May 20–We began our day with guided tour of the Accademia, where we saw Michaelangelo’s The Prisoners, a series of “unfinished” sculptures for the tomb of Pope Julian, as well as his masterpiece, David. Our local guide, Sasha, did a great job of engaging us to think critically about this most famous sculpture. Following the tour, we had free time, which included shopping, dining al fresco, and, of course, eating gelato. We rendezvoused back at the hotel for a 5:15pm departure for our rehearsal and concert at Chiesa di Santa Margherita in Santa Maria dei Ricci. The church was built in 1508 and had amazing acoustics, which made singing there a true pleasure. The concert was well attended from with people from all over the world. After the concert, we celebrated our successful concert over dinner together at a local restaurant.
In addition to the original statue of David by Michelangelo in museum of Accademia, in Florence there are two other copies of this famous work of sculpture, one is in Piazza della Signoria and the other is located at Piazzale Michelangelo.
The Accademia is one of the most visited museums in Italy, its main attraction is the original copy of Michelangelo’s David.