Michelangelo – Man, Myth, Genius

Extended Description

Who hasn’t heard of Michelangelo? But who really knows why he’s so famous? Learn about the man and genius behind the myth. Be one of the few to really “get” it on an exploration of his life and works, all led by a guide who’s a master… on the master himself!
 
You can’t understand anyone, of course, without knowing how they grew up. Hear stories from Michelangelo’s childhood, and learn how he burst onto the art scene while he was just a kid, in the comfort of the master’s own home: Casa Buonarroti. More than just a house, Casa Buonarroti also holds many of Michelangelo’s most intimate pieces, including the sketches and models that show the process behind the product (and that—we promise—he would not have wanted you to see!). Best of all? It has two of his earliest pieces, the Battle of the Centaurs and Madonna of the Steps. Both are extraordinary… and both were done when he was only a teen.
 
As well as a genius, Michelangelo was known for being, well, a man—and a somewhat crabby and difficult man, at that! Take in the promise of his pieces while learning about his flaws, including his seeming inability to finish projects, at the Medici Chapels of the Basilica of San Lorenzo. Here is where Michelangelo designed one of Florence’s most major architectural works of the 1520s, a series of tombs for the Medici family… but never completed them. Still, it’s difficult not to be awed at what he did do, including his seminal Dawn, Dusk, Night, and Day sculptures. They’re some of the most important pieces in Florence—but to many tourists, remain hidden in plain sight! Be one of the few to not only see these pieces, but appreciate them, as your guide brings it all to life.
 
No tour to get to know Michelangelo would be complete, though, without a visit to Michelangelo’s own tomb. It’s located, fittingly, in the Church of Santa Croce, a beautiful church that boasts masterpieces by many artists who inspired Michelangelo and laid the groundwork for his creations, including frescoes by Giotto, a design by Brunelleschi, and sculptures by Donatello.

Surrounded by the works of Michelangelo’s de facto mentors, standing just feet away from the man himself, we dare you not to be moved… and not to feel in your bones that Michelangelo, despite his fame, was so much more than a myth.