Oh, David
It was an early Venice departure. We enjoyed one last magical ride through the canals before getting on the bus for Florence. Dropped luggage off at the hotel and lunch was on our own before meeting Patricia and the group again. Another Bucket List item was about to be checked off – seeing Michelangelo’s David at the Galleria dell Accademia. It’s interesting how you come upon David. You round a corner and there at the end of the hall is one of the most glorious pieces of art the world has ever known. David. Emotion overcame me as I walked toward him. Stunningly beautiful. I had only seen pictures of David which now I realized did not do him justice. I stood in front of him studying every inch of him. His eyes. Hair. Nose. Veins in his neck. Feet. Toes. The bones of his hands and fingers. The muscles of his limbs. I walked around and around him taking pictures from every angle. I didn’t want to leave. Bucket List Check, Check. Later that night a couple tour mates asked if I was able to get enough pictures of David.
It was an early Venice departure. We enjoyed one last magical ride through the canals before getting on the bus for Florence. Dropped luggage off at the hotel and lunch was on our own before meeting Patricia and the group again. Another Bucket List item was about to be checked off – seeing Michelangelo’s David at the Galleria dell Accademia. It’s interesting how you come upon David. You round a corner and there at the end of the hall is one of the most glorious pieces of art the world has ever known. David. Emotion overcame me as I walked toward him. Stunningly beautiful. I had only seen pictures of David which now I realized did not do him justice. I stood in front of him studying every inch of him. His eyes. Hair. Nose. Veins in his neck. Feet. Toes. The bones of his hands and fingers. The muscles of his limbs. I walked around and around him taking pictures from every angle. I didn’t want to leave. Bucket List Check, Check. Later that night a couple tour mates asked if I was able to get enough pictures of David.
Early the next morning we headed to the Uffizi Art Museum for a tour with the top-notch local art guide Ricardo. Since we got there so early, the corridors were empty which allowed the sun to stream through the windows casting shadows on the floor. He shared his passion of Italian artists –Michelangelo, Botticelli, Raffaello and Leonardo da Vinci with us as we moved throughout the building. Ricardo brought the philosophy behind the paintings and pointed out the evolution of paintings. There was a move from tempura to oil paint. Changing art forever was the concept of perspective during the Renaissance.
Later that afternoon Liz and I walked to the San Lozenzo markets –one indoor and the other outdoor. Mercato Centrale is an indoor 2-story food court. Outside you’ll find hundreds of stalls lining the streets selling everything from leather products to clothing to any type of Italian souvenir/trinket imaginable. We enjoyed walking through Mercato Centrale admiring all the high quality, real good-for-you food and drink. We stopped to have a coffee break and I enjoyed my first true Italian cannoli. In the States I've never found a cannoli I've liked, so I wasn't really expecting much. Since I was in the homeland of cannoli, I might as well try one. And it was MMM MMM good!
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After the sunset Liz and I headed to the rooftop terrace for a farewell to Florence dinner. It turned out to be an impromptu Girls Night when several of the other ladies on the tour joined us. We pushed our tables together and had quite a lovely time laughing and joking. Again, we stayed on the terrace until the stars and sliver of the moon appeared. The church bells started ringing and ringing. Another wonderful Italian kind of day.