David in front of the Duomo

Yesterday the city kicked off Florens 2010, one week of cultural events with Florence as the centerpiece. I was sorry to have missed the placing of the replica of David in front of the Duomo with a gru (crane) yesterday. I saw a photo of it suspended in air and thought how amazing that sight would have been. Instead, I waited until this morning after they laid real grass in Piazza di Giovanni around the Battistero before making my way to the Duomo.

Living in Florence :: David in front of the Duomo

I walked through the Piazza della Signoria to take a peek at David under the tower of the Palazzo Vecchio, and walked down a small side street to reach via Calimala. The city seemed more alive to me because of the large open mercato (market) in Piazza Repubblica. Saturdays are generally busy with people walking around, but Florence seemed even more animated than usual. I continued down via Roma through the crowds to reach Piazza di Giovanni.

I was happy to see the green grass in the piazza and couldn’t resist walking on it. I love the idea of having grass around the city’s remarkable monuments. I couldn’t help but smile when I saw a few of the small leafy trees in pots around the grass. It seemed like another city with a touch of nature brought into the city.

I walked up to the white replica of David, which seemed so stark against the Duomo, and took some photos. To see him in front of the Duomo, one of the locations where he was supposed to be placed, was quite interesting. I didn’t know that there were even discussions about where to place David since now that I see a replica of the statue in front of the Palazzo Vecchio, I can’t imagine him anywhere else.

This week of cultural events that Florens 2010 is exciting. I have the iPhone application to read up on all the events, and I am hoping to clear my schedule a little bit to attend a few of them. For people who believe that Florence is stuck in the Renaissance, this event is proof that the city is making headway into the future and are doing so in a big way.

To read more about the Florens 2010, check out the article published in The Florentine. If you miss it this year, it’s already been scheduled to take place every two years from now on. What a great initiative and a wonderful experience for all of us who live here!

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