Michelangelo’s room – come 2020, Florence will allow visitations in this secret chamber

Art aficionados could be in for a surprise in Florence, Italy. The city known for its art galleries and imposing structures, is now ready to open a secret chamber which supposedly belonged to Michelangelo, artist of the High Renaissance. The chamber is of course filled with sketches, and is hidden beneath the Medici Chapels, in Basilica di San Lorenzo. It was discovered almost 42 years ago.
The room was discovered in 1975, by Paolo Dal Poggetto, who was the then director of Medici Chapels Museum. It happened that he was searching for new exit routes for visitors, and then chanced upon a trapdoor under a wardrobe. This led to a fascinating revelation, one that should be open to public by 2020. The room had sketches on its walls, etched in charcoal and chalk, and bears the style of artist. However, these works are unsigned, and cannot be truly attributed to Michelangelo.


What Dal Poggeto had to say about it was that perhaps, Michelangelo took shelter inside this chamber in 1530 in order to hide from the Medici family during a revolt. History suggests that the artist sided with Florentines during the uprising against the Medici family, and hence when the family was back in power, he went into hiding. Hence, interested visitors have the opportunity to learn about the artist’s life. The drawings include details from Michelangelo’s works, the statue of David, and figures from the famed Sistine Chapel, and this led to the suspicion that the room indeed belonged to the artist for a brief period of time.

Florence, the historical city, is all about art and culture, and the Medici Chapels are the two most imposing structures here. They were built in 16th and 17th centuries, and were intended for the Medici family.

You can now enter the chapels at a starting price of 7 Euros, while children and students can enter for free. The room that will open in 2020 is going through immense work in order to make it safe for visitors. As of now, it is being said that only a small number of tourists would be allowed to enter at a time.