Insight Vacations – Visiting Florence and Michelangelo’s David
Michelangelo’s Sculpture of David at the Galleria dell’Accademia in Florence, Italy
Insight Vacations – Visiting Florence and Michelangelo’s David
WJ Tested: Insight Vacations Italian Escapade 12-Night Motor Coach Tour – Day 4: Florence and a tour of the Galleria dell’Accademia to see Michelangelo’s sculpture of David.
Cappuccino! The perfect way to start the first morning in Florence during our Insight Vacations Italian Escapade tour. We always appreciate it when espresso-based drinks (especially good ones) are included with breakfast at hotels we are staying at, and this was the case at the modern 4-star AC Hotel Firenze by Marriott. The selection of hot and cold breakfast items at the hotel was also quite lovely, plentiful and offered a good selection (coffee, tea, juices, fresh fruit, cereal, bread, pastries, cold meats, scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, yogurt, cheeses and more).
AC Hotel Firenze by Marriott
At 8:30 am we boarded the coach with Tour Director Mark for the included tour of Florence. As Mark handed out city maps for us to use during our free time in the afternoon, he explained that if we wanted to walk back to the hotel (rather than take the coach) it was just a 25-minute walk along the Arno River (from the Ponte Vecchio – the only medieval bridge in Florence to survive the bombing in WWII).
Travel Tip: Don’t buy gold from vendors along the Ponte Vecchio – better quality for less money is available in other areas of Florence.
Galleria Della Accademia in Florence
After a 20-minute drive through hectic and incredibly busy morning traffic and along endless one-way streets (another reason we were glad Alberto was driving and not us) we arrived at Piazza San Marco and departed the coach. Our first stop was at the Galleria dell’Accademia (Academy of Fine Arts), where we met local expert, Allessandra, and bypassed the already long line (thanks to Insight’s Fast Track reservation) of tourists waiting to enter to view Michelangelo’s magnificent sculpture of David.
Note: It is not permitted to take photos or video of Michelangelo’s sculpture of David.
Michelangelo’s Sculpture of David
Galleria dell’Accademia & Michelangelo’s David- Did You Know?
- The Galleria was the first art academy in the world
- You can view Botticelli’s Madonna and child (produced when he was only 20)
- David was moved inside in 1873 to prevent further damage from acid rain
- David was sculpted from one big block of marble and stands 17 feet high
- You can also view a number of unfinished statues by Michelangelo
- Michelangelo was commissioned by the pope in 1501 to sculpt David
- David was finished in 1504
- Michelangelo was 26 years old when he got the commission
- Michelangelo never used live models
- Michelangelo was inspired by Roman statues
- Carrara marble was always used for sculptures
- Michelangelo never signed David
- The young shepherd David (David & Goliath) is holding a sling shot
- David is made from 6 tonnes of marble – not the best quality and is very fragile
- David was originally located in Piazza della Signoria are originally until moved to the Galleria in 1873
- There are two copies of David in Florence (1 in bronze and 1 in marble)
- David’s right hand is larger than the left
- Some parts of the sculpture are larger than normal because the statue was supposed to be viewed from 100 ft in air – perspective
- David’s left arm was broken in 7 pieces by a crazy guy with a hammer
- In 2004 David was fixed for the 500 year anniversary
- There are sensors on the statue to record earthquakes, traffic vibrations and tremors
- The tree trunk at back of the statue is also part of same block of marble
- David is not shiny and the marble is not white due to the inferior quality
- David was once washed with acid to clean the marble, but which only damaged it further
Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore (Il Duomo)
Our 45-minute tour of the Galleria went quickly and we certainly could have spent many hours there viewing the various sculptures and pieces of art. But as we had more exploring to do we continued on with Allessandra. Over the next hour of our walking tour we saw the Duomo and Piazza Signoria before meeting Mark at Sante Croce at 11:30 am.
Piazza della Signoria
For those in our group that wanted to shop for gold and leather (Florence is the best place in Italy to buy these items), Mark showed them his recommended shops (Peruzzi for leather and The Gold Corner) at Piazza Santa Croce. Otherwise we were free to explore on our own. Options for returning to the hotel were to take a taxi (about €12), or spend time in the city center and catch the included transfer at 3 pm.
Piazza Santa Croce
We opted to wander around Florence, grab a slice of pizza and a gelato, and then stroll back to the hotel along the River Arno. This was a perfect opportunity for us to source out some less touristy shops and cafes where the locals tend to gather. The remainder of the day was open for us to do our own thing, but we (like most in our group) had signed up for the optional Tuscany Dinner excursion and needed to meet Mark in the hotel lobby by 5:50 pm (what a fun evening that turned out to be!).
Ponte Vecchio and River Arno
Shopping Tips: “Made in Italy” means buttons were attached to shirt in Italy – not that shirt was made in Italy. Buying knock off goods from street vendors means fueling the black market economy and hurting the original manufacturers of fine Italian goods – also it is illegal to buy from them and the police hand out hefty fines to both buyers and sellers.
Optional Excursion: Dinner in Tuscany
Next… Pisa & Lake Maggiore
Previous: Insight Vacations Italian Escapade – | Tour Overview | Meet and Greet in Rome! | Rome with Local Historian | Skip the Lines – Vatican Museums | Siena |
If You Go:
Note: WAVEJourney were guests of Insight Vacations for their April 30 – May 12, 2013 Italian Escapade tour. Read our full disclosure statement to see that this has no effect on our reviews.
