Michelangelo’s masterpieces in Florence

Michelangelo Buonarroti is certainly one of the most famous men in the world: Renaissance artist, sculptor and architect, who worked first at the Medici court and then for the Pope in Rome, thus reaching the apex of his career.

In this tour, we will retrace together the fundamental stages of his life as an artist, crossing areas of the city that are very dear to him, and visiting important museums that host his paintings and statues, while I tell you curious anecdotes about his personality and artistic style.

A journey through the mind of the undisputed genius of the Renaissance.

N.B: By slightly extending the duration of our tour we can replace the visit to the Basilica of Santo Spirito with the experience at the Bargello Museum, home to many sculptures by Michelangelo and other artists who have been strongly influenced by his style. You can choose from the experiences that I propose the one that you like the most and I will customize the tour according to your requests.

Experiences

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Walking City Tour

Walking City Tour

Our tour will begin with a walk through the main squares of Florence to know more about its history, its most significant buildings and the families that have succeeded one another in ruling it. Together, we will retrace the stages of Michelangelo’s life, the greatest Renaissance artist of all time who was born and raised in Florence, and his relationship with the Medici, the family who welcomed him as if he was a son and who commissioned him many incredible artworks.

Accademia Gallery

Accademia Gallery

We will continue our itinerary in Florence with a guided tour of the Accademia Gallery where Michelangelo's most famous masterpiece is located: David. The Bible tells us the story of the young David who defeats the giant Goliath with a slingshot, thus saving the Israeli people from destruction. Here, the religious story merges with the history of Florence and David becomes the undisputed symbol of the intelligence and cunning of the modern Renaissance man. What leaves you astonished about this statue is David’s perfect and harmonious physique, full of incredible anatomical details such as the veins on the neck and hand, and the muscles in tension, thus embodying the representation of human perfection and the culmination of Michelangelo’s sculptural skills.

Medici Chapels

Medici Chapels

We can’t forget to include in our itinerary a visit to the Medici Chapels, the largest mausoleum of the Medici family, partly designed and decorated by Michelangelo with statues and sarcophagi full of hidden meanings and symbolism. The Medici knew that the fame and power obtained in life was destined to vanish after death, so they wanted to create a unique and suggestive place where their soul and deeds were handed down for eternity, symbolically represented by their tombs, which are incredible works of art.

Basilica of Santo Spirito

Basilica of Santo Spirito

The last stop of our tour is in the Oltrarno area, one of the most fascinating districts of Florence’s historic center, which still smells of tradition and authenticity. Here we find the Basilica of Santo Spirito, a perfect example of Renaissance architecture created by Brunelleschi, with a simple and somewhat austere façade, but that hosts inside an incredible hidden gem: Michelangelo's wooden crucifix. The artist made it at a very young age to thank the prior of Santo Spirito for letting him study anatomy there even though it wasn’t allowed by law at the time. As a matter of fact, Michelangelo’s crucifix represents the result of all the knowledge acquired in that period about the human body, and his incredible sculptural ability was destined to be remembered forever.

Bargello Museum

Bargello Museum

Bargello Museum is a majestic medieval building that houses incredible Renaissance masterpieces such as Michelangelo's Bacchus, Donatello's David, Giambologna's Mercury and the wonderful Della Robbia porcelains, which are unfortunately often overlooked by visitors who are in Florence for just a short time. This is definitely an unmissable hidden gem of Florence that hides priceless works of art, but is also a very dark side and past of the city.