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The Medici Tour |
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On this tour we deal with the rise of the Medici family and the relationship between political power and art. The tour starts with the monastery of San Marco, founded with money donated by the Medici family - a good way to advertise themselves, but also a good reason for trying to redeem themselves!
We take the time to stop off here for a look around the exquisite Magi Chapel, formerly the family’s private chapel, frescoed by Benozzo Gozzoli in the 15th century. We also step into the breath-taking Baroque room, decorated by Luca Giordano, on the first floor of the palace. After a brief visit to the palace courtyard, we wander through the colorful street market to the Church of San Lorenzo, to see Brunelleschi’s old sacristy, the pulpits by Donatello, the Laurentian Library with Michelangelo’s elegantly sweeping staircase. We round off the tour with the Medici Chapels, the private mausoleum of the Medici Grand Dukes, where you can admire Michelangelo’s New Sacristy and his Medici Tombs. Details:
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The erudite Cosimo the Elder founded a library there, now open to the public and well worth seeing. Beato Angelico’s frescoes and the quiet atmospere of the convent are reason enough to justify a trip to Florence! Next we move on to Palazzo Medici Riccardi, one of the main residences of the first branch of the Medici family; this is where Michelangelo lived for a while, since he was a close friend of Lorenzo Il Magnifico.