There’s a certain art to taking pictures of yourself in front of works of tourist attractions. Naturally, being in Florence, I’m constantly bombarded with artifacts from the Renaissance, whether they’re famous works of art, intricately designed buildings, or even cobblestone streets. Being surrounded by history everywhere I turn is one of the best things about studying abroad in Florence, and it’s something I’ve tried really hard to share with my loved ones back home who can’t be here with me. I’m always taking pictures of everything I see.
One of the largest tourist attractions in Florence is Michelangelo’s David. There are three different versions of the David in the city of Florence. One of them, perhaps the most visible to tourists and locals alike, stands outside the Palazzo Vecchio at the Piazza della Signoria. The second one is the hardest one to get to, overlooking the city from the Piazzale Michelangelo. While the first two are merely copies, the third is the original one. It is also the one I live closest to (it’s inside the Galleria dell’Accademia, which I walk past practically every day), and it somehow became the only one I hadn’t seen several weeks into my semester abroad. I’d thought about going inside the Accademia several times but was always too intimidated by the hundreds of tourists lined up outside.
One day last week, my friends and I decided we were done procrastinating and trekked the perilous two blocks over to the Accademia. We bypassed the crowds of people by flashing our student museum cards (so much for being intimidated by the lines) and were soon inside. We had to go through security before we could officially enter, but it was just as lax and laidback as I’ve come to expect everything to be in Italy.
Once inside, the only thing we were interested in seeing was the David, particularly to take a picture of it. Pictures are forbidden inside the Accademia, so naturally everyone makes it their mission to break this rule.
The David itself was incredibly easy to find. It’s really the only thing of note in the entire museum (which is small but packed with Renaissance art), so it has a room to itself and a grand hallway leading up to it filled with unfinished Michelangelo sculptures. We walked the length of the hall and wondered what our next move would be, looking in all directions for security guards who might scream at us for taking pictures and standing a safe distance away from the statue. We took our iPhones out and snapped some incredibly awkward selfies, trying our best to be inconspicuous.
It was at this point that we noticed people full on posing for pictures with the David without any security guards stopping them, their cameras in plain sight for all to see. Confused, we walked closer and attempted to take better pictures, this time not awkwardly trying to hide our phones. No one said anything to us. Shouldn’t this have been harder? We couldn’t help laughing.
This, of course, drew the attention of everyone around us. Including the security guards. With everyone staring at us, the disrespectful, laughing American girls, and with a security guard finally yelling at people not to take pictures, we ran out of there. It may not have been the most comfortable experience, but our mission was successful.