David, Piazza della Signoria, Florence, Tuscany, Italy

I have always wanted to see Michelangelo's marble sculpture masterpiece, "David."  The image above, however, is not it. Instead, it is a reproduction of the original sculpture of David.  I settled for the reproduction on this trip. It stands in the Piazza della Signoria where the original once stood.  The original was moved to the Galleria dell' Accademia a few blocks away in 1873 to protect the marble. 

The original 17-feet tall Cararra marble statue created by the 29-year-old Michelangelo was unveiled in 1504 and is today regarded as one of the most widely recognized sculptures in the world - perhaps THE most recognized.

Even the reproduction is dramatic to view.

The detail is incredibly lifelike.  I look forward to my next visit to Florence when I hope to view the original on display at Galleria dell' Accademia.  There are various options to get in to see it including waiting in line, or buying advance tickets online for a particular time window, but a third option, buying "the Firenze Card," which enables the holder to avoid lines and long waits may be the best option.  It's pricey at 50 Euros ($70 USD), is good for three consecutive days of single visits, and can be used for access to approximately 60 museums around the city. In hindsight, I wish I hadn't been such a cheapskate. 

A view of the Piazza della Signoria.  The David reproduction stands at the right.

David is not alone in the Piazza.  Bartolomeo Ammannati sculpted the "Fountain of Neptune" (above) in the mid-1500's.

This rather startling bronze sculpture by Benvenuto Cellini in 1545 is "Perseus with the head of Medusa."

In the foreground is Hercules, David in the mid distance, Neptune beyond that, and the dome of the Cathedral visible between the buildings.

Florence has dozens of museums with priceless art on display.  The city has close to 400,000 residents and more than a million and a half when counting the metro area.  And millions of tourists annually. It is the largest city and capital of Tuscany. Florence is called the birthplace of the Renaissance.

It's an interesting juxtaposition of realities - while the Pilgrims in the New World were struggling to barely survive in my home of Plymouth, Massachusetts in the early 1600's, Florence was flourishing as the center of culture, art, and commerce in Europe. David had been completed more than a hundred years earlier.