Florence, or Firenza as they say, is a required stop for any newbie traveling Italy.  It is big on the museum side with the Uffizi Gallery, among many, and one certainly needs to see the most famous sculpture in the world, Michelangelo’s David.  This iconic statue has had a hard life. When first unveiled it was greeted with jeering, rock throwing and general disapproval.  Later, during some riot in the 1500’s a bench was tossed at David which broke the left arm in three places.  Still later a crazed, jealous artist smashed the toe with a hammer.  It was also greatly damaged by a museum cleaning with hydrochloric acid.  The statue sat outside in the elements for over a hundred years.  David stands proudly today in the Galleria dell’Accademia in Florence, alone in a large open room built just for it.
Continue reading →