Italian Officials Consider Moving Michelangelo’s David
Travel Blog • Michael Yessis • 01.18.08 | 9:09 AM ET
It’s because of the tourists. The gobs and gobs of tourists. Tuscany’s cultural official Paolo Cocchi says Florence’s city center, particularly the Galleria dell’Accademia where David has resided for the past 135 years, has become overwhelmed by travelers wishing to see Michelangelo’s masterpiece. He has proposed moving what the Independent calls the “world’s most famous image of manhood” to a not-yet-built cultural center at the edge of Florence. That may relieve some congestion in the city center, but it’s not sitting well with Florence’s “art elite,” according to the Independent.
The move may not solve another problem tourists have brought to David’s current home: Gum.
From the AP:
Mayor Leonardo Domenici agrees that congestion is a problem—along with the deposits of chewing gum stuck to the building by idle tourists waiting to view the 500-year-old nude sculpture.
“We have to spend huge sums of money to remove chewing gum stuck on the outside walls of the Accademia,” Domenici told reporters at the Foreign Press Association in Rome on Thursday.
An estimated 1.3 million people see David each year. No estimate of how many of them chew gum.
Email to friend
Twitter
del.icio.us
Digg
Facebook
Furl
Ma.gnolia
Mixx
Reddit
StumbleUpon
Yahoo! Buzz
Michael Yessis is the cofounder and coeditor-in-chief of World Hum.
Carol Halliburton 01.19.08 | 2:12 AM ET
The David belongs in the Accademia. Solve the gum problem by placing a trash can outside with a sign - “put your gum in the trash before entering the building.” The guard can help enforce the rule. It’s sad that people don’t have any respect for public property but moving the David isn’t going to cure that problem. The rude people and their gum will simply follow the monument to its new location.
Michael Cullo 01.20.08 | 7:07 PM ET
I’ve visited beautiful Florence maybe 7 times in the past 10-years. Every time I made it a point to see Michelangelo’s Masterpeice DAVID in the Galleria dell’Accademia.
So, it’s sad for me to learn that Italian officials are considering moving DAVID, especially because gum is one of the problems. The gum situation should be enforced by posting a sign alerting tourists that a 100 Euro fine will be imposed for discarding gum and the offender will be required to clean the mess.
John D 02.01.08 | 5:52 PM ET
100 Euro fine will be imposed for discarding gum and the offender will be required to clean the mess.
Image if we did this in the US!!
Sounds good to me.
http://www.JohnDennerRocks.com