Oh Madonna!
Cultural wars are badass. And this, this may be the most badass of them all. We all know Italy is relatively new at the whole unification thing, so it comes as no surprise that Florence is once again clashing with Rome, this time over the ownership of our beloved David.
One of the most popular attractions in the entire country, Florence is solely responsible for for the maintenance, upkeep, and security of the sculpture. Yet, all of the money that is made from the turisti, a reported $8 million, goes to the Italian State, and not to the città which has been David's casa since his 16th century creation. Firenze now wants the euros from the Galleria dell'Accademia In order to continue to preserve their stupefacente Renaissance heritage.
Now if you've ever been to dear Roma, you know it is no Florence, but still a bella città rich in cultural history, the origins of the western world can be found everywhere you turn. Aside from a few unpleasant smells and Romans in sweat pants (you will NEVER see a Florentine in sweat pants) Rome is non c'è male. Però, they take the term "ruin" to a whole new level - let us look to the Largo di Torre Argentina as a prime example. An ancient square comprised of quattro temples, this area is the location of Julius Caeser's assaination...yes that Julius Caeser, the one that founded the Roman EMPIRE. Anyway, oggi the Largo di Torre Argentina is home to a cat sanctuary; around 250 gatti eat, cazzo, and climb all over the place where the infamous Ides of March went down.
Shocking, Io so. Why would anyone want to hand over $8 million to a government which supports the use of such a significant area as a cat sanctuary - or gatti in general? What's next Rome, a zingari colony in the Colosseum?! No bene!
Firenze on the other hand, while slightly younger than Rome, has done a magnificent job of preserving their cultural history. While the vias and strades are now full of American studenti in ill fitting spandex instead of Renaissance geniuses, the architecture and atmosphere of the citta has barely changed. For the past cinqucento anni Firenze has served as a wonderful home for Michelangelo's David; the city could do wonderful things with the income from David. Things like investing the euros in hiring more security guards at the Galleria dell'Accademia to prevent people like us from taking prohibited fotos.
To express our opinions on this matter we refer you to the priceless stank face on OUR David and say to you Romans "Puttana, Per Favore"
For more information on this dispute check out the original, slightly less biased article here.
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