Le David de Michel-Ange emblème de l'Expo 2015

[worldfairs]

David di Michelangelo a Milano nel 2015, sarà emblema del l'Expo

[worldfairs]

(ANSA) - Milan, November 29 - Michelangelo's iconic statue of David will be the symbol of the Italian Pavilion at the Milan Expo 2015 global trade convention, officials announced this week.

The copy of the David, an emblem of Florentine pride and one of the supreme achievements of the Italian Renaissance, will have "an emblematic value," Italian Pavilion chief Diana Bracco said, in Italy's efforts to "relaunch the country" at a world's fair focused on fighting hunger.

Bracco signed a deal with the regional government of Tuscany to have a copy made of the statue, which is housed at Florence's Accademia Gallery.

Michelangelo's interpretation of the biblical figure was unveiled in Piazza della Signoria in 1504, standing guard outside Palazzo Vecchio, seat of Florence's civic government.

It was moved to the Galleria dell'Accademia in the 19th century for conservation reasons.

The David was an emblem of the city republic's pride and its ability, despite its small size, to defend itself against much bigger rivals, as well as representing the Renaissance ideal of manhood.

Since then it has become one of the signatures of Italian cultural excellence.