Florence is a beautiful medieval city, in the center of Italy. Stunning architecture combined with a thriving tourist industry make it a very attractive place to visit.

But we didn’t go there to buy hand bags or look at the buildings. We went there to see Michelangelo’s David. Probably the most famous statue ever created.

I had never seen the statue before and the first thing that struck me was how big it is. David stands over seventeen feet tall, carved from a single piece of marble.

Michelangelo worked on the basis that the image was already in the block of marble before he started work and when you see the statue it’s as though it could never have been anything other than this form. I mentioned in one of my earlier experiences that there are only two works of art that leave me speechless, and this is the second.

Somehow Michelangelo manages to give human texture to a piece of marble. When you look into David’s eyes, it’s as though he’s looking back. I really can’t imagine how Michelangelo achieved it. David is incredible and, like the Sistine chapel in Rome, if you go to Florence and only have time to see one thing, this is it.

David lives in the “Galleria dell’Accademia” which you can find online at:
http://www.museumsinflorence.com/mu...langelo.html

It is suggested that you buy tickets ahead of time, but we just arrived a few minutes before the museum opened and had no problems.

Florence itself is definitely worth a visit. It’s a little expensive, but then most tourist destinations are. I can’t wait to go back.

The Stanford University has created a 3D model which you can see here. Their website is also worth looking at, because it took them two years to fully map David in incredible detail.
http://graphics.stanford.edu/projects/mich/

Having said that, there’s no substitute for seeing him in the flesh.
For more interesting travel see:
http://blog.luxuryproperty.com/cate...estinations/