On to Florence

Category: My latest Europe trip | Posted: Tue Nov 01, 2005 9:16 am

From there it was on to Florence the next day.

Florence (or Firenze, as it is known by locals) is a beautiful city. It has many sights, the most famous being Michelangelo's "Statue of David"

The original statue of Michelangelo's David is located in the museum Galleria dell'Accademia in Florence, Italy, along with Michelangelo's other important works such as the Four Prisoners. The statue of David used to stand in front of Palazzo Vecchio in Florence, but was later moved indoors. A copy of Michelangelo's David is now displayed in front of the palace.

Traditionally, David was portrayed after his victory, triumphant over Goliath. Both Verrochio's and Donatello's Davids are depicted standing over Goliath's severed head. Michelangelo has depicted David before the battle.

David is tense, but not so much in a physical as in a mental sense. The slingshot he carries over his shoulder is almost invisible, emphasizing that David's victory was one of cleverness, not sheer force. Notice his very large hands (this was one of the first things I noticed when i saw the real thing.) His hands, particularly his right hand is around 1.5 times the normal size.

Michelangelo was a citizen of the city state of Firenze (Florence). The national state of Italy is very young, and in the time the statue was made (between 1501 and 1504), power resided with individual cities.

Firenze was surrounded by enemies that much stronger and more numerous than the city was. When the statue of David was placed on the square in front of the city hall (where you can now find a copy), the people of Firenze immediately identified with him, as a cunning victor over superior enemies. To them, David was a symbol representing fortezza and ira, strength and anger. The statue did have intended political connotations for the city state that had recently cast off the ruling of the Medici family.

Note how David's character traits are considered more important than his victory over Goliath, which is why Michelangelo depicted him before the battle, strong-willed and ready to fight.

( Source: http://vlsi.colorado.edu/~rbloem/david.html )

Here are some pics of Florence.

This on from the lookout.

Again, Florence boasts a wealth of architecture and Cathedrals, many over 800 years old.

I also could not resist having a pic taken with a life-sized Pinnochio! People looked at me kind of funny!! Ha, ha

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