Italy 2013: FLORENCE II

Day two in Florence was "David" day---as in, visiting the two famous Davids in the city by Michelangelo and Donatello. But first, we started out the day with some fruit and salami with bread that we picked up at a market the night before...as well as some little Nutella packs with crackers :)

Our first excursion was the Bargello, a prison turned museum that houses several works by Michelangelo, Ghiberti's Isaac's Sacrifice from the competition for the bronze Baptistry doors, and Donatello's David. 

Very similar to Submarine Dolphins!

 Joey's favorite: Vincenzo Gemito's Pescatore.

We did get to see Donatello's David, however since the Bargello asks patrons not to take photos, we followed the rules. 

And lets talk about this for a moment, shall we? Here's the deal people. If they say "no photo", don't take the photo. They have specific reasons for the rule, like preventing a build up of tourists (and thereby allowing more people to view the art) and reducing risks to the art like accidentally having the flash on which works against art preservation. You're not sneaky holding your camera at your waist or pretending to text on your iPhone. We can all see you--and hear your shutter click--and it makes you look like a jerk. Everybody else wants a picture of the David or Birth of Venus too; you're not the only one. And likewise you're not the exception to the rule. I feel like I'm a pretty compassionate and understanding person, but watching people try to sneak photos after they've explicitly been told not to makes me want to smack the camera out of their hands. I mean this is one rule that's not hard to follow. Enjoying art is not about glancing at a sculpture or painting for 15 seconds (but only if the artist is famous. If not then by all means, just mosey on along), snapping a poor photo, then moving on to the next one. Instead of sneaking a photo, try actually looking at the art. Think about it. Find a favorite part of it. Imagine what it was like for the artist to create it. Consider what it means to history, humanity, and you. I know I'm no saint, and I'm definitely no art critic, but I know how to behave in a museum.

So please, don't be a boob and just practice some reasonable museum etiquette---and put your dang camera away.

Phew! I've been wanting to get that off my chest for a while. So anyways, soap box over--lets get back to Florence....

 After the Bargello we set out to explore Florence and find some lunch.

 Oh yeah. That is the business.

And hey Mal! this is the same pizza place that made us the heart shaped pizzas!

After picking up our yummy pizza, we headed back to our hotel room for lunch and to take a little afternoon break from the heat. However I'd use the term break loosely, considering we had no air conditioning. But we did work on our telephoto skills with our gorgeous Florentine view!

Next we headed to the Accademia to see Michelangelo's David. Its interesting how different things seem the second time around. The David ended up being much smaller than I remembered it being--same thing happened with the Botticelli paintings at the Uffizi the next day. Regardless, it was still incredible, however we both agreed that we like Donatello's David more than Michelangelo's. 

 On our way back from the Accademia we stumbled upon an antique store and found one heck of a gem: vintage Gucci leather shoes.

 And they even fit Joey like a dream! Like a beautiful, hand crafted, Italian dream. Oh if only we had 300 euros lying around....

 Oh, my favorite. A pricey treat, but so worth it. And the candied orange peel? Game over. Amazing.

 These guys. A group of Hare Krishnas danced down our street and then sang in front of the Baptistry every afternoon.

 One of my favorite meals on our trip. Ya know, I wish I could remember what Joey's dish was called, but it was basically steak with mushrooms, arugula, and tomatoes, and I had the cuttlefish ink pasta with tomatoes and grilled squid in a saffron cream sauce. Holy moly it was so good. I've never had squid except in fried calamari form and I've always been a little timid to try it. But after this awesome dish, I have to say its now on my favorite seafood list. 

 A beautiful wedding dress boutique we found on our walk after dinner. Can I have an excuse to wear one of these babies please? Oh and the money to buy it too. Thanks.

We spent the rest of our night with a cup of gelato and some relaxing back at Piazza della Signoria....until our camera battery ran out. Which seemed like a pretty good cue for us to head home and get some rest for our next and final full day in Florence.

Can't get enough of that view!