Florence has been amazing so far, I can’t believe that I’ve been in a city that is so steeped in history and culture, especially one that seems to have something new around every corner.  I was most excited to the Uffizi Gallery because it is home to Botticelli’s The Birth of Venus.  The Uffizi was created by a member of the Medici family in order to hold government offices for Florence but was later repurposed because of the amount of artwork that the Medicis owned and later gave to the city.  I had always wanted to see The Birth of Venus and was overjoyed I would finally be able to on this trip.  It was everything I dreamed of and more and was also breathtaking in person.  It was entirely worth waiting about ten minutes in order to be able to move through the crowd and get to stand right in front of it.  I was able to see Botticelli’s brushstrokes and all of the time and energy he clearly put into it.  It is amazing to me to be able to see the sense of pride a single painting is able to imbue in a city, even all this time after the Renaissance.  Following that there are many iterations of Botticelli’s Venus hidden around the city; spray-painted on walls, hidden on the sides of buildings, just about everywhere visible.  They all feature Venus in her signature pose with different colors/outfits on her and all are incredibly interesting to see because they give insight to the inspiration that the artist had found before creation.  The most recent Venus I found shows her wearing a swimsuit along with a snorkel and goggles.  Also while at the Uffizi I was able to see Botticelli’s Spring complete with his muse Venus.  This was another breathtaking painting that really showcases the beauty and love coming out of the Renaissance and so I created a quick sketch of Venus in my notebook (pictured).