Have you met David Florence?

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One of the most famous sculptures in the world has to be the statue of David which can be found in the Accademia in Florence, Italy. It was created by one of the most famous people in the world of art. Michelangelo. It was created between 1501 and 1504 out of a single piece of marble. The original idea was that it was supposed to be raised onto the top of the Duomo in a series of 12 sculptures from the old testament. It weights over 6 tons. This piece of marble had been sitting around for 10 years. The original sculptor, Agostino, started chipping away but cracks appeared and he felt the piece to be of inferior quality marble so he abandoned it. Michelangelo created this master piece which goes to prove one mans trash is another mans treasure! It was never raised to the roof of the Duomo but was positioned at the entrance to the Palazzo Vecchio but in 1873 it was found to be suffering damage due to the elements so was placed in the Accademia where it has stayed on display. A replica is now standing outside the palace where it was originally placed. In 1991 a mad man visited the Accademia, took out a hammer and hit the statue breaking off one of the toes. He was wrestled to the ground by visitors until he was arrested by the police. Today the statue is surrounded by a glass partition which enables people to view the statue at a safe distance. A replica statue was presented to Queen Victoria but to hide its modesty a fig leaf was placed in situ so as not to upset the Queen. The statue is not only made from imperfect marble but some of the body parts are out of proportion. For example his right hand is much larger. Michelangelo did this on purpose because originally if the statue was being viewed from the ground it would have looked perfect. Where he should have been placed on top of the Duomo he would have been glaring towards Rome. There is currently a court case going on to determine whether this most famous sculpture belongs to the city of Florence or that it is owned by the state. I must say when I turned into the room where the statue is right at the end of the hall I got a feeling of awe. I am thrilled I have seen it with my own eyes. This certainly is one of the worlds most famous masterpieces. If you have not pre booked a tour or pre purchased your ticket for the Accademia expect to queue for up to four hours to get in to view this statue.We had booked a walking tour which started at 08:45 and we were one of the first people inside the gallery. I think it is a must visit if you are visiting the art capital of the world.