On Thursday we went to the Ufizzi Gallery, where we saw painting after painting of the old masters. Fortunately for us, our hotel had made reservations for us at 10:45, so we didn’t have to wait in the long line outside. We enjoyed the work of Lippi, Da Vinci, Carravaggio, Raphael, and Botticelli, to name a few. We were able to enjoy relatively peaceful art appreciation for at least an hour before meltdown occurred. But there’s not much else to do in Florence other than art and architecture, so our boys are having to learn tolerance. On Friday we went to the Accademie, which was built to house Michaelangelo’s David 500 years ago. This sculpture really is a brilliant work of art. The boys and I took turns sketching the David. It was interesting to see other unfinished sculptures by Michaelangelo. It was like the figures were emerging from the marble and the stone coming to life. We were not allowed to take photos in any of the galleries. I don’t know if is to protect the artwork or to boost souvenir sales.