Visit Accademia Gallery Florence to admire 50 ‘shades’ of David

The very famous statue of David which I’ve known for a long time, ever since I was a little boy rummaging through everything on my grandfather’s bookshelf. Old books tell the stories of geniuses from all diffirent walks of life and the genius sculptor Michelangelo along with his masterpieces are always the most standout topics. His most famous work, the sculpture of David is one of the most representative works of the Renaissance, always intrigued art lovers like me and admired. I myself do not think that there will be a day when I will be able to stand by and admire this masterpiece in this romantic city of Florence, also the birthplace of the Renaissance. To admiring one of the Michelangelo’s sculptural masterpieces in the Renaissance Period, you have to go to accademia gallery florence (David Galleria Dell Accademia, Galleria Dell Accademia Firenze, Galleria Dell Accademia Florence). This article will help you clear the way to visit.

Accademia Gallery Florence review: Where to buy tickets to meet David?

There are many versions of the Statue of David in Florence, but the original version is placed in the Galleria Dell Accademia Florence (David Galleria Dell Accademia, Galleria Dell Accademia Firenze) and requires a ticket to access. In addition, you can admire other versions of the statue such as at Signoria Square right near the legendary Ponte Vecchio bridge, although it does not bring much emotion and exquisite carvings like the real statue, but it is still worth a visit, suitable for those who do not want to enter the museum and have little time to visit. There is also a statue of Hercules standing next to David at this square.

Although I was warned in advance that queueing to visit museums and attractions in Europe will be very long, I ignored it without buying a ticket in advance. So that afternoon, it took up to 1.5 hours to wait behind a long line of tourists like me at the outside of Galleria dell’Accademia museum before to get inside. To buy tickets online you can book through this link, it will cost a few euros more than buying tickets directly (the direct price is EUR 15 and EUR 1.5 fee for the skip-the-line ticket) or you can buy this ticket via Klook with a guide tour. Once booked, they will email an E-ticket into your mailbox and on the visit day, you will be placed in a different line than those who purchased tickets in person, so you don’t have to wait long to enter the museum. I highly recommend you to buy this skip-the-line ticket to save time.

Address: Via Ricasoli, 58/60, 50129 Firenze FI, Italy
Hours: 9AM–6:15PM/Monday: Closed
Phone: +39 055 098 7100
Founder: Leopold II, Holy Roman Emperor
Founded: 1784

Admire the world’s greatest sculpture of David

Although the Galleria Dell Accademia Florence has also many other valuable sculptures and paintings, the main purpose of visitors is still admire the statue of David. Michelangelo created this famous masterpiece in 2 years when he was only 26 years old between 1501 and 1504, from a large marble block. The statue is more than 5m high depicting the hero David, a tiny guy against the giant Goliath, standing proudly but without “wearing” anything, in his hand are small pebbles and slung over his shoulder a slingshot.

It is true that you have to go inside the museum and firsthand witness the statue of David with your own eyes to truly feel the masterpiece, the realism and vibrancy of this sculpture. Although I’m not a very knowledgeable about the art of sculpture, but witnessing David in a “nude” posture, looking at his eyes, facial expressions, and every tendon line in his arms and legs as well as the blood vessels were extremely finely sculpted, I could still feel some of David’s charisma.

A nude but not vulgar statue, David’s eyes looking far away, his forehead wrinkles as if he was thinking about something, but he was not worried but feels very light and comfortable. He has a tall, muscular build and a penis is “a bit small” for his body, it seems that the sculptor – The master Michelangelo didn’t pay attention about that much, or he didn’t want people to be attracted into it. The more I watch and learn, the more I admire Michelangelo and appreciate those who have very well-preserved the statue to this day, through hundreds of years and many events.

The portrait of David, from a distance and looking closely at every detail on the statue’s body:

 

Other interesting things at Gallery Academy Florence (Accademia Gallery Florence)

The statue of David is placed at a prominent position and in the largest area on the first floor of the Galleria Dell Accademia Florence museum, under the circular dome that captures the sunlight above. It is difficult to get a satisfactory souvenir photo because there were a lot of tourists come to visit and everyone wants to take a photo standing next to David. Admiring the statue for a while, I wandered through other areas of the museum, although not as famous as David, but the other works also have their own stories, which perhaps you need to learn a bit to gain knowledge to have a better experience.

Such as:

The statue “Rape of the Sabine Women”: Sculpted around a spiral with the highlight where the hands are clasped together, a lot of emotions are emanating from those hands, based on the story of the Roman emperor Romulus abducts women from the neighboring city to marry the men of Rome.

The work “The Rape of Polyxena” is based on the story of the Trojan War: Achilles walks on Hector’s body and is holding Polyxena, while Polyxena’s mother is begging Achilles. There are also many other works such as Venus, Juno, L’Arnina (Nymph of the Arno), or on the 2nd floor of the museum displays mainly works of Christ crucified.

The time I visited the museum was about 1 hour, it is enough because I spent 1 hour to queue, so if you plan to visit Accademia, spending 2-3 hours is Okay, or if you book tickets online in advance, it doesn’t take that long time. Although the ticket price seems quite high (15 Euros, equal to the ticket to the Colosseum in Rome), but it is really worth it, just to admire David with your own eyes, the ticket is also very good value for money. It’s a true that Florence famed as one of the most romantic and artistic cities in Europe.

Some best day tours, trips, activities and transfer services, tickets in, from and to Florence you can refer to

• Duomo Monumental Complex Direct Access Ticket in Florence with Guided Visit
• Florence Duomo, Baptistery, and Museum Tour
• Small Guided Tour with Fast Track Entry to Duomo and the Secret Terraces
• Florence Duomo Skip-the-Line Tour with Balcony & Dome Access
• Uffizi Gallery Guided Tour with Fast Track Entry
• Accademia Gallery Skip-the-Line Ticket in Florence
• Val d’Orcia Tour from Florence
• Pisa Half Day Tour from Florence
• Florence Bike Tour with Food Tasting Experience
• Florence City Sightseeing Hop-On Hop-Off Tour (Open Top) and Leonardo da Vinci Museum Skip-the-Line Ticket
• Tuscany Day Tour with Lunch and Wine Tasting from Florence
• Rome to Florence Day Tour
• Chianti Afternoon Tour from Florence
• Excursion to Pisa through the Tuscan Countryside from Florence
• Florence Dome Tour with Skip-the-Line Ticket + Free Souvenir Old Polaroid Photo
• Florence Accademia Gallery Skip-the-Line Ticket with Tour

Are you looking for more top things to do in Florence: Tours, activities, attractions and other things? Let’s check it out here. And Italy guide here.