Michelangelo’s secret room. How to book tickets and visit it

The most interesting news in recent years in Florence, in the world of art and culture, is certainly the opening to the public of one of the most extraordinary places ever: Michelangelo’s secret room. I have already visited it several times and I can assure you that it’s an exciting experience. But visiting and booking Michelangelo’s Secret Room is not at all easy. Availability is very limited, and tickets sell out months and months in advance. But I will help you in your endeavor!

Ciao! My name is Claudia, I am a licensed tour guide in Florence with more than 10 years of experience. Learn more about me and my private guided tours in Florence.

Here are all my tips for booking tickets and visiting Michelangelo’s Secret Room.

What’s the story behind Michelangelo’s secret room

Michelangelo Buonarroti had an excellent relationship with the Medici family for many years. After all, his talent was discovered when he was just a teenager by Lorenzo the Magnificent. And he often worked for members of this family, including Pope Leo X and Pope Clement VII (he was working on the New Sacristy for them). But at the beginning of the 16th century Michelangelo had a very different political vision of Florence from that of the Medici. And when Florence rebelled against the power of the Medici, Michelangelo sided with the Republic of Florence and against the powerful family.

When, after three years of exile, the Medici returned to power in Florence, they accused all supporters of the Republic of treason. And Michelangelo was also wanted. To escape the revenge of the Medici he hid for about two months in a coal deposit under the New Sacristy, with the complicity of the prior of San Lorenzo. During those two months he drew some sketches on the walls of the room, and finally managed to escape from Florence.

Pope Clement VII spread the word that he was willing to forgive Michelangelo for his betrayal, as long as he completed the work on the New Sacristy. And so Michelangelo returned to Florence, even if reluctantly. He continued to work on the Sacristy for four years, but eventually abandoned the construction site anyway and never returned to Florence again.

• If you want to learn more about Michelangelo’s life, read a biography or a novel about him! Here are the best books about Michelangelo.

How it was lost and forgotten

Michelangelo’s secret room with his drawings on the walls was at one point totally forgotten. Someone placed a large wardrobe above the access hatch to the underground room which completely hid it. The wardrobe remained in place for centuries, and so even the memory of the existence of that underground storage room was lost.

It was rediscovered by pure chance in 1975, and the drawings were attributed to Michelangelo (although not all of them were made by him). The secret room was closed to protect the great artist’s sketches. Being very small and without air exchange, humidity and human contact are very dangerous and risk damaging those drawings, made 500 years ago with simple coal dust.

It took almost 50 years of study and research in the field of restoration and conservation to finally make this extraordinary place open to visitors.

How to visit Michelangelo’s secret room

For many years Michelangelo’s secret room remained closed to the public for protection. An experimental opening to visitors was tested in 2023, only three afternoons a week, for a period of three months at a time. Every three months the conditions of the drawings were checked and new openings evaluated.

Finally, in 2024, the regular opening of this unique place in the world was announced. It’s now open five days a week, and can be booked well in advance. It is still quite difficult to find availability for the visit, but by organizing with large advance it is definitely doable.

To protect the drawings and maintain the delicate microclimate of the room, only 4 people are allowed at a time per hour for 15 minutes. Then, for another 75 minutes the room must remain empty to ensure that it maintains its climatic conditions.

Opening hours

The secret room is open on:

• Monday afternoons, after 3pm.
• Wednesday for the whole day.
• Thursday, until 3 pm.
• Friday afternoon, after 3 pm.
• Saturday for the whole day.

The room is closed on Tuesdays and Saturdays. 

How to book tickets for Michelangelo’s secret room

The only way to book tickets for Michelangelo’s secret room is through the official website of the national museums of Florence, B-Ticket.

The price of the full ticket is 32 euros, then you must add 3 euros for the booking fees. Minors can book a free ticket and will only pay the booking fees.

The ticket for Michelangelo’s secret room also includes access to the Medici Chapels.

Tickets sell out at least 3 months in advance, even 4 or 5 in high season. So get organized well in advance!

Please note that although there are 4 seats available for each time slot, it’s not possible to book more than 2 tickets at a time. If you want to book all 4 available places you will have to make two separate reservations.

Michelangelo’s secret room guided tour

If you are planning your trip to Florence many months in advance, we can organize a guided tour of Michelangelo’s secret room. This is only possible under some conditions:

• Request this tour at least 3 months in advance (even 4 in high season).
• Be a group of maximum 2 people.
• I am giving this guided tour only as an extension of the Medici Chapels and church San Lorenzo private guided tour. The standard tour lasts 2 hours, the secret room will add 30 minutes to the duration.

To get more information about my guided tour, visit the page dedicated to the Medici Chapels private tour and fill the form at the bottom of that page.

If you have visited this place let me know how was your experience there, leaving a comment below. Sharing your experience will help other travelers and readers!