Florence and Michelangelo: he was a great sculptor, painter and architect. In Florence you can see many of his best works of art, including his masterpiece, the Statue of David.
Here is where you can find and admire the most important works of Michelangelo in Florence:
The Accademia Gallery
This museum since 1873 houses the statue of David, carved by Michelangelo in 1504, the first giant marble sculpture ever sculpted in Europe since the Roman times, which gave Michelangelo Buonarroti international fame.It stood for over three centuries outdoor, in the Signoria Square in front of the Signoria Palace, until when it was removed to be restored and placed inside this museum. Beside the David you see also the four Prisoners, carved by Michelangelo for the tomb of Pope Julius II, but then left unfinished and given to the Duke Cosimo de Medici, who placed them inside the Buontalenti Grotto in the Boboli Garden.
The Medici Chapels
Inside the Church of San Lorenzo which belonged to Medici Family, Michelangelo designed the New Sacristy and carved important sculptures. Above the tomb of Lorenzo the Magnificent and his brother Giuliano there is a very intense Madonna and Child, while the tombs of Giuliano Duca di Nemours and Lorenzo Duca di Urbino ( son and grandson of the Magnificent) are ornated with four statues named Night, Day, Dawn and Dusk, masterpieces of marble beauty.
The Bargello Palace
The Bargello was for many centuries the Court of Justice of Florence, where criminals were judged, then imprisoned or executed by hanging. When in 1786 the capital punishment was abolished in Florence (first town in the world!) , the building changed function and since the end of the XIX° century it is one of the most valuable collection of Renaissance sculptures in the world. Here you can see by Michelangelo: the Baccus, the Tondo Pitti, the David-Apollo and the Brutus.
The Cathedral Museum
One of Michelangelo's last works, the Pietà Bandini, carved when he was 75 years old, used to be until 1981 in the Duomo of Florence when it was moved inside the Cathedral museum. It is one of the most intimate works of the great artist, showing his deep faith and partecipation to the passion of Jesus Christ as he portrayed himself in the man holding Christ.
Michelangelo's House
Michelangelo's house is now a museum where you can see the early works of the young artist; two bas-reliefs titled the Madonna of the Stair and the Battle of Centaurs. Here is also the richest collection in the world of Michelangelo's drawings.
The Uffizi Gallery
In the Uffizi Gallery you can see the Tondo Doni, an Holy Family painted in 1506 , whose value is priceless, because it is the only painting surely attributed to Michelangelo, as other works in painting are frescoes.
The Church of Santo Spirito (Holy Spirit)
In the Oltrarno District, inside the Sacristy of the beautiful Renaissance Church of Santo Spirito designed by Brunelleschi you can see one of Michelangelo's first works: a wooden Crucifix which he carved in 1493 for the monks of the Monastery who let him do anatomycal studies in the nearby hospital.
Palazzo Vecchio
In the Salone dei 500, the main hall of Palazzo della Signoria, there is another important work by Michelangelo, a marble sculpture named the Genius of Victory carved in 1532/34 for the tomb of Pope Julius II, but then given to the Duke Cosimo de Medici.
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