missypie

Everything I read says to see David (and maybe the Four Prisoners) then leave the Accademia. I had hoped to find a walking tour of the Accademia in Rick Steves' Florence book, but it only rates a paragraph or two. I have kids, so I'm not looking to spend the day there, but isn't there anything else at the Accademia of merit or interest?

DejaVu

"Nothing else of interest" is a relative phrase. It depends on how interested in Italian art one is. There are certainly many other artworks there besides the David. The more "famous" paintings are in the Uffizi, but there are nonetheless nice works by Botticelli, Ghirlandaio, Perugino in the Accademia. And Giovanni da Bologna's sculpture The Rape of the Sabine Women is there.

ellenem

For the last few years there's been an exhibit of musical instruemnts from the past. (I suppose you could check onliine if it is still there.) My friends and I enjoyed this exhibit. It is small, has some hands-on displays that show the inner workings of some of the instruments that both adults and children might enjoy. Also there are computer terminals with information about the various instruments.

cls2paris

There are some paintings, nothing stands out for me. But there is lots of sculpture. When I was there, they had a room of sculpture "parts" that I thought was kind of interesting. Lots of heads, arms, torsos, etc. and you could get a little more up close and personal. It was kind of like seeing more of the process of sculpture instead of the final product. I'm not sure, but maybe it was part of a school that learning restoration - I could be way off base there but it comes to mind.

I think you can be in and out in an hour or maybe two if you linger.

travel52

Even if David was the only thing to see it would be worth it, to me. I was also fascinated by Michelangelo's unfinished "prisoners". They are just as you walk in (before David).

ekscrunchy

There is much to see besides the David. The musical instrument exhibit is fascinating and includes videos. I would devote two hours to the Accademia to see it in a fair amount of depth. But not sure how this plays out with kids so others may be of more help with that aspect.

Celia

There's also a fantastic collection of Middle Ages painting. I wasn't particularly interested in that era of art until I saw the Accademia collection, but that broadened my horizons considerably.

I also liked the sculpture room mentioned above, and I think kids would like it too.

wanderlust5

We were there in 2003 and 2005 and saw the antique instruments and thought that was a lovely exhibit and very interesting. We are going again in 6 weeks and will visit again, because the restoration is completed on the David and I can't wait to see it again, having been cleaned. I've seen the David 5 times and each time, for me, is a new experience. The nice thing for you, missypie, is that it is a fairly small museum and won't take you forever to go through, with kids, like the Orsay or the Louvre would.

laclaire

Travel52 is right on. He is worth the line.

There was a fascinating show going on there that consisted of videos of artist reactions to the David. I thought it was really interesting and watched it a few times. the have a nice temporary exhibit space there and you never know what you're going to see.

DeirdreStraughan

It can be absolutely fascinating to just sit there near the David and watch everyone else look at it.

Wayne

Honestly, I wonder if anyone who asks such a question can really appreciate Italian art anyway. If you have such disdain for art, who go at all? Now that I've ticked you off, please rethink your real feelings about all of the wonderful art in Florence and in many other Italian towns. My impression is that you'd rather have a picnic. Good luck.

missypie

Wayne, was that nasty post directed at me? What makes you think that I have a disdain for art? I'm going to a museum that is widely noted for one thing. I asked "isn't there anything else at the Accademia of merit or interest?" If I didn't like art, I would be happy to breeze in and see David and leave.

nessundorma

Wayne,

I've been following this thread with some interest because apparently millions of people with very little interest in Italian are keen to keep alive the rumor that "just see David" is the "smart" way to "do" the Accademia before stampeding off for the third gelato of the day before racing off to Venice or Rome to "do" more of the same.

I'm glad missypie asked the question because, while I can always look in a guidebook, hearing whether or not others found it enjoyable to visit the museum as a whole is enlightening. Not everybody thinks Italian art in Firenze begins and ends with Michaelangelo, so don't bother with that other stuff.

sandi_travelnut

Actually I enjoyed the 14th century Bizantine paintings (like the tree of life) as much as I did David. True, the museum is not very large, but I think it's all worth seeing. Here's a good description of what else is there.

http://www.weekendafirenze.com/museidet/accademia_e.htm

Underhill

There's an unfinished Pieta by Michelangelo that breaks your heart.

tledford

missypie, it sounds like you are trying to do as I did, and find a few things to show your children without overwhelming them. It helped with my daughter to show her pictures ahead of time and do a sort of Where's Waldo search in the museum. The things I chose in the Accademia were David, the Four prisoners, the tree of life, and the wooden chest called the Cassone Adimari by Scheggia.

missypie

Thanks for the link, Sandi. That was exactly what I needed.

nessundorma

The unfinished Pieta by Michelangelo is in a different museum in Firenze: Museo dell'Opera del Duomo, right next to the Duomo.

It's a terrific museum, by the way, and not very large at all, which I think makes it a pleasure to tour.

KathrynT

I do enjoy Italian art but find other museums in Florence much more fascinating that the Accademia. I love the Michaelangelo statues and have enjoyed special exhibits at the Accademia, but much prefer the Uffizi, Bargello and Duomo museums. For this reason, if I had limited time, I would spend only a short time on the Accademia so I could leave more time for visits elsewhere.

Underhill

When was the pieta moved? When we saw it the piece was on a wall along the right-hand side of the hall that led to the David.