Being in Florence

I recently returned from a trip to Florence, Italy. Dare I call it a pilgrimage?

There is so much to see and take in that I knew beforehand that I would have to pick and choose where I would spend my limited days. A week is not long to be there but I did get to see quite a lot in that time. A year there, absorbing and studying, would be better.

My first day, I walked a few blocks from where we were staying to buy a Firenze card. The card is a handy instrument which allows several days of museum hopping without waiting in the typically long lines at the most popular sites.

Every little street in Florence was scenic and seemed steeped in centuries of cultural richness. It was difficult to wrap my head around it all and it felt disorienting to be walking in a place with such a history. At Palazzo Vecchio I strolled past the many sculptures, including the copy of Michelangelo's colossal David (or maybe I tiptoed) and purchased my card in the building that is Florence's town hall. I then walked around the corner to the Uffizi. Michelangelo's work is everywhere in his home town, along with centuries of collected art treasures.

Next day, I ventured to the Academy (Galleria dell'Accademia) to see Michelangelo's David and other works there. Walking through the long hall with Michelangelo's unfinished slaves and pieta, and then seeing the David at the end is a very powerful experience. Yes, moving.

I sat and sketched the masterpiece a couple of times before venturing on to the rest of the museum. This head study is the first drawing. He was a very good model and held quite still.

“David, Head Study”
(after Michelangelo)
Charcoal and chalk on Canson 9"x12"
©2013 Diana Moses Botkin