Another profound and wondrous moment in my life was to gaze up at the David, a colossal sculpture of perfection, without question, and beauty! Actually, it's quite humbling to stand before another Michelangelo masterpiece and be moved so spiritually, so intellectually, so artistically. I have waited 18 years since college days of attending art history courses and writing my final paper on this magnificent piece of sculpture, to see David and now, we were just moments away. My heart was pounding!After our morning walk and introduction tour in Florence, we were on our way to the Accademia Gallery to finally see the David. Upon our arrival, we were greeted by yet, another long queue of tourists that stretched beyond the eye could see. However, as I mentioned in the Uffizi posting, we were on a tour so we already had reservations. I recommend you do the same. So, we went to the other side of the main entrance, a very short queue, and were whisked in shortly thereafter.
We entered the museum and immediately in front of you, at the end of a long hallway flanked by giant unfinished sculptures, more on those later, is the David, rising boldly above the throngs of tourists who are bees to honey around the base of the pedestal. See what I mean? It stands in the Tribunal, a room designed and purpose built specifically to house the statue which up until 1873, stood in the Piazza della Signoria, outside the Palazzo Vecchio. Due to weathering and erosion, the city of Florence moved the David here and in 1910, a replica was placed to stand where David stood for over 300 years.
Of course, I need to digress and provide a little background for those not familiar with its origin. After completing his famous "Pieta" in Rome in 1499, discussed and pictured in a previous posting, Michelangelo completed the David in 1504, age 29, and on September 8th of the same year, it was presented to the city of Florence.
From what started out as a 18 foot block of marble cast aside due to another sculptor who thought he damaged the stone beyond repair, Michelangelo saw the piece as an opportunity to free his David from his prison of stone. The statue was originally intended to be one of twelve Old Testament sculptures to sit atop the Duomo or Santa Maria del Fiore however, the final resting place would be outside the Palazzo Vecchio and the location was decided upon by a committee that included Leonardo Da Vinci and Sandro Botticelli. Can you imagine being surrounded by of the proliferation of creative genius in Florence at this time?
Like many of the sights I have seen throughout my travels thus far, this one took my breath away yet again. The colossal statue is poised on a giant pedestal and rises 17 feet. To see the chiseled body rendered in such beauty, such unbelievably exquisite and realistic detail is beyond words. Michelangelo captures the moment when David first lays eyes on his foe and with mounting tension in his outstretched neck, he reaches back with his slingshot to slay the mighty Goliath. Look carefully at the musculature, the veins in the arms and hands, the overall grace of his physique. Truly, not another sculpture before or after, has ever surpassed the David. Take a look. It's inconceivable that this was once thought a useless piece of marble.
This statue is actually one of three David's that reside in Florence. There is the replica in the Piazza della Signoria that I mentioned above and the other stands high atop the hills in Oltrarno, other side of the Arno, in the Piazzale Michelangelo. Check it out. 
Before we arrived at the David, we had to pass through the hallway contained the "unfinished" sculptures that Michelangelo completed in the latter part of his life. Paling in comparison, but nonetheless not be overlooked, these "Prisoners" or "Slaves" or "non-finito" sculptures were originally intended for the tomb of Pope Julius II. However, some scholars believe that Michelangelo intended to leave them unfinished and today, it's debated to the point of exhaustion. In either case, you really get a sense of the extraordinary amount of work that goes into sculpting. If you look closely at these, you can see the marks left by various sculpting tools that after time, "freed these prisoners from their tombs" of marble as Michelangelo often liked to put it. After Michelangelo's death, the statues were given to Cosimo I who placed them in the Boboli Gardens at Pitti Palace, where they stood until 1909.
Other paintings and sculptures are here as well including a Pieta previously thought to have been carved by Michelangelo but later discovered to be the work of one of his students. How disappointing. Remember, leave your cameras back in your villa, no pics allowed. I had to borrow these from a few websites. And, most importantly, make your reservations for tickets before you leave home!
After an amazing journey through time once again, my stomach in the present was getting very hungry and it was time for one of my favorite lunches in Italy, a Caprese sandwich with spinach, tomato and mozzarella between two slices of focaccia bread and warmed in the oven. So very yummy. After lunch, it was time to do some shopping at the Ponte Vecchio and nearby shops where I purchased a new gold earring and on the way back to the Monna Lisa for our afternoon Cappuccino, I stopped in a real "mom and pop" store to purchase a tanned leather briefcase, something I have wanted for ages! Two items and too much money spent. Oh well, it's vacation and who cares about money.
Ciao!!
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