Florence is a city renowned for its artistic treasures and is referred to as one of the citta d'arte. The 'David' is probably Michelangelo’s most famous work and it stands in the Accademia, Europe's very first school of drawing which was opened in 1764 by Giorgio Vasari and others.

The David was finished in 1504 when Michelangelo was only 29. The marble block he used was originally given to another artist but he couldn't complete the commission and it was handed to Michelangelo; his first symbolic act was to cut away the bit began by his predecessor. One of the many difficulties he faced was that the marble block was too shallow, but despite this he accomplished one of the greatest artistic feats ever.

In equalling the greatest works of antiquity, the supreme technical mastery of his craft was displayed for all to see; but he also superseded the works of antiquity by adding to his sculpture a new humanistic element. It reflects the ideals of the high renaissance, a time when men turned from the rigid dogma of the church to search for answers on Earth instead of in the heavens. The dramatic pose of the subject reflects the belief of the age, that men are in control of their own destinies and must fight the blind forces of fate if they are to succeed.