The mayor of Florence has invited Hope Carrasquilla, the former principal of a Florida school embroiled in controversy over a sixth-grade lesson on Michelangelo's "David," to visit Italy after she was forced out of her job last week.

Writing to Twitter on Sunday, politician Dario Nardella said he would "personally invite" the American educator to Florence, where the statue is located, to "give her recognition on behalf of the city," adding that "art is civilization and whoever teaches it deserves respect."