Culture in the Morning, Leather in the Afternoon

Saturday, October 10, 2009

David is HUGE. I’ve heard that, after having been bombarded with replications of the Mona Lisa all their lives, tourists viewing the original masterpiece are most surprised by its size. I never knew the same was true for Michelangelo’s David.

Early this morning, Sarah and I hopped on a bus to Florence with the intention of filling our minds with culture before emptying our wallets for leather goods. We arrived at the station and made our way through the street vendors (trying not to be lured by their leather jackets, pretty jewelry, and cute clothes) in the direction of the gigantic dome so symbolic of the duomo. Having read an entire book on the construction of “Brunelleschi’s dome,” this particular stop was my special request. Though the dome itself was under construction and I was unable to walk directly underneath it, I now understand why it is still considered such a remarkable achievement. Even an architectural know-nothing such as myself can appreciate the genius required to construct such a dome without modern technology.

After the the Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore, we headed in the direction of San Lorenzo (again, per my request). In sophomore year I studied the church that Brunelleschi began and that Michelangelo contributed to. Though the church itself was surprisingly simple, the altar was incredibly ornate and the New Chapel was beautiful.


To complete our culturally-infused morning, we walked in the direction of the Accademia, the home of David. Having been tipped off to make a reservation beforehand, we paid a small fee that allowed us to forgo several hours in line and a massive security point traffic jam. And while the fact that there is no discount for students made the outrageous price more infuriating; I absolutely believe that the cost is worth it. David is massive: ten times larger than I had imagined and its size only adds to the force with which it commands your attention. Usually one who finds the small, off-to-the side pieces of art more interesting than the featured, famous ones, I found myself continuously drawn back to David. It was brilliant.

Having been successfully immersed in Florentine history, we now allowed ourselves to take a look at the merchants we had been eyeing all morning. The mission was to find real leather boots but we soon learned that the vendors sell only purses and jackets, and the stores charge well above our price range. This wasn’t really a problem because we were surrounded by hundreds of other pretty things for sale and I finally decided on a red leather handbag that I love. Wednesday I go boot shopping at the Sienese market.

Above: Graffiti on the bathroom stall in the Academia.