Firenze

Michelangelo’s David. How do I even begin to describe the moment I saw it? It is so much bigger than I imagined. David’s foot is probably bigger than my head and neck. The Galleria dell’ Academia built a special room just to house it. It is like this: you turn a corner and on either side of you are Michelangelo’s unfinished sculptures from the Medici tomb, and looking down the hall you see David, standing there. So you walk past forms just beginning to come out of the marble and by the time you reach David you understand what Michelangelo meant when he said that the sculpture is always inside the marble, it is the soul of it. It was amazing. And overwhelming really, to see such a work, one of pure genius, reaching a height of beauty and artistic achievement that I really cannot comprehend. To have seen what is maybe the most famous sculpture in the world…I feel so lucky.

Afterwards Becca, Kristyn, Elissa and I explored Florence. We saw the Duomo. Like with David, you turn a corner and there it is, this impressive, ornate building staring down at you. That is how I have found a lot of Italy, you turn a corner and stumble upon a masterpiece.

Florence is such a beautiful city. The streets are wide, and like in Siena pedestrians simply ignore cars and keep walking. The Arno tells you where you are, and if you do get lost just look up and you will see the top of the Duomo and find your way. We shopped in the market, and in a huge H&M. Everything is Italy is so colorful, from the flowers and fruit and pasta in the market, to the buildings and people on the street. And of course the gelato. Everywhere, no matter what time of day there is gelato.