Visit of the Medici Quarter and Palazzo Medici Riccardi
In this guided itinerary with your AGT guide, you will delve into the great personalities of the Medici family, their lives and secrets, focusing on the vibrant and colorful Medici quarter.
The guided tour takes place between Palazzo Medici — the splendid residence of Cosimo the Elder and Lorenzo the Magnificent, where the young Michelangelo was once hosted — and the Basilica of San Lorenzo, designed by Brunelleschi.
In the historic city center district, now lively and bustling thanks to the San Lorenzo Market, the Medici carried out one of the most extraordinary urban renewal projects in the city.
It was here that Cosimo the Elder had the Dominican convent of San Marco built, which later hosted Beato Angelico and Fra Girolamo Savonarola.
In the nearby Garden of San Marco, Lorenzo the Magnificent established the first art academy in Europe, where a very young Michelangelo Buonarroti began his career, already revealing his exceptional artistic talent.
The construction of the family palace and the reconstruction of the Basilica of San Lorenzo would permanently transform the ancient green area of Cafaggio into the quintessential Medicean quarter.
Museum: Palazzo Medici Riccardi
Prototype of the new Renaissance noble residence in Florence, featuring a robust rusticated ashlar exterior and an elegant inner courtyard and garden.
The palace was the residence of the Medici for almost a century, from its construction in the mid-15th century until 1540, when the family moved to the Palazzo della Signoria.
Inside houses the stunning Chapel frescoed by Benozzo Gozzoli with the famous Cavalcade of the Magi.
The late 17th-century fresco cycle by Luca Giordano that decorates the ceiling of the Hall of Mirrors on the main floor was commissioned by the Riccardi family, who lived there after the Medici.
