I joined the school trip to San Lorenzo. I’ve been twice already this vacation but it is always interesting to listen to someone else’s observations and thoughts.

Silvia B seems to be the school’s art historian. She explained how the Medici were immigrants to Florence, having moved from Mugello, and established themselves in the San Lorenzo neighbourhood.

The Medici Ricardi villa, the first Medici home, is kitty corner to the church of San Lorenzo.

Inside, we started with the Capella dei Principi, the chapel of the princes, meaning the dukes of the Medici family, which started with Cosimo, who after becoming duke in 1537, became grand duke in 1569. As close a title to prince as possible when there was no king. And as Silvia said, he was the last Medici who used his power and wealth to accomplish things. His descendants mostly enjoyed the life of the idle rich.

The chapel was begun by Ferdinando I, great grandson of Cosimo I, but it was never finished and therefore the empty niches and tombs.

Silvia focussed on the smaller mosaic works along the bottom of the walls which show the symbols of different cities in Tuscany.

We then looked at Michelangelo’s Sagrestia Nuova (new sacristy).

The work was commissioned by Pope Leo X, formerly Giovanni Medici, in memory of his brother Giuliano and his nephew, Lorenzo. They are not to be confused with Lorenzo Il Magnifico (who was Leo X’s father) and Giuliano, who was Lorenzo Il Magnifico’s brother murdered in the Pazzi conspiracy. The Medici family used the same names (Cosimo, Lorenzo, Giuliano, Ferdinando) repeatedly and unhelpfully for remembering who was who.

The sacristy is also unfinished because Michelangelo went into hiding during the political upheavals in Florence during the early 1530s and eventually left the city for Rome.

For my taste, I much prefer Michelangelo’s sacristy to the Princes’ chapel.

Silvia also talked about Gian Gastone, the last grand duke and second last Medici. His marriage was arranged to a woman he despised and who also despised him. They never had children. Gian Gastone’s sister would not inherit the title, but he arranged for her to inherit the Medici property and as she had no surviving family, gifted it to the city of Florence. Gian Gastone is buried in San Lorenzo under an unmarked slab.