Florence | Day 89 of my 2023 Journal

Mar 30, 2023

By Cecilie Conrad

When we arrived at Ponte Vecchio, I said out loud: I would love to live in Florence for a few months. Some cities just ooze with art in such an appealing way.

For now, we had just one day to spend.

The bridge is much more beautiful from a distance; crossing it is walking in mass tourism alongside shopping options. The anticipation of great art experiences and the love for my nieces on vacation saved the situation.  

We walked to see the bronze copy of the David statue and then to Strozzi palace to see some contemporary art. Weird art. Contemporary art can be amazing, but this exhibition was more unsettling, and most of it was “too much plan and not enough art,” as one of the children described it. Another said: “I just love the 18th century!”. Yet - it is always worth it to see some strange contemporary art. It makes you think.

On the way to the highlight: Michelangelo's David, we had gelato and coffee. Important stuff.

Visiting the David is garnished with masterpieces of Florentine art from the 15th and 16th centuries. We have seen a lot in this genre before, and it could have been a replay. It was not. This museum truly holds masterpiece after masterpiece. We moved slowly.

The David statue did impress. It truly is a masterpiece, and we enjoyed getting close, looking at veins and nails and posture and vibe. It is an icon for a reason, and we are very happy to have seen it now.

I have to mention also the Cathedral of Florence. Just as we have seen a lot of religious art, we have seen a lot of cathedrals before. This one stands out. It is overwhelmingly beautiful and original, with the colorwork of 3 colors of marble plus all of the gold. Simple and huge and complex and amazing.

To complete the day, we met the Hara Krishna of Florence and had a lovely let-go-of-everything dance in front of the cathedral; we listened to jazz music at another plaza and danced. Just before we left, a couple sang a duet - a beautiful day.

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