Who Moved the David?

Last week I decided to go to Florence for the day, and it is a lovely city, especially if you are a fan of renaissance art. I had previously been to Florence a number of times, but never farther than the airport or train station, and I was sure that there was much more to it than that. I decided in advance that I would spend my day outside walking around and taking pictures, rather than inside a museum, but the one thing I did want to see was Michelangelo’s David. Now the original statue is inside the Accademia Museum, which along with the Uffizi, require long hours standing in line waiting for a ticket if you have not made a reservation well in advance, which of course I hadn’t. However, there is a copy of the David in the Palazzo Vecchio, where the original once stood, and I figured that seeing the copy, and saving hours waiting in line, was okay by me. Unfortunately, they were doing some sort of reconstruction in the Palazzo Vecchio and the area where the David stood was curtained off. So I never did get to see the statue, but I did see the rest of this beautiful city.

A stroll through the famous San Lorenzo leather market for some Christmas shopping. A quick peek into the Duomo (Cathedral) where once again the mosaic marble floors were amazing (I know, I know, who looks at the floors). Then across the Arno River at the Ponte Vecchio where gold and silver merchants still display their craftsmanship. Finally, up a million and one steps (trust me on this, I counted and there were at least that many) to the Piazzale Michelangelo where you have a breathtaking view of the entire city.