O David, My David

 A driving force behind my desire to visit Italy has always been the art. There are dozens of world-famous paintings crammed into museums and churches scattered throughout this wonderful Renaissance-obsessed country. At the top of my just-have-to-see-it-before-I-die list is Michelangelo's David sculpture in the Galleria dell'Accademia. Lucky for us, we showed up in Florence just in time for the first Sunday of the month when all the museums offer free entry, and we had already purchased a time-entry ticket for later in the month, so I was able to convince Michelle to stand in line twice so I could spend time with David on two separate occasions.

He is truly spectacular... as grand, majestic, and extraordinary as I had ever imagined. Admiring this work of an artistic genius felt sacred, like the feeling I get when walking among the Giant Redwoods in Northern California. 

Fun facts: Michelangelo sculpted David between 1501 and 1504. He was 26 years old when he started. David is about 17 ft. tall and weighs approximately 8.5 tons.

There are smaller (but still quite large) replicas of David in outdoor spaces throughout Florence. This one is at the top of a hill in a place called Piazzale Michelangiolo where he looks out over Florence (the views of the city were stunning as you can see!).

And then in Palazzo Vecchio, just outside the Uffizi Gallery here:

And then there are these Davids that we see all over the city:

And this stunning graffiti we stumbled across one day:

 

Thanks for not disappointing, David!