Looking for Michelangelo in Florence

Chani, you definitely should make advance reservations for the Accademia. Lines should be much shorter in February but advance tickets are always recommended. Here's the link. http://www.b-ticket.com/b-ticket/Uffizi/info_venue_accademia.aspx

Second, as a Michelangelo follower, I would not miss the Pieta del Duomo, a Michelangelo statue that is housed in the Duomo Museum (Opera del Duomo Museum). This 5-story Duomo museum is just across the street from the left rear of il Duomo. You won't believe the treasures in there besides the Pieta. The Pieta del Duomo, alternatively known as The Deposition, is a statue of the dead body of Christ being removed from the cross. Three people assisting are the Virgin Mary, Mary Madgelane and Nicodemus. The fascinating feature is that Michelangelo lent his facial features to Nicodemus. It is reportedly a self-portrait. Also, Michelangelo was quite old when he made this statue so he looks old in it. Admission to the Museum is about 6 Euro as I recall. After 8 years, Michelangelo did not finish the statue. One of the female figures was finished by sculptor Tiberio Calgagni.

You can see a fairly good picture of the Pieta at this link.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Deposition_(Michelangelo)

Thanks, Larry. The Duomo is on my list too - just didn't have any questions.

Now, about the hot chocolate......?

Agreed on the reservations... agreed on the Duomo...

Hot Chocolate?

Not that I'm aware of.

For a sweet treat that is out of the ordinary, order "Cantucci con Vin Santo". They are sweet little almond cookies, similar to biscotti but sweeter, served with a delicious dessert wine for dipping.

The wooden crucifix that Michaelangelo finished when he was 18 is very interesting to see at the high altar in the Church of Santa Maria del Santa Spirito.

Reservations are needed for the Accadenia to avoid the long lines. However, you can easily get them at a church only a block away from the museum. Forgot the name but if you go to the museum the address is posted in huge letters on the side of the Accademia building near the entrance. We were there in September and walked past the huge line at about 3:00 PM, went to the ticket office advertised on the museum wall (no line at all) and picked up tickets for the following day for 8:30 AM when the museum opens. Went right to the front of the line the next morning and had the place to ourselves as we were one of the first ones in.

"I will be in Florence for 2 days in early February (Thurs/Fri) and I want to see as many of Michelangelo's works as I can."

The Michelangelo works in Florence that have not been mentioned so far on the thread are:

In the Medici Chapel, San Lorenzo:numerous sculptures and architectural details, including the tomb sculptures Night, Day, Evening, Dawn, and othersPergamo of San LorenzoPalazzo Vecchio, Victory (sculpture)Uffizi, Madonna Doni, (painting)Bargello:Bacchus sculptureMadonna Pitti sculpture, Apollo sculptureBrutus sculptureBoboli Gardens sculptures (Captives)

Hot chocolate - Vestri http://www.vestri.it/
And it is available at most bars and gelateria in the winter - ciocolata calda - usually a very thick chocolate.

Michelangelo - the Laurentian Library is open now. I think it is closed on Sat. - Th. Fri. should be fine but the hours may be funny. This is one of the few things I have yet to see personally here that is still on my list.

The wooden crucifix in Santo Spirito is in dispute as to the provenance - it looks like nothing else Michelangelo ever did. Not saying that it means he didn't do it - but if he did, it would be miraculous :)

The Medici Chapel is a must see for a Michelangelo fan.

Kent - "Boboli Gardens sculptures (Captives)" the originals are all in the Accademia - and you can get a much better views of them there.

According to a link on Wikipedia, Italian experts confirmed in 2001 that the crucifix in Santa Spirito was done by Michaelangelo. I'm sure there are still those that dispute it, however, we found it interesting to see.

Teri it is amazing - I have been to see it more than once. Not knowing if it is really his or not makes it even more interesting to me. I wasn't saying skip it -

Thanks for the help. Here's the plan:

Day 1: Start at the Bargello at 8.15, then Casa Buonarroti, Santa Croce Church (if there is time) and then Palazzo Vecchio (closes at 5), dinner.

Day 2: Start at the Medici Chapel at 8.15, Laurentian Library, the Duomo and Baptistry, the Accademia (closes at 6.50), pick up suitcase and train to Rome.

Santa Spirito will have to wait for another trip, I think.

You might consider the Medici Chapels - one of my favorite things in Florence - and this is in Rick's book I believe - is in his chapel, behind the altar, there are scribblings on the wall that are supposedly his from when he designed the room. It's one thing to see his finished works, but it's kind of cool to see these sketchings and remember he was just a guy trying to create these works.

i've never tried it, but Rivoire on piazza della signoria is pretty famous for its chocolate. Can't imagine how much it costs, though!

Don't forget to see his tomb in the Church of Santa Croce!
The whole church is definitely worth a visit; I really enjoyed it.

Hi - I remembered your question and just wanted to let you know that the tourism dept. here has a little pamphlet out called "Michelangelo in Florence". It is really great and has everything you could want - I would look for one in the tourism office across from the Santa Maria Novella train station. Another tourism office is on via Cavour, past the Palazzo Medici. I got mine at the office near Santa Croce - hope you find one!

Thanks, Anthony. I will do that.