Donatello's David was gilded. I bet you didn't know that! Yeah, well that's OK because no one did. No, really… Don't feel bad. My Art History teacher who has lived in Florence for the past 12 years didn't even know Donatello's David was gilded until we walked into the Bargello sculpture museum the other day. You see, the bronze statue is under restoration right now, and with works as famous as that they perform the restoration right in the museum so th...

This morning my morning class was canceled, so I ventured into Florence by myself for the first time. I exchanged a shirt I bought a few weeks ago using my Italian skills. I ended up with two turtle necks that fit me instead of one layered sweater thing that didn't. Afterward, I ventured to the Brancacci Chapel on the other side of the Arno to visit what is considered the very first Renaissance fresco painted by the artist known as Massaccio. He utilized line...

A higher level of etiquette exists at the Teatro del Maggio Musicale, where clapping occurs only when necessary, lasts for as long as deserved, and doesn't include standing ovations unless the ovation is truly earned. It is a place where silence is not only valued, but demanded, and where EVERYONE has the courtesy to abide by the rules.Only in this environment do the arts receive the respect and appreciation they deserve, and only in this setting do they flourish...

Il Duomo The stone steps materialize one after another ascending a spiraling stairwell or around a tight corner and through a small wooden door darkened with time.Although the narrow passages are lit well enough to watch one's step, the twenty first century bulbs cast ominous shadows.My mind wanders from the workers of the 1400's, to the tourists of today, to my own heaving breath.It is hard for me to visualize and comprehend the individuals who positioned each ...