Galleria dell'Accademia Florence Michelangelo's David

The vast majority of the Galleria dell'Academia's visiting public come to see just one work, Michelangelo's original David, the most famous sculpture in the world. The statue, which was transplanted from the Piazza della Signoria to the Academy in 1873, now forms the crux of the gallery's prominence and is housed in its own specially designed tribune at the far end of the complex.

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Before you reach David, however, you will encounter many other masterpieces vying for your attention (providing, that is, that you do not head straight for the tribune). The first long hallway is devoted to Michelangelo. It is lined with the artist's "Slaves", or "Captives", whose range of curious poses seem to beg for critical acknowledgement from those affected with "David tunnel vision". Nearby is Michelangelo's statue of St Matthew. This is the first and only carving he completed after he embarked on a project to sculpt the Twelve Apostles. Unfortunately for us he subsequently withdrew from the afore mentioned and thus we cannot look upon what would have been mighty works. Sculptures by other artists also feature, including the original plaster model of Giambologna's Rape of the Sabine Women, and a pieta that was once thought to be the work of Michelangelo, but is now ascribed to one of his pupils.

Branching off from the hall are a series of galleries housing an admirable selection of Florentine paintings from the 15th and 16th centuries. There is Botticelli's Madonna and Child and Madonna of the Sea, as well as pieces by Filippo Lippi, Perugino, Fra Bartolomeo, Andrea del Sarto, Pontormo and Bronzino. Elsewhere, the recently installed Museum of Musical Instruments features a priceless collection of objects, which were relocated from the adjacent Luigi Cherubini Conservatory. The cluttered Plaster Cast Gallery, stacked with busts, statues and other unfinished projects, reminds visitors just what the Accademia's purpose was when it opened in 1561: to allow its students to work alongside the masters (and the masterpieces) of Florence's golden age of artistry.

However, all of the above merely whet the appetite for David still further, and the incredible 5 metre- (17 ft) tall statue of the man who slew Goliath does not disappoint. Just like the Biblical story that inspired it, the tale of David's creation has become legend. The huge slab of marble that would eventually be worked on by a 26-year-old Michelangelo had been standing in the Duomo's work yard for so long it had earned itself a nickname, The Giant. The marble had already been worked on, unsuccessfully, and was therefore considered a lost cause. Nevertheless, in three years the young sculptor created a model adopted as the new symbol of the Florentine Republic. Unlike earlier styles, David was not supposed to represent perfect form. He was to be an example of "disegno"; that is, "man created as God intended". Ironically, his towering figure, complete with disproportionate body parts (his hands are too large for his arms, his arms for his torso, and his body for his head), which were crafted with the belief that his audience would be looking at him from below, make the giant slayer himself a colossus.