Artsy fartsy in Florence!

Today, I did a historical tour of Florence. We started off at the museum where Michelangelo’s statue of David is housed. For those who may not know, this is David of the biblical David and Goliath fame. He later became king David! He carved it between 1401 and 1404!

We toured around and learned about the history of the city.

The duomo again. Although the church is extremely old, it started out looking very plain, just stone. Construction began in 1296!! It underwent a renovation in the 1600s to make it look as it does today. Very impressive ( I think it is funny to say a renovation in the 1600s!). For 150 years, they had built the church and although the plans included a dome, it took them 150 years to figure out how to do it.

Some more sights from the morning:

Look at the crowds!

Artwork from the 1200s!

After a lunch of calzioni, we went to visit the Uffizi Gallery. This had been the personal collection of the Medici family who ruled Florence during the Renaissance. I saw works from Leonardo da Vinci, Botticelli and many others.

Botticelli’s “Venus” and...