Galleria dell'Accademia & Michelangelo's David

The Galleria dell'Accademia houses the most famous artwork in the world: Michelangelo's David. Everything else in the museum is secondary — and yet the journey there is also worthwhile.

The David

Michelangelo's David (1501–1504) is 5.17 meters of pure Carrara marble, carved from a block that two other sculptors had deemed unusable. Michelangelo was 26 years old when he began, and in three years he created the epitome of human perfection: the tense muscles, the pulsating veins on the hands, the focused gaze before the battle against Goliath. The original stood until 1873 on the Piazza della Signoria — here in the Accademia since 1882, protected under a specially built tribune.

What will surprise you: The proportions are intentionally distorted — the head and hands are oversized because the sculpture was originally meant to stand on a high pedestal at the cathedral, where the perspective from below would have corrected the proportions.

The Prisoners (Prigioni)

The path to David leads past four unfinished sculptures, the "Slaves" or "Prisoners" — figures that seem to be breaking free from the marble, half-finished, half-trapped in the stone. They were intended for the tomb of Pope Julius II and show Michelangelo's working process: the "liberation" of the figure from the block. For many visitors, they are more moving than the David itself.

Admission: €16 (reduced €2 for EU citizens 18–25 years). Opening hours: Tue–Sun 8:15 a.m.–6:50 p.m. Closed on Mondays. ALWAYS book online in advance — waiting times without reservation: 1–3 hours.