Michelangelo Day

Went early this morning to the Galleria dell'Accademia, the oft-crowded home of Michelangelo's David. According to the art historian Vasari, this work, "put in the shade every other statue, ancient or modern, Greek or Roman." Completed in 1504, it stood for centuries in front of the Palazzo Vecchio (Old Palace). More recently (1873) it was moved indoors.
The early hour (before 9:00 a.m.) on a Tuesday in early March resulted in a very short wait. The Galleria dell'Accademia's works include several treasures by Michelangelo and other artists, among them an Annunciation by Alessandro Allori. In this interesting version of an oft-painted story, Mary is surprised from her reading and sewing work, and turns with her hands raised toward the viewer.  (One can find these works online, with the understanding that no reproduced image approximates seeing the original, but rather gives a fair impression.)
By the time I exited the wait to enter was more than a few minutes.

After a delicious pizza margherita lunch at Gusta Pizza, I walked to the Cappelle Medicee (Medici Chapels), a part of the church of San Lorenzo, to view more works by Michelangelo and others completed at the behest of the Medici family. One can hardly find adequate superlatives to describe the art of Michelangelo. Especially dear in these chapels is a Madonna and Child over the tomb of Lorenzo (the Magnificent) Medici and his brother Giuliano.
As I've talked of art without showing it in this post, I'll finish here with a rather famous street corner in Florence. To the left you can see a replica of David in front of the Palazzo Vecchio, through the arches in the center can be seen a corner of the Uffizi, and on the right is the Loggia dei Lanzi with its sculptures. The area in front is the Piazza della Signoria.  

Ciao