As I was skyping my mom, discussing my weekend trips, she said, “That’s great, but make sure to take advantage of Florence while you’re there.”
And then it hit me – I was so preoccupied with seeing all of Europe that I had been neglecting my homegirl, Florence. Granted, I wanted to hit all the vacation spots in Italy while its still warm, like Cinque Terre, Amalfi Coast and Venice, along with Oktoberfest in Munich and Ultra in Ibiza, but that is still no excuse.
So, my apologies, dearest Firenze, but now it is time to explore!
First stop – the Accademia, home to The David. Since stepping foot in Florence I have envisaged the large, marble hunk of man standing in front of me, and now it was time to say ‘hello’ to Michelangelo’s renowned sculpture.
Wow. No other words to describe my emotions upon laying eyes on this 14-foot naked man. He really is as amazing as you would expect – the epitome of perfection, courage and the ultimate underdog.
Moreover, I was fascinated to learn the story behind the David. In the way Michelangelo carved the marble by hand to depict David’s composure and confidence moments before battling the terrifying and powerful Goliath. The David was definitely the highlight of this museum, but I also enjoyed the contemporary section with Andy Warhol’s take on “The Last Supper” and Marcel Duchamp’ addition of a stache to Mona Lisa’s face.
The next day, I ventured over to the Uffizi to explore the art of the Italian Renaissance at its finest. As I strolled through the enormous museum, accompanied by Rick Steve’s audio tour, I couldn’t believe the beauty of these masterpieces. Fastidious detail, biblical symbolism and harmonious ties between individual and nature – the works of da Vinci and Botticelli right before my eyes. I could hardly believe it.
After spending hours adoring these classics, feeling all worldly and cultural, I decided to explore a bit of pop culture at the Marilyn Monroe exhibit at the Ferragamo museum. As a huge fan of the blonde bombshell, I loved learning more about Marilyn’s life through photographs, costumes and diary entries from the late star herself!
I had a truly amazing weekend visiting all of these sites and I can’t wait to explore Firenze even more! After a month of living here, it is finally hitting me that this semester does, in fact, have an expiration date. That being said, I want to soak in all that this amazing city has to offer.