- Duration
- 3.5 hours
- Location
- Florence
- Visits Casa Buonarroti, Bargello and Accademia Gallery, including Michelangelo's Statue of David
- Led by an art historian
- Casa Buonarroti, Museo del Bargello, Accademia Gallery, Michelangelo's David, and Michelangelo's Bacchus
This tour is designed to give us a chance to explore in-depth the work and artistic legacy of Michelangelo, whose impact on the Florentine Renaissance and art history in general cannot be overstated. We’ll begin at the Casa Buonarroti, a house purchased by the artist for his family, now converted into a small museum of drawings and early sculptures. Here, in this relatively unknown museum, we will spend some time laying out the important themes that resonate through his work. Next, we move to the Bargello Museum, a former Medieval-era prison, which contains one of the most important sculpture collections in the world. We’ll pick through the vast holdings to view several of Michelangelo's works, including the Bacchus. We will also spend some time with the works of other, related artists, in order to try to develop the context that surrounded Michelangelo's work.
Lastly, we will move on to the Galleria dell'Accademia, which houses Michelangelo's masterpiece and consummate symbol of the Florentine Renaissance, the Statue of David. As we bask in its aura, we’ll examine this important statue and related works and wrap up our tour by discussing Michelangelo's later career in Rome, culminating in the painting of the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican.
FAQ
Molly holds an MA in Italian literature from the University of Wisconsin-Madison where she completed her PhD coursework and exams with a specialization in Renaissance and Early Modern periods. She spent a year in Venice as an undergraduate while at the University of California-Santa Cruz and afterwards worked in Siena for two years for the University of California Education Abroad Program. She later went to graduate school and, after finishing her studies in Madison, found herself back in Venice once again for another year, this time conducting archival research for her doctoral dissertation. She has remained in Italy ever since, has taught courses in Renaissance history in Florence, and is a licensed tour guide of Florence and its province.
Born and raised in Florence, Alessandra has a degree in art history from the University of Florence with a specialization in seventeenth-century painting. She obtained an Masters from the European University Institute in Florence, where she defended her Ph.D. in history, focusing on the patronage of Tuscan nobility in Europe during the seventeenth century. In addition, she holds a diploma in archival administration, paleography, and diplomatics from the State Archive in Florence. She has been teaching art history and Italian culture for several years in various schools and institutions in Florence and across Italy.
After a well-traveled childhood, Martino completed a Ph.D in philosophy at Cornell University. He then taught philosophy for a few years in the States before returning to Italy. Here, he teaches college courses in ethics, Italian culture, and history at various study-abroad programs. He has lectured at the British Institute in Florence on contemporary moral topics. Teaching rekindled his interest in Dante and "The Divine Comedy," as well as the controversy between Galileo's astronomy and the Church. Martino lives in the countryside with his wife and their too many dogs.
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