In Firenze , we saw churches, oh so many churches. We walked through marketplaces where we all bought masses of t-shirts and famous Italian leather goods, ate a wonderful seven course meal at Leo's Ristorante and we viewed wonderful art, like Bottecelli's Springtime and The Birth of Venus, (that most of us only get to see in books) at the famous Galleria degli Uffizi. Of course, I waited until the last possible moment to go into the museum, trying to avoid the crowds, and ended up having to run through each room only stopping momentarily in front of those like Bottecelli's to gasp in wonder before having to fly onto the next! And it was also in F;orence, that I saw in person the beautiful statute of David. Words are inadequate in describing the joy at seeing this great work of art in real life. David stands at the end of a long hallway filled with other unfinished works that were like "sketches" for the real sculptures and I refused to look ahead, waiting to get the full effect when I entered the rotounda. When I finally worked my way to the end of the hall and looked up, my breath caught in my throat and tears immediately welled up in my eyes! Seeing a work of art such as David in a thousand pictures does not begin to do it justice. There is no way to capture the sight of this 30 foot wonder in a mere photograph. I can only hope that someday everyone who loves art as I do has the opportunity to view David in person.

Onward ho to Deruta or back to my Homepage .