I have to admit the truth. For me Michelangelo is simply the best sculptor of all times. I’m not the only one to think so. Already during his lifetime Michelangelo (1475-1564) was considered one of the greatest artists ever. An outstanding genius in all senses. That’s why I would love to show you some of his artworks like the original David and take you to the sites in Florence where Michelangelo lived and worked.
Santa Croce – The Pantheon of the Great Celebrities
We visit the Santa Croce Church where Michelangelo is resting with the other members of the Buonarruoti family, though the artist lived the last 30 years of his life in Rome. It is one of the most beautiful basilicas in Florence and known as the “Pantheon of the Great Celebrities” since famous characters such as the politician Niccolò Macchiavelli and the scientist Galileo Galilei, among others, are buried here.
We will pass the house where Michelangelo grew up and then continue our tour to Piazza Signoria where we today see the copy of David from 1911 instead of the original statue. David arrived here in 1504, but was moved to the Academy in 1873.
Museo dell’Accademia – The Original David
I’ll show you where Michelangelo’s masterpiece was carved, but the highlight of our tour is of course the visit to the museum of the Academy of Fine Arts.
Michelangelo’s David is probably the best statue ever carved. Even though I come here almost every day I still cannot get enough. It is simply breathtaking! The giant statue was carried out in one single piece of Carrara marble and is still one of the symbols of Florence. We’ll also look at Michelangelo’s fantastic unfinished works, the so-called “prisoners/slaves”, St. Matthew and the debated Pietà.
In his long life Michelangelo worked as a painter, architect and sculptor, though he never saw himself as an artist with brushes in his hands. It’s therefore a little ironic that many people today above all remember him as being the author of the frescoes in the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican Museums. One of his biggest efforts in Michelangelo’s career, but even in this case he won the challenge.
