Michelangelo - Living The Q Life Travel Adventures

There is more to the Accademia Gallery in Florence than just Michelangelo’s David. Florence was the center of the art world for hundreds of years and still contains incredible paintings and statues to be admired. In addition to the statue of David, there are many other statues by Michelangelo as well as other famous artists. Beautiful and sometimes haunting paintings can be found by Botticelli, Ghirlandaio, and many more. Much of the artwork was commissioned by the Medici family and then later donated by one of the last members of the Medici family so that they could be displayed for the pleasure of everyone to view.

With seven different halls to wander and enjoy the incredible artwork, you should give yourself at least four hours when visiting the museum. You don’t have to be an art critic to appreciate the wonderful pieces that can be found in the various halls within the gallery. Clearly, most of the artwork is religious in theme, but there are plenty of others that are historical or mythological in nature. Obviously, the statue of David is the main draw and you will likely find lots of crowds surrounding the famous statue. In addition to the Accademia Gallery, the Uffizi Gallery should also be visited to see some of the most famous Renaissance’s masterpieces.

Florence is such a beautiful city with so much history and art that can be found around almost every corner. The Accademia Gallery is certainly a museum that should not be missed when visiting the Tuscan city. With so many wonderful sights to see, Florence cannot be seen in just a couple of days, but really takes a full week to enjoy everything that it has to offer.

When visiting Rome, one of the places that everyone should take the time to see is the Vatican City. We highly recommend getting a tour guide when seeing Vatican City as there is so much to see and learn. We only had about five hours during our visit, which was barely enough time to see the main sights. Our tour started with the Vatican Museums, followed by the Sistine Chapel, and then St. Peter’s Basilica and St. Peter’s Square.

From the Front of the Basilica, You Can’t See the Dome

The Vatican Museums are a collection of galleries and contain a wealth of artwork, too much to see in a single visit. Just like visiting a museum like the Louvre in Paris, you have to choose what is important to you and make your way to those exhibits. We focused on the many famous statues and will have to find time to return at another time to see all of the famous paintings contained within the complex. Of course, no visit to the museums is complete without going to the Sistine Chapel, which concludes the tour of the museums. We were fortunate to be able to spend as much time as we liked in the Sistine Chapel as most of the time people are limited to just fifteen minutes to absorb the beauty of the artwork on the ceiling as well as the walls. Obviously we don’t have any photos from within the chapel as photography is not allowed, but seeing the paintings of Michelangelo was definitely a highlight of our time in Vatican City.

Saint Peter’s Basilica is an overwhelming sight to see. Equally amazing is that all of what appear to be paintings are actually tile mosaics. The detail and beauty of each piece is exquisite. Walking through the basilica and gazing at the statues, which are all uniform in proportion and size, is an awe inspiring experience. Leaving the basilica, you enter Saint Peter’s Square and take in the beauty of its design. If you stand at just the right spot, each series of columns combine as if they were each just one column.

We were grateful to have the opportunity to visit Vatican City while we were in Rome. The history, architecture, and artwork make this one of the most special places in the world to see.

Living The Q Life Travel Adventures

Tag: Michelangelo

Galleria dell’Accademia in Florence, Italy

Visiting Vatican City