David and Duomo and More!

Took a little guided tour today to see Michelangelo’s very famous statue, and a limited access tour of The Duomo.

The statue does not disappoint, at 17 feet high and weighing 37,000 tons! Somehow I didn’t know until today that this is David of David and Goliath biblical fame. The tour guide was good and made the whole experience more worthwhile. We also saw other sculptures and artwork in this museum, the Accademia Gallery.

Then on to Florence’s most famous landmark, The Duomo. I had read a fascinating book about its construction and was excited to go. The inside of the cathedral is so huge and so impressive. I’ve never seen the Sistine Chapel, but I have to imagine the painting inside this dome rivals that famous ceiling.

I climbed the 150 stairs to the top of the cathedral level, but then passed on the chance to climb another 300 stairs to get to the top of the Duomo. My concern was that my knees would really be killing me after the descent. But even from where I was, the views of the city were excellent.

Sunset found me with a beautiful view of the Ponte Vecchia (old bridge). And it really is old, too, having been built in the 14th century. The shops along the sides of the bridge were originally a market with produce and butcher shops. But apparently the Medici’s found these to be too smelly, so replaced those with the gold shops that are still there today. There are probably 100 such gold shops! Pricey but pretty!!