Not long ago I was amongst a group of people talking about European travel, all of whom have been very lucky to have (and continue to have) prolonged travels there. We discussed how awesome hostels are, the virtues of an afternoon siesta, the best pastries and tomatoes and wine, the architecture, and the art. We agreed on almost all points: hostels and afternoon naps are both awesome. Macarons are divine, and nothing beats a fresh Italian tomato.
So I was quite surprised when, in a discussion on the many attractions of Florence, one of them said, “but going to David isn’t worth it. He’s so overrated.” Another responded, “Yeah, there are copies all over the city anyway!”
I’ll be honest: I wasn’t sure Michelangelo’s David, who lives in the Accademia di Belle Arti in Florence, was going to live up to all the fuss. But, we had ten full days in Florence and time to spare so we thought we should meet him ourselves before passing any judgement.
True, there are copies all over Florence that we saw nearly every day during our time there.
We became on quite friendly terms with the David in Piazza della Signoria, as we spent nearly every balmy night drinking wine and people watching not far from his gaze.
We made a few climbs to the top of Piazzale Michelangelo to take in the beautiful view of red roofs and blue skies that David gets to look out over every single day.
In fact, we spent our last night in Florence with David, saying goodbye to Ponte Vecchio and the Duomo with a picnic and a toast from his perch high above the city.
So by the time we booked our tickets to see the original David at the Accademia, we already felt like old friends. Could the real David really be so much more spectacular than his imitation spawn? Were we just wasting our time and money when we could be enjoying David’s company al fresco with a bottle of wine?
I’ll answer those questions in order: yes and no.
Don’t worry – I didn’t take a picture against the rules! Click for the source.
The pictures and the myriad of figurines and the cheesy full frontal David aprons don’t do him justice. Though we were groggy from an early wake-up, taking a seat and just admiring Michelangelo’s masterpiece was a wonderful way to spend a morning. The crowds had not yet reached their peak, and we were able to enjoy David in relative peace, marvelling at the fact that this enormous – and he is much bigger than I expected him to be – statue is carved out of one. block. of. marble. Okay, so I’ve never taken a chisel to marble before, but I’m willing to bet that this is no easy feat.
So, if you really have little interest in art, then maybe David will do nothing for you. But otherwise, we encourage a visit. However, the tales of crowds aren’t lies, but we had a good experience anyway with a little bit of planning. So here are a few tips:
- Go early in the morning. Book your tickets ahead online and grab a place in line before open. Bring pastries and coffee.
- Once you get in, make a bee-line for David to score one of the seat that circle him. Relax, and take him all in.
- Once the crowds start congealing around David and you’ve had your fill, you’re free to explore the rest of the gallery. A lot of it is repetitive, so don’t spend too much time seeing everything (unless you want to). In the corridor leading to David there are some pretty cool, half-finished Michelangelo statues that look like creatures being born out of the earth.
And just for fun, some reflections on David I wrote back when we visited him in 2008:
August 5, 2008
Many people told me that WB would most definitely propose to me on our month abroad in Italy. Certainly all the romantic moments we were to experience would create opportunities for a proposal he just couldn’t pass up and I couldn’t refuse. I assured them this would not happen.
I was right.
Instead, I met David. You might have heard of him. He’s extremely tall, very fit…rock hard abs, one might say. And his bum! He’s of course immensely strong; rumour has it he killed a giant with a mere stone! There’s only one area in which he’s a bit lacking…
…he’s not all that sensitive.
Despite that, we have overcome our differences, and I am pleased to announce our engagement. Given his level of fame he asked that no photos be taken of the proposal, but I assure you it was everything a girl could dream of.
(featured image from here)
*We visited Italy in 2008, so information may be out of date. But I imagine David looks pretty much the same.
