The David

Michelangelo's David, the best known and most admired man in Florence

The colossal statue, sculpted by a young Michelangelo Buonarroti in 1504, depicts David preparing to strike Goliath with a slingshot. It refers to a young and independent Florentine Republic opposing the tyrannical power of the seigniory

Michelangelo's statue is 517 cm high, a true giant, and is housed in the Accademia Gallery.
The subject has been reproduced by many artists - Donatello's David and Verrocchio's David, both in the Bargello Museum, are among the most famous - yet this David, so different and full of personality, can also be found elsewhere in the city. Did you think you saw it outside the museum? True, there are some copies that are admired perhaps more than the original because of their location.

The most popular is the copy placed on the front of Palazzo Vecchio in Piazza della Signoria, which is where the original was until 1872, when it was moved to the Accademia. Shall we remember the author? His name was Luigi Arrighetti, let us honour him.

Another copy that literally dominates the city is the one in Piazzale Michelangelo, a bronze statue of the famous young man at whose feet we find four bronze copies of the Allegories of the Medici Chapels in San Lorenzo.

And how many Davids are there in the city! Countless in the form of statuettes sold at every souvenir stall, while the mighty physique is reproduced on magnets, T-shirts, aprons and other objects with a slightly kitsch taste. but so be it, that is the price of celebrity.