June 20: Day 2 Florence. Today we went to the Accademia which is the galleria in Florence that houses The David by Michelangelo Buonarroti, who at twenty-six was com missioned to carve a large-scale work. Michelangelo said that he didn't carve sculptures out of marble, he just released them. When he say a piece of granite, wood, ect., he knew what was waiting inside. The piece of marble used for The David had been a discarded piece. The subject of The David is the boy David from the biblical story of David and Goliath. He chose to carve a man that was not triumphant and cocky, but the intellectual and poised, thoughtful, innocent boy who had just defeated a mammoth giant. The David was originally meant to stand on the roof of the Duomo, but placed in the entrance to the Town Hall. To protect this great work of art, the statue was moved to its current location in the 19th century and a replica stands now in its place. We were only able to get a picture of the replica because photographs are not allowed in the museum. Michelangelo believed that sculpture was a tool of God and would work tirelessly through the nights. This is indeed a marvel to behold. I could stand here all day and look at the veins in his hands, the muscles in his legs, the relaxed look of his pose. I am in heaven.