This was at the top of the things we saw in Florence in 5 days. Walked right up to this very unassuming building and paid $10 euros a piece. When we walked into the upstairs area, I couldn't believe the beauty and enormity of it all, and hardly any other people! We spend alot of time there and able to get great pictures! Also enjoyed all the other sculptures in the various rooms. Truly a hidden gem!

This mausoleum (or chapels) are located at the back side of the Basilica of St. Lawrence (Lorenzo), we skip the basilica (because is a separate ticket despite being attached buildings, so will do it next time) to visit this. Is very interesting if really into Medici family story and Michelangelo artwork. As the name suggests, all members of the Medici family are buried there, reason why this was built as a family mausoleum behind their parish church. Well, not all members were buried there like Catherine de’ Medici who became Queen regent of France (buried in St. Denis basilica in Paris) and Pope Leo X (buried in Rome but is exhibited his mitre and stole) but Lorenzo (Lawrence) the Magnificent is present in the mausoleum as well as Cosimo, the founder of the Medici power dynasty. The New Sacristy is well worth to visit as houses many sculptures by Michelangelo. There is also a secret room with anatomical sketches drew by Michelangelo (discovered in the 1970’s) but not visitable because of preservation reasons. Overall, a nice visit.

This chapel is a living, breathing reminder of why you must read a few paragraphs about a site you are about to visit before actually visiting the site. When my wife and I came here for a visit over a decade ago, we did not realize that the Michelangelo statues were in another much smaller room, and we just left after seeing the main chapel. Thankfully, we are seasoned tourists now, and we went straight to the Michelangelo statues this time. These statues are some of the best I have ever seen from Michelangelo. I would go so far as to say that they are far better than any other Michelangelo statue in Florence with the obvious exception of the David in the Accademia Gallery. This is a must visit site if you are in Florence for more than a day trip, and if you do it efficiently by buying your ticket online, I promise it will only take 30 minutes. We were in Florence for only one day. We took the fast train in Rome, and since the Medici Chapel was right on the road from the train station to the Duomo, we spared 30 minutes to see it. I would understand if other day trippers who are paranoid about time skipped it. But if you are in Florence for a day and a half or two days, after the Duomo, the Accademia, and the Uffizi, this is the next major site to see in my opinion.

The Medici chapels are now separated from the the Church of San Lorenzo and have their own separate entrance off the Piazza di Madonna Degli Aldobrandin. Cost of entry was EUR9-00 per adult. There are three separate areas being the crypt, where some of the Grand Dukes of Tuscany and their wives and some other lesser known members of the Medicis are buried. The next area, after you walk up several spiral stairs, is the absolutely stunning marble edifice that is the Chapel of the Princes. This magnificent octagonal hall is over 30 metres high whilst its cupola (designed by Buontalentu) is approximately 60 metres high. The walls and floor are clad in a myriad of different coloured marble, granite, jasper and semi-precious stones. Side chapels hold the sarcophagi of the first six Grand Dukes of Tuscany including Cosimi I, II and III, Ferdinando I and II and Francesco I. Only two of the large bronze statues planned to sit in the niches above the sarcophagi were completed. Those being for Cosimo II and Ferdinando I. The Chapel of the Princes was built between 1604 and 1640 however the inlay of the semi-precious stones took longer to complete as did the frescoed cupola which was only completed in the early 19th century. Behind the stunning, ornate altar are two small rooms that hold the Treasure of San Lorenzo which includes vases, reliquary, relics purchased by Pope Leo X and garments belonging to him. The third area is the Sagrestia Nuova (New Sacristy) designed by MIchelangelo and built between 1520 and 1534. Michelangelo worked on a number of sculptures for this sacristy but only fully completed statues of two Dukes, four statues of the allegories Day and Night and Dawn and Dusk and the group of Madonna and Child placed on top of one of the sarcophagi. Unfortunately for the Medici, Michelangelo left for Rome before completing further works. You exit down a stairway to another crypt area before ascending more stairs to come out into a small courtyard were you exit onto the road. Unfortunately we left it too late to get tickets to Michelangelo's secret room beneath the chapels which books out months in advance.

The decorations are so grande, and the ceilings are so beautiful so I could sit there the whole afternoon just to admire them. I am so happy that I went here because it is so fantastic because of the colours and the very fine details! We were pleasantly surprised that we did not wait in line for a very long time to enter when we visited in last part of May, and I am very surprised that this is not higher up on the "Must places to visit" in Florence!

The Medici Chapels (Italian: Cappelle medicee) are two chapels built between the 16th and 17th centuries as an extension to the Basilica of San Lorenzo, in the Italian city of Florence. They are the Sagrestia Nuova ('New Sacristy'), designed by Michelangelo, and the larger Cappella dei Principi ('Chapel of the Princes'), a collaboration between the Medici family and architects. The purpose of the chapels was to celebrate the Medici family, patrons of the church and Grand Dukes of Tuscany. These are not to be confused with the Magi Chapel in the Palazzo Medici Riccardi, then the main Medici home, that houses a famous cycle of frescoes by Benozzo Gozzoli, painted around 1459.

This place is stunning! The beauty and opulence stopped me in my tracks! Well worth exploring and was one of most memorable attractions we visited during our 2 weeks in Italy. Would return on a second trip for sure... I know we probably didn't 'notice' everything we should!

Do not buy tickets online or in advance, there is usually no queue, which just shows you the power of the herd. Marvellous work from the a Divine Michaelangelo at his greatest, with a beautiful Donatello to top it off. Note how the female figures look just like male figures with prosthetic breasts glued on. Despite all his greatness, Michaelangelo never quite mastered the female nude, as he was mostly interested in the male form. Note also how he never finished the work, recalling that Michealangelo left Firenze in protest at the Medici power grab turning Firenze from a republic to a Duchy. In fact it was all put together after his death by Vasari (he who wrote 'Lives of the Artists' and was a personal friend of Michealangel) as he never delivered the work.