“Accademia”, the building next to the Museum, used to be Florence’s School of Art. Interestingly, the first Academy of Art was actually founded by Vasari and Cosimo I de Medici back in 1563. This one is the result of a later reform, requested by Grand Duke Pietro Leopoldo of Lorena (the family that succeeded the Medici) in 1784. The gallery contains a spectacular collection of masterpieces(and yes, Michelangelo’s David is amongst them!), once used by art students in order to learn by… just copying them.