We stayed at the Hotel Athenaeum on the Via Cavour. I took a few photos of the lobby and the courtyard, but they didn't turn out well. It is a very nice hotel, but the decor is not to my taste; running to the sleek, ultra-modern contemporary style.


There was an exhibit of Leonardo Da Vinci's machines and other things he developed, such as his wooden bicycle. We did not see this one either, but the bicycle was on the street in front of the gallery, to entice patrons. If this exhibit ever comes to the US, I WILL see it!


The most magnificent object in Florence is Michaelangelo's David. He lives in the Galleria dell' Accademia (The Gallery of Fine Arts) , on the Via Ricasoli. Sculpted in 1504, when Michaelangelo was only 29, David is a huge nude statue of the biblical hero who killed the giant Goliath.

David is the epitome of the male form at its best. None of my guidebooks tell the height of the statue, but I estimate he is at least 15 feet tall. One can hardly believe he is carved from marble; he could come to life at any moment. He is beautifully proportioned, but his hands are larger than one would expect. It is said that Michaelangelo made them larger so as to be symbolic of his strength in killing the giant.

Added: I read somewhere that someone asked Michaelangelo how he went about carving statures. He answered something like this; that the statue is in the marble - he only finds it. Amazing.

If I had any complaint at all, it is to say that David is not housed in an area that befits him. It is nice, but not large enough, not spacious enough to allow one to see him from all angles at a distance. The area behind the statue is only about 8-10 feet from the rear wall, which doesn't allow good perspective for photographs. Of course, they don't allow photos now (though they did previously). I bought a postcard of him, while many others defied the signs and the guards and snapped photos right and left. I would say the "Ugly American" was alive and well that day, but to be fair, there were tourists from every part of the world and all of them seemed to be taking photos but me.


"The Rape of the Sabine Women" by Giambologna, is housed in the Loggia next to the Uffizi, Italy's greatest gallery. I didn't get to see this gallery either. Bummer!

This statue was supposedly carved from a single block of marble. When you see it, that fact is hard to believe. The power and dynamism in this statue are unbelieveable. I had studied it in art classes, but seeing it in person is a whole different thing than in photos.


If I ever go back to Italy, I would like to have 3-4 days to spend in Florence. There are so many things to see here and we couldn't do them all due to time constraints. That was unfortunate, and I would avoid that at all costs if I ever get the opportunity.