Michelangelo’s David has been astounding revelers for centuries. People come from all over the world to see this marble man in person and he really is a site to see. Florence, Italy is an easy car ride or train trip from Villa Campestri Olive Oil Resort in the Mugello Valley. 

If you have visited Florence before, you might have noticed another ‘David’ in the main square, Piazza della Signoria. This is a marble copy which was placed in the original position next to the government’s seat in power in 1910 (the original was moved to the Accademia in 1873). There are copies of the David all over the world, from London to Kentucky.

If you want to visit the original (and we can guarantee that you probably do) we can help our guests organize tickets to the Accademia Gallery where David is housed and train tickets from the nearby station, don’t hesitate to ask. Since no visit is complete with a trip to see him, we thought why not share a few fun facts about possibly the most famous sculpture in the world. It was completed by the great artist Michelangelo between 1501-1504.

1. He is a man of power (with a huge right hand)

If you look closely at the David’s right hand, you might notice that it is huge compared to the rest of his body. We definitely don’t want to get to other body parts that may not scale to size. The reason why is because because in the Middle Ages, he was commonly said to be of “manu fortis” – strong of hand. Also they were thinking to put him on top of the Duomo cathedral which meant some areas of the sculpture had to be larger to be seen from below. Also, the biblical figure of David became the symbol the liberty and freedom of the Republican ideals, showing Florence’s readiness to defend itself.

2. He Once Broke His Arm 

As you can imagine, a huge monument can’t arrive to 2015 without a few blips along the way. In fact, during an anti-Medici rebellion on April 26, 1527, rioters threw furniture at soldiers outside the Palazzo Vecchio and a chair struck David’s left arm, breaking it in three places. According to Giorgio Vasari, when the fighting was over, they picked up the pieces and reattached his arm to his body, using copper nails.

3. His weight is estimated to be that of 80 adult males! 

One fact that we found fascinating is just how heavy is David? We know it’s rude to talk about weight but, we are certain that no one really knows the answer to this question because who could possibly find a scale big enough for him? The estimated weight is 5,660 kilograms but it could be up to two tons!