9 Places to Find Michelangelo Sculptures in Florence, Italy
Michelangelo left his mark all over Florence. From the marble giant of David to work he abandoned mid-chisel, his sculptures here span nearly his whole career.
This guide takes you to the places you’ll find Michelangelo sculptures in Florence. Most of them are close together, so you can visit them all in a day or two on foot. There’s a map at the end to help you plan your route.
Michelangelo Sculptures in Florence at a Glance
If you want a quick checklist to take with you, I made one. Click the image below, or here, to download a free PDF, no strings attached.
A Short Biography of Michelangelo
Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni was born on 6 March 1475 in Caprese, near Arezzo in Tuscany.
At the tender age of 13, he was apprenticed to Domenico Ghirlandaio, one of Florence’s most successful fresco painters. Six years later, Lorenzo de’Medici took him into the sculpture school in the Medici gardens, then into the Medici household itself.
Lured by prestigious commissions, he spent most of his life in Rome, but he never fully cut ties with Florence. When he died in 1564, his body was brought home and buried in the Basilica di Santa Croce. Giorgio Vasari designed his tomb, with three sculptures for painting, sculpture and architecture.
Where to Find Sculptures by Michelangelo in Florence
1. Santo Spirito Church (Basilica di Santo Spirito)
Michelangelo’s connection with Santo Spirito started with a corpse, not a commission. After his patron Lorenzo de’Medici died, the young sculptor spent time in the church studying anatomy on cadavers, an unusual thing to be doing in the 1490s.
To thank the monks for letting him do this, he carved them a wooden crucifix around 1492. That naked, anatomically precise figure of Christ was striking for its time and still hangs in the church today..
Photography is not permitted inside the chapel. . Check the Basilica di Santo Spirito website before you go, since opening hours can be unpredictable.
2. Bargello Museum
The Bargello Museum is to sculpture what Florence’s Uffizi Gallery is to art. It holds several of Michelangelo’s finest works, and is one of the must-see sights in Florence.
Head to the Bargello Museum’s website for ticket information and opening hours.
Bacchus (1496)
Michelangelo was 21 when he carved the Roman god of wine, one of his earliest major works. Bacchus is unsteady on his feet, a goblet in one hand while a young faun eats the grapes slipping from his grip.
His patron, Cardinal Raffaele Riario, refused to pay for it. The statue ended up instead in the garden of Jacopo Galli, a friend of Michelangelo’s.
Pitti Tondo (1503 – 1504)
This circular marble relief of the Madonna and Child was commissioned by Bartolomeo Pitti as a gift for his son. Mary gazes into the distance while Jesus leans into her, and if you look closely you can just make out John the Baptist in the background.
David-Apollo (1530)
Nobody recorded who this unfinished nude figure was meant to be, so historians still debate whether he is David or Apollo. At 1.46 metres it was commissioned for the private palace of Baccio Valori, governor of Florence under the Medici.
Michelangelo abandoned it and fled to Rome after his patron Pope Clement VII died. The statue later passed into the collection of Duke Cosimo I before arriving in the Boboli Gardens in 1824.
Look at how the use of contours and twisting allows multiple aspects of the body to be seen from a single angle.
Brutus (1540)
This marble bust of Brutus demonstrates Michelangelo’s mastery of capturing the finest details of human expression. It’s one of my favourite Italian statues.
This marble bust captures a man in conflict. Brutus was one of the assassins of Julius Caesar, a man who had also been his friend and mentor.
Look at him in profile and he seems calm, almost heroic. Turn to face him head on and he appears downright sinister, filled with disdain and hate.
3. Accademia Gallery (Galleria dell’Accademia di Firenze)
The Galleria dell’Accademia di Firenze, known as simply the Accademia, is an essential addition to any Florence itinerary. Although it is world-famous as the home of Michelangelo’s David, his other sculptures here are also compelling.
Head to the Accademia’s website for ticket information and opening hours.
David (1501 – 1504)
His most famous sculpture barely needs an introduction. Standing 14 feet tall and weighing six tonnes, David spent 350 years guarding the entrance to the Palazzo Vecchio before he was moved here.
I’ve written a full guide to visiting the David statue with tips on tickets and timing, so I won’t repeat it all here.
The Prisoners (1516 – 1534)
This sculptural group was commissioned by Pope Julius II for his tomb, then scaled back and left unfinished when the project shrank. The four figures, Young Slave, Bearded Slave, Awakening Slave and Bound Slave, look as though they’re still trying to break free of the stone.
Michelangelo’s chisel marks are still visible, which makes these some of the most important pieces in Florence for understanding how he worked.
St. Matthew (1506 – 1507)
Standing 271 cm tall, this unfinished figure was destined for a choir niche in Florence Cathedral, one of a group of all the Apostles. However, Michelangelo abandoned work on it when he was summoned to Rome.
St. Matthew emerges from the stone, looking more like a relief than a statue. Like The Prisoners, this sculpture gives us a tantalising glimpse into the technique of Michelangelo.
Palestrina Pietà (1555)
Some scholars doubt this pietà is entirely his own work, but most agree Michelangelo carved it, likely with help from students. It was his third pietà, after an earlier one now in St Peter’s Basilica in Rome.
4. The Medici Chapels (Cappelle Medicee)
In 1519, Michelangelo was commissioned to build burial chapels for the Medici. Cappelle Medicee comprise two structures: The New Sacristy (Sagrestia Nuova) and the Chapel of the Princes (Capella dei Principi).
Inside the New Sacristy, he carved Night and Day, Dawn and Dusk, and figures of Lorenzo and Giuliano de’Medici.
The New Sacristy is also home to Michelangelo’s Medici Madonna, made for a monument to Lorenzo the Magnificent and his brother Giuliano.
5. Palazzo Vecchio
Palazzo Vecchio was the Town Hall of Renaissance Florence, before Cosimo I de’Medici turned it into his lavish palace.
Buy a ticket to and head for the Hall of Five Hundred to find Michelangelo’s Genius of Victory, carved around 1532 for the tomb of Pope Julius II.
This was the last sculpture Michelangelo finished in Florence. Once it was done, he packed his bags for Rome for good.
Visit Palazzo Vecchio’s website for ticket information and opening hours.
6. Duomo Museum (Museo dell’Opera del Duomo)
The tranquil Opera del Duomo Museum is home to one of my favourite Michelangelo sculptures in Florence, the Bandini Pietà.
Visit the Opera del Duomo Museum’s website for ticket information and opening hours.
Bandini Pietà (1547 – 1555)
I defy you not to be moved by Michelangelo’s penultimate sculpture, carved this for his own tomb.
Also called The Deposition, it shows three figures tending to the body of Christ: Mary, Mary Magdalene and Nicodemus, though some say the third figure is Joseph of Arimathea.
Look at Nicodemus and you’re looking at Michelangelo himself. He modelled the face on his own. By the time he carved this, he was an old man facing his own mortality.
7. Piazza della Signoria
If you can’t visit the Accademia, you can see one or both of the fake Davids in town, just a few of the fabulous free sculptures in Florence. One occupies the statue’s original spot, guarding the entrance to Palazzo Vecchio.
The bonus Michelangelo artwork in Piazza della Signoria is one of the more unusual things to see in Florence. If you look carefully at the wall to the right of the entrance to Palazzo Vecchio, you’ll spot a rough carving of a man’s face.
According to Florentine legend, this piece of early street art may be the work of Michelangelo. Known as L’importuno di Michelangelo or Michelangelo’s Graffiti, it bears a striking resemblance to his drawing of a face in the Louvre Museum in Paris.
8. Piazzale Michelangelo
A second bronze copy of David stands high above the city in Piazzale Michelangelo, one of Florence’s best viewpoints. I’ve written a full guide to the piazzale if you want the practical details on getting there and the best time for photos.
9. Casa Buonarroti
Michelangelo never lived here, but his family did, and today the house displays two of his earliest surviving works. The Madonna della Scala and the Battle of the Centaurs are both marble reliefs, carved while he was still a teenager training in the Medici gardens.
They’re rougher and less assured than his later work, which is exactly what makes them worth seeing. You can watch him finding his style.
Check the Casa Buonarroti website for opening hours, since they vary by season.
Map of Where to Find Michelangelo Sculptures in Florence
If you find it helpful to map things out, here’s one I prepared earlier. For an interactive map, click here or on the image itself.
Have a fabulous time following in the footsteps of Michelangelo in Florence. If you want to learn more about the great man, here is my pick of the best books about Michelangelo.
Here are my top tips for seeing the David statue in Florence. Finally, if you are an art lover looking for other things to do in Florence, take a look at a few of my other Florence art guides:
- 20 Famous Paintings in the Uffizi Gallery That You Will Love
- Where to Find Fabulous Free Sculptures in Florence
By Bridget
Bridget Coleman is an award-winning travel blogger who is an incurable Italy addict and has travelled its length & breadth on multiple occasions. Find out more here.
To get in touch, email her at hello@flashpackingitaly.com