With this Michelangelo Tour in Florence we will discover the genius of Michelangelo Buonarroti, who was born and lived in Florence. He mainly made sculptures in Florence, even though his name is universally bound to the frescos of the Sistine Chapel in Rome. Sculptor, painter, architect and poet, he realized that the sculpture, more than any other form of art, is able to transmit a deep emotion through the matter. Michelangelo actually considered the sculpture like the art of taking off, to unveil the soul of the stone. I propose you to visit two of the most important museums in the city: the Bargello National Museum and the Medici Chapels (New Sacristy).
The Bargello National Museum is housed in a building erected in the 13th century. It was the seat of the Council of Justice. In 1865 it was turned into a National Museum. Today some of Michelangelo’s masterpieces are preserved here: the Bacchus, the Brutus, the David-Apollo and the Pitti Tondo. Some other awesome works are here, such as the wonderful bronze and marble statues of David by Donatello and the one of the same subject by Verrocchio, master of Leonardo da Vinci. In this museum we will learn how much influence Donatello had on Michelangelo, who lived one century after.
We will round off our Michelangelo Tour in Florence with the mausoleum of the Medici family, the famous Medici Chapels. They were built next to the family church of San Lorenzo. Michelangelo worked here for many years to create the New Sacristy. The master produced the monumental tombs of the Medici with allegorical figures representing the triumph of the dynasty over the passing of time. In particular, he made the statues of Night and Day on the tomb of Giuliano, Duke of Nemours, and the ones of Dusk and Dawn on the tomb of Lorenzo, Duke of Urbino. These are amongst the most dramatic artworks you can see in Florence. Michelangelo spent 3 months of his life in 1530 in a sort of self-detention hiding from the Medici family, who wanted to arrest him for having betrayed him. It’s the famed Stanza segreta or “secret room”, which can be visited only buying tickets in a large advance.
