What a great place to visit! The palace itself is stunning, it contains some wonderful artwork, the courtyard here is where Donatello’s David originally stood (what a sight it must have been with it’s gold hair gleaming in the sunlight!), there is an archaeologic display as excavations are being carried out beneath the building and to top it off they currently have a photography exhibit titled “Heroes” and an exhibit of work by Jorio Vivarelli who designed the Hymn to Life in Nagasaki and Tuscan Girl Fountain at the Plaza Hotel in Philadelphia.

The beautiful palace with all of its frescos and a few of the paintings enable you to image the opulence and splendor that it once was. I imagined it filled with important art, with David in the courtyard, the people who must have been regular visitors there! The Magi chapel with it’s incredible ceiling is so beautiful. It was painted by Gozzoli in 1459. Also there is Lippi’s Madonna with Child c 1460.

The archeological finds are also very impressive. Glassware, bronze instruments, human remains among others from the Roman Age. These excavations have given them a glimpse into the past of this building across seven ages and dating back 2000 years.

I also very much enjoyed the Photography exhibit. Heroes is the work of photographer Masayoshi Sukita in an exhibit devoted to David Bowie. The photographs span from the early 1970’s to 2002. Several of them are so moving; you feel as though you are seeing the person, not the celebrity. Two of my favorites were Just For One Day (1977) and KI 1989. Here’s a link to view the pictures in the collection plus a few others. https://www.snapgalleries.com/portfolio-items/david-bowie-by-masayoshi-sukita/

. Also, I heard an Italian version of “Space Oddity” playing so I looked it up. The lyrics were rewritten and it is a love song titled “Ragazzo solo, ragazza sola”. I actually got teary looking at this exhibit.