Medici Chapels
The Cappelle Medicee (Medici Chapel) is located in the Cathedral of San Lorenzo in Florence.
The private chapel was built for the renown Florentine family Medici in the early 1500's primarily as a private resting place for its members.
Michelangelo was called in by then Cardinal Giulio de'Medici, later to become Pope Clement VII, for the project of the Sacrestia Nuova, (New Sacristy)and worked on it from 1520 up to 1534 when he left for Rome. He was however able to finish the tombs for Lorenzo and Giuliano de' Medici, considered a sculptural masterpiece of the Italian Renaissance period. The project was left unfinished and was continued by Giorgio Vasari another great Italian architect, in 1546.
The Chapel was initially projected to provide for the tombs of Lorenzo il Magnifico, of his brother Giuliano de' Medici, of Lorenzo the Duke of Urbino (Piero's son, the eldest son of Lorenzo) and of Giuliano the Duke of Nemours (the third son of the Magnifico): the two Magnificents and the two Capitani but in the end only the tombs of the Capitani were completed. Along with the tombs, the New Sacristy contains such remarkable sculptures entitled; Night, Day, Dawn Twilight, and the Medici Madonna.
Later, in the early 17th century, Cappella dei Principe (Chapel of the Princes), domed octagonal hall where the grand dukes of the family, was added.

Basilica of San Lorenzo
The Basilica of San Lorenzo is one of the largest and oldest churches in the historical center Florence. It holds the famous Medici Chapel, monument and sepulchral to the deceased members of the once powerful Medici family. Said to have been consecrated around the year 393, it was once the official seat of the bishop. It was rebuilt according to a Romanesque design in 1060. In 1419, plans for a new San Lorenzo were made in order to replace the existing 11th century church.
The new design was done by Fillip Brunelleschi but the church was completed after his death in 1446 but construction dragged on nonetheless until a good part of the church was finalized in time for the visit of Pope Pius II to Florence in 1459.
Building however continued and Brunelleschi's original design was altered various times. The Old sacristy, the oldest part of the church and the only part to have been finished in Brunelleschi's lifetime, contains the remains of some of the older members of the Medici family.
The new sacristy was designed by Michelangelo along with the facades done in white marble by Michelangelo as well. Inside the church one can admire numerous works of art by famous artists of the time including Donatello and Bronzino. The antique Laurentian Library, also designed by Michelangelo, is found on the left of the church and conserves a fine collection of books and manuscripts of the Medici family.
The famous Market place of the same name; San Lorenzo, is found in the same proximity and offers its visitors an array of genuine Florentine souvenirs and much more.

Church of Santa Maria del Fiore
The Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore was designed by Arnolfo Di Cambio in around 1294 to replace the old Santa Rpearata, giving the people of Florence and newer and much larger church to accommodate the ever growing population. In fact, at the time the church was completed over 100 years later, it was the biggest church in Europe.
Giotto's famous bell tower was begun in 1334 and the project was carried out after his death in 1337 by Andrea Pisano and his collaborators.
The most monumental part of the church was yet to done; Brunelleschi's Dome.
The Dome took over 25 years to be completed and in 1436, the cathedral was consecrated by Pope Eugenius IV.
Over 100 years later in 1587, the façade of the cathedral was demolished and left unfinished until 1887 when Emilio De Fabris finished it, after 10 years of construction. Some 10 years later again, the huge bronze doors that we see on the church today, were added.
There are many things to be admired both outside and inside the church of Santa Maria del Fiore like the paneling in the sacrity done by Benedetto and Giuliano da Maiano, reliefs of the Resurrection and Ascension above the sacristy doors done by Luca della Robbia, and frescoes of The Last Judgement in the interior of the dome done by Giorgio Vasari, These are just to name a few for other important pieces have been moved to the nearby museum of the Duomo including (heads of a prophet and a sibyl done by Donatello.

Palazzo Pitti
Construction on Pitti Palace began in 1458, when Luca Pitti, a prominent Florentine citizen and bunker, decided to build a palace that would be bigger and better of that of his famous friend Cosimo dei Medici. There have been disputes on who the architects were but the style was more Roman than Florentine.
The palace took years to build and was not yet completed at the time of Luca Pitti's death in 1472. Years later, in 1549, Pitti Palace was sold to the wife of Cosimo dei Medici; Eleonora di Toledo by a descendant of Luca Pitti.
Not long after, around 1564, the palace was enlarged and the famous Vasari corridor was built. The Vasari corridor, an above ground walkway which led from the Uffizi Palace to Pitti Palace passing over Ponte Vecchio, was designed to offer a protected passage from one building to another without having to go outside.
The corridor is lined with paintings from the 16th and 20th century and includes self-portraits of many of the painters themselves. This private collection is now open to the public and can be seen on appointment.
Pitti Palace also contains several galleries and museums that include; the Palatine Gallery which holds pieces by famous artists like Raphael, Titian, Correggio, Rubens, and Pietro da Cortona, the Silver and Porcelain museums where one can admire both jewelery and figurines, the Gallery of Modern Art which includes pieces of art from 1700 to 1900 falling under the category of "modern age", or the period preceding WWII, the costume Gallery displaying clothing and accessories including theatrical costumes, and the Carriages Museum that contains exhibits of carriages and other conveyances used by the grand ducal court mainly in the late 18th and 19th century.