Michelangelo fans who have found luxury villas in Florence would probably already be headed to the Basilica di San Lorenzo to visit the Medici Chapel, where his monumental tombs designed for Lorenzo il Magnifico and Giuliano dei Medici are housed.
However, there is another reason to stick around and try and befriend any groundsmen you might come across: hidden beneath the chapel is a secret room that has walls covered in drawings by Michelangelo.
The incredible sketches in the room are said to have been created in 1530, while Michelangelo was hiding from the Pope, a Medici. One of those who grew weary of the iron fist that the Medici were ruling the city with, Michelangelo stood up against the powerful family by working to help fortify the city walls against them and, as a result, was forced into hiding for three months!
However, there is another reason to stick around and try and befriend any groundsmen you might come across: hidden beneath the chapel is a secret room that has walls covered in drawings by Michelangelo.
The incredible sketches in the room are said to have been created in 1530, while Michelangelo was hiding from the Pope, a Medici. One of those who grew weary of the iron fist that the Medici were ruling the city with, Michelangelo stood up against the powerful family by working to help fortify the city walls against them and, as a result, was forced into hiding for three months!
It's hard to imagine being alone, doodling in a dark room for three months but that's Michelangelo for you – always a little odd, to say the least.
Eventually, the situation calmed and Michelangelo was brought back into the fold – utterly unpunished. He did not, however, tell anyone where he had been for those three months (it was speculated that he was with a pal or hiding in a church tower somewhere) and it remained a secret for almost five hundred years.
Then, in 1976, the director of the Museum of the Medici Chapel stumbled upon the tiny room and the works in it were quickly attributed to Michelangelo and the puzzle pieces as to where he had been for those months in 1530 fell into place.
Eventually, the situation calmed and Michelangelo was brought back into the fold – utterly unpunished. He did not, however, tell anyone where he had been for those three months (it was speculated that he was with a pal or hiding in a church tower somewhere) and it remained a secret for almost five hundred years.
Then, in 1976, the director of the Museum of the Medici Chapel stumbled upon the tiny room and the works in it were quickly attributed to Michelangelo and the puzzle pieces as to where he had been for those months in 1530 fell into place.
Due to the fragility of the space, it has not been consistently viewable and has been alternately opened and closed to the public. It is officially closed to the public but they do make occasional exceptions, so try and ask someone in charge really nicely! If you are a Michelangelo fan or art lover, in general, this is one of the city's most intriguing (and bizarre) hidden gems. Be sure to chance your arm and drop by if you are visiting Florence.
Photo credits
Picture 1: Sailko / CC BY-SA 3.0;
Picture 1: Sailko / CC BY-SA 3.0;
