Firenze (Florence)

Today, we had a half day off from geology to explore Florence. Since today is Palm Sunday, a group of us went to the Duomo di Firenze for mass. Last night we stayed in a hostel very close to the Piazza del Duomo, so it only took us about 5 minutes to get to mass at 7:30 am. Yes, it was in Italian, but, oh, what an experience. One of the priests there chatted with us before we left, and as it turns out, he has been to New Hampshire! He was super sweet and really made us feel welcome.

After mass, we went to the Museo dell'Accademia, which is where Michelangelo's David is on display. In my mind, I had imagined that the sculpture would be life-size, so when we walked in, I was completely in awe at its size. The full sculpture is probably around 20 feet tall and extremely detailed. You could see the veins in his arms and neck, and pick out each toenail.

The artwork of the Duomo di Firenze.

Michelangelo's The David.

While walking down the streets of Florence, I couldn't stop thinking about how old this city is. People hundreds of years ago walked down these same streets that I walk down today. The old city has not changed much as far as layout and the vibe of medieval architecture still prevails. What struck me the most about this city was that it is still functional. In the United States, we tend to want to preserve or restrict access the areas we deem valuable and/or perishable. Meanwhile in Florence, the structures are ornate yet so structurally sound that they have lasted hundreds of years, and people have access to them all of the time. Florence itself is an open museum, celebrating the talents of its citizens throughout its history.

A fountain in downtown Florence.

Along the street, actors dressed as sculptures. Their resemblances were uncanny.

My obligatory "gelato and the Duomo" photo.