Basilica di San Lorenzo

Founded in the late 4th-century, San Lorenzo lays claim to being the oldest church in Florence and once served as its cathedral. The current incarnation dates to the 1420s, when the Medici hired Brunelleschi to spruce up their parish church. The facade may look like a pile of rough-cut stones, but it belies the extraordinary, light-filled interior. The harmonious geometry, quantities of natural light and classical Corinthian columns of pietra serena (soft grey stone) were unlike anything in Christendom. Michelangelo was commissioned to design the facade in 1518, though it was never executed; hence its unfinished appearance. Donatello, who sculpted the church’s two bronze pulpits, is buried in the chapel featuring Fra Filippo Lippi’s Annunciation. Also look for Rosso Fiorentino’s Sposalizio della Vergine (Marriage of the Virgin Mary; 1523), with its handsome young Joseph, and Bronzino’s gruesomely vivid fresco of the martyrdom of Saint Lawrence, the church’s namesake. Left of the altar lies the outstanding Sagrestia Vecchia (Old Sacristy), also designed by Brunelleschi.