Medici Chapels and San Lorenzo private tour
If you want to know in detail the history of the Medici family in Florence, I recommend you take a guided private tour of the Medici Chapels and the church of San Lorenzo. The Medici have always been very close to the Basilica of San Lorenzo, financing its reconstruction and very rich decorations. Furthermore, these are the burial places of all the Medici of Florence, from 1400 to 1700.
You will be able to see artworks by the greatest names of the Renaissance: Brunelleschi, Donatello, Verrocchio, Michelangelo and many others.
Ciao! My name is Claudia, I am a licensed tour guide in Florence with over 10 years of experience. Learn more about me and my private guided tours in Florence.
Medici chapels and church of San Lorenzo
Today these two places are two distinct museums, with different entrance fees, opening hours and rules. But once upon a time they were one and the same thing: what is now the museum of the Medici Chapels was once simply a part of the Basilica of San Lorenzo.
Nowadays the Medici Chapel is a national museum (therefore open every day except Monday, from 8.15am to 6.40pm). While the church of San Lorenzo is a private museum managed by a foundation, the Opera di San Lorenzo, and is open from Monday to Saturday from 10am to 5.30pm.
The Church of San Lorenzo
The church is a masterpiece of Renaissance architecture, designed by Filippo Brunelleschi at the beginning of the 15th century. Both the choice of architect and the huge amount of money needed came from Cosimo the Elder of the Medici. Inside there are some sculpture masterpieces, such as the two bronze pulpits by Donatello, and wonderful paintings (my favorite is The Martyrdom of San Lorenzo by Agnolo Bronzino).
Together with the church we will also visit the crypt, where Cosimo the Elder is buried, but also Donatello.
And then the cherry on the cake: the Old Sacristy, designed by Brunelleschi and decorated with magnificent sculptures by Donatello and Andrea del Verrocchio.
The Medici Chapels
The museum of the Medici Chapels includes:
A part of the crypt of the church of San Lorenzo. Most of the members of the Medici family are buried here, under marble slabs. And some beautiful and precious reliquaries donated by the Medici to the Church over the centuries are also on display.
The New Sacristy, designed by Michelangelo at the beginning of the 16th century, and decorated with some of his most beautiful sculptures.
The Chapel of the Princes. Probably the most magnificent and precious burial place of a private family, where the last Medici are buried. The chapel is immense, and is entirely decorated with the technique of the Commesso Fiorentino. This is a typical artistic technique of Florence, for centuries created exclusively for the Medici: a mosaic of thin slabs of hard and semi-precious stones, cut and assembled so precisely as to compose very complex designs.
Medici Chapels and San Lorenzo private tour
My guided tour includes both places and lasts 2 hours. We’ll talk about the history of the church and the one of the Medici family, and we’ll also cover the most important artworks in all those places:
- San Lorenzo church and crypt
- Old Sacristy by Brunelleschi
- New Sacristy by Michelangelo
- The Chapel of the Princes
- Duration: 2 hours
- Meeting point: piazza San Lorenzo
- Included: your local, licensed tour guide
- Not included: entrance tickets
Note: I can help to book the tickets online.
Usually my standard Medici Chapels private tour lasts 2 hours, but we can shape the visit according to your needs, making it longer or shorter.
Extra addings to the Medici chapels private tour
The standard 2-hour tour offers a good general knowledge of the history of the Medici and the artistic masterpieces related to this family in the complex of the Basilica of San Lorenzo. But if you want a more in-depth visit (and have more time available) you can add some really interesting places to your private tour of the Medici Chapels:
Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana – Laurentian Library
There is also the wonderful Laurentian Library, another masterpiece of architecture by Michelangelo, under the patronage of Medici pope Clement VII.
We can visit that too, adding 30 extra minutes to the standard tour. Remember that the library is only open in the morning, until 13.00.
Opificio delle Pietre Dure Museum
A small but very fascinating museum, dedicated to the artistic technique of the Commesso Fiorentino. Here you will discover how this art was born, how it was made, and how the Medici used it to decorate the Medici Chapels.
Adding a visit to the Opificio delle Pietre Dure Museum will add one extra hour to the tour. Also this museum is only open in the morning.
Michelangelo’s secret room
This incredible place has been lost and forgotten for centuries, and has only recently been opened to visitors. Places are limited, only 4 people can enter at a time every hour, for a maximum of 15 minutes. So you can imagine that sells out months before.
If we are able to book tickets in advance (and if your group is 3 people or less) we can also add a visit to Michelangelo’s secret room. This will add an extra 30 minutes to the tour duration. To learn more about that, read my post about how to visit Michelangelo’s secret room.
Feel free to email me to get more information, ask about prices and to book your tour, using the form below.