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Accademia

There's always a long line outside Florence's Academy of Fine Arts, everyone waiting to see arguably the world's most famous sculpture: Michelangelo's David (1501–04). Carved when the master was but 29, the giant-size David poses for the endless photos under a rotunda at the end of a triumphal alley lined by what most art aficionados regard as far more intriguing Michelangelo sculptures: a series of partly finished Slaves seeming to struggle to free themselves from the rough marble. Book ahead to avoid the long lines—and make sure to spend some time wandering the rest of this small but worthy collection, which includes works by Botticelli, Perugino, and the sculptor Giambologna, all of which are completely ignored by the camera-clicking hordes seduced by Davi's godlike proportions.