Florence, Italy is defined, to a large degree, by its art.  It is a city for art lovers.  The Uffizi is considered one of the finest art galleries in the world, and I lapped up every bit of its treasures.  To stand in front of The Birth of Venus and other masterpieces requires one to pinch himself just to make sure he's really there.  The city's star art attraction is Michelangelo's David, which resides in The Academia (no pictures allowed.  Pfft.) It's stunning in person.  So large and powerful, and yet a bit vulnerable.  It forces you to think about Michelangelo's gift for pulling great beauty from a simple piece of marble and whether his hands and back were battered from the hours he spent chipping away at stone and bending over the works that consumed his days.  There is a replica which stands in one of the city's piazzas, Palazzo Vecchio. 

But not all of Florence's art is in galleries.  A great deal of it is in the cathedrals and religious buildings scattered throughout the city.  In fact, it permeates all aspects of the city.  It's everywhere you turn. 

The architecture of the buildings and the fountains that dot the town like sputtering gems are works of art with details and sculpture that stare at you, dare you to touch them and sometimes, just make you smile.

It's so much a part of Florence that it even lies under your feet in the form of beautiful creations that can be swept away with the rain.

The art, I think, makes Florence a unique and beautiful charmer that is a joy to succumb to.