so they could charge 10 euro to view it. There is a passable copy still in the courtyard. I took pictures of both, even though there were signs saying no pictures. If I pay 10 euro to see one sculpture I am going to at least get a picture of it.
The Uffizi gallery is also in Florence and they often have lines 3 or 4 hours long. The Uffizi gallery has Botticelli's Venus and a rare painting by Michelangelo, but I wasn't interested enough in those two highlights to spend the time or the money. I feel slightly guilty about not seeing the museum while I was there, but traveler's wisdom sais that you should not feel compelled to follow the tourist's trail unless you want to. See what you want to see and skip what you want to skip. I mostly want to see everything so this is not usually a problem, but I do feel
guilty.
Florence is also home to Michelangelo's early sculptures in the Bargello museum and his Night and Day, Dawn and Dusk sculptures in the Medici Chapel in San Lorenzo Cathedral. When I got there I bought a ticket into the church for 3,50 euro thinking that the chapel was inside the church but the entrance is actually outside and it cost another 9 euro to see the Medici chapel. I thought that was outrageous. I still think so, but I paid it anyway. We weren't supposed to take pictures either but for 9 euro you can bet I took as many pictures as I could sneak.
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James Wilson
non-member comment
Jeepers
Man, those venetians really love a naked David. He must have gone to Venice high school or something. Is it weird that my favorite picture is the big road?