F L O R E N C E
*Viewer discretion is advised. Florence is the city of a thousand marble wieners.*
We were welcomed to the city of Florence by the charming warthog to your right and many other men and women of the past.
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Uffizzi Favorites & Academia
The Birth of Venus, Boticelli 1486
Fun Fact: Medici's bride was actually already dead when this portrait was painted. Before she passed, she used horse urine to dye her hair blonde. My question was, "Who was the first person to collect a bucket of horse urine and go, "Hmm, I wonder.." our guide explained that people observed how the urine turned certain flowers different colors because of the high ammonia content. The more you know!
Me too, girl.
Gelatos number 11& 12 were consumed on our own little venture before meeting up to return to Tuscany by bus. However, our amazing guide Stephanie's favorite gelato shop in Florence was on our way out and she ever so kindly offered to treat our entire group to gelato about 10 minutes after we devoured the gelato you see to the right....who could say no to numbers 13 & 14?!
In the hall of the Academia Museum, lining the walkway as you approach The David are what seem to be works in progress. As our guide explained to us, Michelangelo decided to leave these unfinished sculptures to intentionally represent the very human struggle to be free from material constructs. We absolutely loved these statues.
"The struggle of man to free spirit from matter..."
And so, after way too much gelato and some serious introspection upon learning that Michaelangelo sculpted The David at the ripe age of 27 (Darby's age at the time we visited...) we left Florence with a greater appreciation for sculpture & art, and a deep conviction that gelato is in every way, better than ice cream.
