Look at that face full of determination and fear.
Upon arriving in Firenza, even before we deposited our suitcases at the Grande Hotel Mediterrean (which Ricardo warned us as "basic" but was very adequate) we went to the Acadamia to see the famed "David". The Academia is a very famous museum that houses many Michelangelo sculptures as well as rooms full of some of the finest art from the Renaissance. We met the finest guide of the tour so far, whose name was also Ricardo. He was not only informed but passionate. At the end of this hour and a half tour, as we were walking towards the entrance, Ricardo showed us a Christ crucified on the tree of Jesse by an obscure artist named Guido. Above the cross were birds, not immediately recognizable as pelicans except that one had a red streak on its breast, developing the legend that the pelican feeds its young with its own blood by pecking into its heart. Ricardo's voice broke audibly when he described it.
One of the features that made this tour so spectacular is that Ricardo was so selective, choosing only the Michelangelo sculptures contained in this museum and presented them to us in depth. We spent forty five minutes on the four "Prisoners" (four of six known unfinished sculptures by Michelangelo) and then we were given the ultimate privilage of listening to Ricardo's wonderful analysis of "The David", perhaps the most spectacular piece of art that has every been produced or ever will be, if you don't include his Pieta' at St. Peter's.
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