What do people immediately think of when Florence is mentioned… THE DAVID! So it’s no surprise that going to see Michelangelo’s famous sculpture would be a highlight of the trip for the kids….But, in my wildest dreams, (since I’ve seen it before) I never thought it would turn out to be MY highlight! AMAZING!!!!

The David, a statue of the biblical hero completed by Michelangelo between 1501 and 1504 is one of the two symbols of Florence… the other is The Lily. Michelangelo started his work on The David at the age of 26 and it took 3 years to perfect. Originally it was commissioned by the church to be placed on top of the Duomo, but was too “perfect” to be perched so high, so it was placed in the square in front of the political palace and became a symbol of the rebellion coming against the church (thus a naked man on display in a public place). A plaster replica remains in the square today, but the original has been moved inside the Accademia Gallery for preservation. David is depicted to be in his 20s and his head is big because it was the time in history (Renaissance Era) when free thinking was promoted …and it was finally acknowledged that people were intelligent enough to make their own decisions without the church dictating all their decisions… even down to the color or style of their clothes. David’s hands are BIG because he will use them to kill the giant. His left hand was broken off during the rebellion but was quickly restored.

As we stared intently at this priceless piece of art…I heard someone say “there’s Nicole Kidman”. My heart fluttered because I immediately thought… maybe “my man” Keith Urban would be with her. As I turned around and stumbled a few feet thru the crowd to get a closer look, there he was… in the flesh. I no longer cared to stare at the world famous statue, as I couldn’t take my eyes off the living piece of art and talent in front of me. This was the best day of my trip🥰

Our flat was on the top floor (luckily there WAS an elevator) of an OLD building with a small patio that stared straight at the Duomo… one of my favorite landmarks in Florence. After a day of admiring this remarkable city, we could stop for fresh fruit and local wine before heading upstairs to enjoy the golden sunsets and excellent from our patio. Great location for an Air B& B.

One day, Travis and Charissa set out on their own to explore the Uffizi Museum… full of famous works of art by Botticelli and Leonardo Da Vinci. Since the gallery is on the top floor of the original municipal building, they had to walk up 5 flights of stairs and I question if my “bad” knee would have made it. Charissa said her favorite part of the museum was that each room’s ceiling is painted in a different motif …and since the gallery has a U-shape floor plan, each room has a different view of the city. Travis, who’s less of a museum fan, said it was very impressive and was glad he went. I had been to the Uffizi on previous trips, so I didn’t feel cheated.

Allie, my “outdoors” child had no interest in a museum, and to save my knee, we settled on a pedicab trip of the city that day. Allie immediately made friends with Lorenzo, a native of Florence who became our “information center” and entertainment for the day. As we rode thru the city with him ringing his bell and shouting “beep beep”, we maneuvered thru the busy streets filled with tourists, at an almost scary high rate of speed, from one famous building or landmark to the next, laughing and learning more than we ever expected about the history and little known details of this great city. One fact I learned was that Da Vinci was not Leonardo’s legal last name… he was actually from a very wealthy family, di ser Piero. And, since he didn’t want anyone to give him special favors due to his inherited wealth, he adopted the surname “da Vinci” which means “of Vinci”, which was the small town a few miles out of Florence where he grew up.

Another highlight while visiting this vibrant city was when Charissa arranged for us to go to a local chef’s home one evening and learn to make fresh pasta…. tiagletelle (thickness of one pinkie) vs fettuccini (which is two pinkies). Halfway thru the lesson, the entire building went black and we spent the rest of the evening cooking and eating by candlelight. Actually very Italian and romantic. Allie loved on the dog Figaro most of the evening and we all thoroughly enjoyed visiting with the chef’s 5 year old (who looked exactly like Dalton Sweigart… precious with curly hair). One of the greatest assets of traveling is getting to know the locals and their culture… and in this case, their pasta! Yummy!

Next stop… Venice!