4 th ITINERARY
Take Via Martelli from Piazza del Duomo (facade side). Turn left on Via dei Gori to reach San Lorenzo (church and marketplace) and the Medici Chapels, or go straight to Piazza San Marco (along the way are fine palaces including the renowned Palazzo Medici-Riccardi at the corner of Via Martelli and Via Cavour). On the square are serveral notable sights: the church of San Marco the San Marco Museum, the University of Florence campus, and the Accademia (entrance on via Ricasoli). Take via Battisti to Piazza Santissima Anunnziata (church and Spedale degli Innocenti) and continue to Via della Colonna(Museo Archeologico).
SAN LORENZOThe Medicis commissioned Brunellschi to remodel the original building. The facade despite plans drawn up by Michelangelo, was never completed. The superb Brunelleschi interior is adorned with notable works, among them two bronze pulpits by Donatello (1460) Rosso Fiorentino's striking Marriage of the Virgin(second right altar) a tabernacle by Desiderio da Settignano (end of right aisle) and an Annunciation by Filippo Lippi (left trasept) . The Tomb of Giovanni and Piero dei Medici by Verrocchio (1472) is in the Old Sacristy, designed by Brunelleschi and decorated by Donatello.
MEDICI CHAPELSThere are two tomb complexes: The Princes Chapel the grand dukes' grandiose burial hall lavishly faced with colored marbles and semiprecious stones and the New Sacristy designed by Michelangelo in 1524. Dome of this most celebrated sculpture adorns the tombs (Day and Night above Giuliano di Nemours, Dawn and Dusk above Lorenzo di Urbino, and the Virgin and Child above Giuliano and Lorenzo the Magnificent).
PALAZZO MEDICI-RICCARDIA superb example of 15th century Florentine civic architecture, the palace was designed by Michelozzo in the mid 10s for Cosimo the Elder and later embellished under Lorenzo the Magnificent. Purchased by the Riccardi family in the 17th century, it underwent remodeling and enalarmgent.
Te first floor of the exterior is faced in rough stone , the second in rusticated stone and the top one in planed blocks. Two of the ground floor windows (the corner ones) are traditionally ascribed to Michelangielo. From the courtyard radiate the Museo Mediceo on the left an attractive garden in the center, and the Chapel (stairs to the right). Built by Michelozzo, the chapel was frescoed in 1460 by Benozzo Gozzoli with a scene ostensibly showing the Wise Men on their Way to Bethlehem. Upstairs is the Gallery an impressive hall frescoed by Luca Giornadono in 1683.
The museum building, the Monastery of San Marco (built by Michelozzo) was one of the focal points of Florentine culture throughout the Renaissance. Among the famous men who lived here were Fra Angelico, Savonarola, and Fra Batrolomeo.
The main courtyard, the Chiostro di Sant'Antoninois frescoed by Fra Angelico. The great Crucifixion scene in the Chapter Room opposite the entrance was also frescoed by Fra Angelico. To the left is the Sala del Lavabo (literally, washroom) with a fine Altarpiece by Fra Bartolomeo.
Next to it is the main reflectory. On the cloister is the socalled Ospizio Del Pellegrino (Pilgrims' Lodgings) which feature a collection of superb Fra Angelico panel paintings, including the celebrated Linaioli Altarpiece, the remarkable Last Judgment and smaller panels with scenes from the Life of Christ. The most striking painting in the room, however is the Deposition acclaimed Fra Angelico's masterpieces. Upstairs are the monks bare cells rendered precious by the religious scenes Fra Angelico and his helpers frescoed on the walls between 1439 and 1445. Among the finest: two Annuncinations, the Noli Me Tangere, the Coronation of the Virgin, and the Transfiguration.
Estabilished in 1784 the museum features 13th-16th century Florentine school paintings and some of Michelangelo's most famous sculpture. The main exhibition halls, the Salone and Tribuna designed by Emilio De Fabris in the late 1800s host Michelangelo's sculpture. Along the Salone are the four Slaves roughed out masterpieces of enormous vigor, meant for Pope Julius' (never finished) tombin Rome (1518) St Matthew(1505) the only one of the planned group of aposles ever carved for the Cathedral of Florence, and the Palestrina Pietà , a dramatic example of the master's late style. In the Tribuna stands the DAVID, an early work of exceptional effect, that needs no introduction. It was commissioned by the Repubblic of Florence as the symbol of Florentine freedom and set right in front of Palazzo Vecchio, the city's civic center in 1504 (where it stood untild replacement by a copy became necessary for preservation in the 1800s).The rest of the museum focuses on Florentine painting, form the pre- Renaissance through Mannerist periods. So called "minor works" (even when by name artist), they neverthless testify to the remarkably high level attained by Florentine art over the centuries. The chief attractions are : 13th century panel paintings by the Maestro della Maddalena and Pacino di Buonaguida, Coronation of the Virgin by Berardo Daddi, Pietà by Giovanni Da Milano, Virgin and Child by Taddeo Gaddi a Polytuch by Orcagna, Virgin and Child by Filippino Lippi, and the Cassone Adimari a 15th century hope chest adorned with a marriage scene set in a clearly recognizable Piazza del Duomo.
Archaeological MuseumThe museum building is a 17th century palace, Palazzo della Crocetta, set in an attractive garden. The collections (estabilished in the late 1800s) comprise Egyptian, Greco-Roman, and Etruscan art, as well as artifacts and coins. In the ground floor halls are several noteworthy ceramics including the celebrated Francois Vase a 6th century B.C. Greek black-figure vase discovered by a Frenchman, Francois in an Etruscan tomb in Chiusi as well as Attic vases and Etruscan imitations, and Etruscan funerary urns(outstanding of which is the so-called Mater Matuta). The highlights of the upstairs Egyptian Collection composed mainly of pieces excavated in the 19th century by Rossellini and Schiaparelli are a red basalt Pharaoh's bust (18 th century B.B) a wooden chariot from Thebes (14th century B.C.) and two painted statues of servant girls engaged in household tasks. The second section, the ETRUSCO-GRECO-ROMAN Antiquarium, features masterpieces of Etruscan art Greek art and Roman sculpture
