This chapel is in the Palazzo Medic Riccardi, one of the many Medici palaces that dot Florence. I had seen this painting in books, but nothing could prepare me for the visceral impact of seeing it in person.
The “Journey of the Magi” wraps around almost the entire chapel. This fresco is among my favorite Renaissance works for its color, subject mater and intricate detail, and I never dreamed to see it outside of an art book. And yet, here I am, just inches from it. It brings me to tears almost immediately.
Painted between 1459-61 by Benozzo di Lese (who also collaborated with Ghiberti on “The Gates of Paradise”), it portrays a processional celebrating the Christian Epiphany, with the Magi and their retinue represented as the members of the Medici family and other notables of the time.
At the end of this exhibit there’s an interactive display that displays a smaller version on an IMAX screen. When you stand on the sensor and physically point to areas on the screen, it zooms in and provides text detail for that section of the painting. I was there for about 45 minutes, just pointing and reading. Afterwards, I could identify each of the faces in this work, but sadly, those notes, as well as my notes from the rest of this palazzo, have disappeared from my original journals.
The exterior of this palazzo is filled with sculptures by various artists, set among richly decorated archways and niches in the courtyard. Again, my notes have gone missing but the photos and my memories remain …
- This is an addition to my original travel journal. The rest of my original journals for this trip are housed at AugustPhoenixHats.com.
Ceiling in the Ball Room 
The mirror is painted as though it were a canvas 
A beautiful doorknob 
Statuary in the courtyard 
The courtyard 
A pedestal in the courtyard 
A fabulous carved beast on an urn 
Citrus trees line the entrance to the palazzo
