FLORENCE GALLERIA – MICHELANGELO’S DAVID

To see the statue of David, for the first time takes your breath away. In the tribune at the end of a long gallery lit naturally from above by a glass cupola, this statue is the most beautiful man-made thing I’ve ever seen. You know the familiar story from the Bible in I Samuel, Chapter 17 of the young David, the future king of Israel, who though only a shepherd boy defeats the Philistine giant Goliath in single combat with only a sling.

This David’s gaze to his left is penetrating, his eyebrows heavy, his brow is furrowed, his hair is tousled, almost a whirl of linguine. Many commentators say that this is a visage of intelligence, not the usual triumphant victor after cutting off Goliath’s head, as is often portrayed. His nose and nostrils are large, yet his mouth is rather narrow. He looks like Elijah Wood as Frodo Baggins.

His right hand seems over sized. The veins of his right hand, wrist and arm are bulging… but not those of his left. In his right hand, visible only from behind, can be seen a smooth round stone. His left hand is relaxed and holding the sling slung across his left shoulder.

A guide I overheard said that Michelangelo intended the statue to be seen from below, not at eye level as we often see him. If so, this would explain much.

Below and to the right of the statue is an exhibit of the Stanford Digital Michelangelo Project. This monitor displays the statue from different angles and different lighting, rotated in 3D. You’re able to see details that you can’t see from a distance. Impressive.

The Galleria dell’Accademia is one of the “must see” places in Florence for art, especially sculpture and plasters. However, most people go there to see “the David.” Make sure you make a reservation ahead of time.

There is a copy that stands along with seven other statues outdoors in the Piazza della Signoria, in front of the Palazzo Vecchio (Old Palace) which is the seat of the Florence civic government and political hub of the city — and the original site of the statue. But it’s not the same as experiencing the original statue at the Accademia Gallery.

Bill Petro
www.billpetro.com

PERU

In Frank Sinatra’s song “Come Fly With Me” the second verse starts with:

Come fly with me, lets float down to Peru
In llama land, there’s a one man band
And he’ll toot his flute for you
Come fly with me, well float down in the blue

While no one man band was in evidence, and the only llama I saw was in the picture of Machu Picchu above, in Lima there was music and dancing. And the food is as good as they say.

Lima, Peru is a city of around 8 million, containing about a third of the population of Peru. Located on the Pacific coast, the shoreline is beautiful, with a variety of features, including wharf side restaurants along the piers. The weather was mild, though the locals would call it cold. It was in the 50s-60s, but it was moving into their Winter, after all, as Peru falls south of the Equator, between Ecuador and Chile. But Peru is famous for a few things, even over its neighbors.

First is the food. I’d been told about how fabulous the food was. And indeed, though I was only in Lima for a couple of days, the food was outstanding. A variety of fresh ingredients made the dishes outstanding. There were a variety of corn dishes, from purple corn pudding dessert to large kernel roasted as appetizers, a kind of “corn nut” which is essential an un-popped roasted corn kernel. The potatoes — originally brought back to Spain by Francisco Pizarro from this part of the New World and only later promoted as a food staple in Ireland and other parts of the Old World by people like Sir Walter Raleigh — were of such incredible variety. And the seafood… well! Being right on the coast, one evening I had a lovely meal of swordfish wrapped in prosciutto atop garbanzo beans and avocado.

And another fabulous meal was at the Astrid & Gaston Restaurant of camarones, or shrimp. Started in 1994 by Peruvian chef, Gaston Acurio (often called the leader of Peruvian cuisine) and his wife Astrid, both Paris-trained at the Cordon Bleu, the food was wonderful and the service spot on. As you can see, the presentation was as good as the serving.

Secondly, Peru is known for its dance. Not only indigenous, native origin dances related to agriculture, hunting and courtship, but also other dances influenced by parts of the Old World. I witnessed half a dozen dance styles one night at a dinner theater accompanied by traditional Peruvian food and music. Here are some pictures.

The first is Afro-Peruvian dancing:

Next a series of traditional courtship dances:

Finally, the so called “scissor dance”:

Peru is attracting lots of tourists at this time. The beautiful church along Kennedy Park in the center of town faces a lovely place for a promenade. Street merchants, photo displays and lush surroundings make it an inviting location. Most of the finest restaurants are found nearby. This is also a shopping destination as well as a food magnet. While there is a McDonnald’s Restaurant here, not far from it is Bembos, a local chain that is more popular with the locals, offering a variety of gourmet burgers. They can only be found in Peru. And behind the restaurant can be found a fleet of motorcycles. They deliver.

Beyond Lima a variety of trekking tourism flourishes, particularly for those interested climbing in the Andes Mountains, to Macchu Picchu (Old Mountain) for example, as pictured at the top. This is a beautiful depiction of the Inca civilization. Known as “the Lost City of the Incas” although originally built in the mid 15th century, it was abandoned about a century later around the time of the Spanish conquest of the Incas — though this city was never found by the Spanish — and not “discovered” again until 1911.

Larcomar Shopping Center in the Miraflores district is located right along the coast and overlooks the shoreline. An open gallery of several stores on many levels glistens in the night. It is a collection of over 80 high-end shops with everything from luxury chocolates and cigars to sushi and dim sum restaurants. It boasts an extensive game arcade, a cinema as well as live theater, and an authentic Peruvian dinner theater La Dama Juana. It is here that I caught the dances mentioned above.

Miraflores is one of the more affluent areas of the city, with luxury hotels like the Miraflores Park Hotel with its 11th floor restaurant and swimming pool. The heart of the business center is found in the San Isidro district. Considerable amounts of new construction is going on, with cranes seemingly everywhere. Navigation is a challenge, parking even more so.

Finally, Peru is known for its mining. Gold, silver and copper mining are particularly popular. On the flight down I sat next to a financial manager for a gold mine. Silver shops in Lima are a huge draw for tourists with very reasonably priced products. Oh, and oil. I flew back with a petroleum engineer. Both oil products and natural gas are brought across the Andes by pipeline. The natural gas is liquefied and put on boats off the coast of Lima.

My last view of Peru, as I flew out on the red eye was as a jewel, strung out like a string of pearls.

Thanks for coming along.

Bill Petro
www.billpetro.com