David! And The Baptistery of San Giovanni (St. John)

Day 9. Since we had an extra 90 minutes before our shuttle arrived to take us to the train station, Lori and Gayle headed out to see The Baptistery of San Giovanni. At the last minute, we decided to see if there were any last-minute tickets to the Galleria dell’Accademia, and we were in luck! We were able to jump in with a prepaid tour group! We stayed with them for about five minutes, then split off on our own in search of The David! We were so happy we were able to see this masterpiece!!

The statue of David is a symbol of the City of Florence, and is Michelangelo's most famous work of sculpture.

Michelangelo, started working on David in 1501 and completed him in 1504. 17 feet tall and made of marble, it is a statue of the shepherd, David, who fought and beat Goliath by knocking him down with a small stone from his slingshot. David later became King of Israel. The statue was commissioned as a sculpture that would be placed on the Duomo, but when it was unveiled, it was deemed too much of a masterpiece to put high up on the dome.

Once we'd seen David, we headed back to our original destination, The Bapistery, which is one of the most ancient churches in Florence (rebuilt from an older baptistery dating to the 4th or 5th century AD), and sits opposite the Duomo.

We actually got a bird's eye view of the Bapistery when we were on top of the Duomo yesterday, and we had already seen the stunning panels on the East Door, which Michelangelo called the Gates of Paradise.

The Gates are praised for their portrayal of scenes from the Old Testament, and for the first mastery of perspective using bronze. Over time, the seventeen-foot-tall, three-ton bronze doors, crafted by Florentine artist Ghiberti, have become an icon of the Renaissance, and one one of the most famous works of art in the world.

The interior of the Baptistery contains stunning gold mosaics that cover the dome. Work began on the mosaic decoration in the 13th century, and was created by Tuscan mosaicists.

It was definitely a whirlwind 90 minutes, but a wonderful way to spend our last hour in Florence!!

Transfers: From Hotel to Florence Train Station, by I Need Tours