‘Secret room' decorated by Michelangelo to open to the public in Italy
A subterranean corridor in Florence covered with charcoal drawings of figures thought to be sketched by Michelangelo while in hiding is be opened to the public for the first time.
Editor's note: Sign up for CNN Travel's Unlocking Italy Newsletter to get insider information on Italy's most popular destinations and lesser known regions. This will help you plan the perfect trip. The narrow space measures 33 feet in length, 10 feet wide and 8 feet high.
The artist is said to have hid for several weeks inside the claustrophobic room in 1530, when Clement VII, a member from the Medici clan who had just returned to power after being kicked out of Florence by a republican regime for which Michelangelo worked, ordered his execution. The drawings may be sketches for future work, such as the legs of a statue in the New Sacristy.
Francesca de Luca said in a press release that 'this place gives today's visitors the opportunity to experience the creation of the myth of the maestro as a divine art'. To preserve the drawings, the space will only be open to a very limited number of people on the 15th November. The maximum number of visitors per week will be 100, with four people in each group. Each visit will last 15 minutes, except on Tuesdays and Sundays. It's located down a narrow staircase and is not accessible for visitors with disabilities or children under 10.
Tickets will cost 20 euros or $21.30. Visitors must also pay entry fees (10 euros) and a reservation fee of 3 euros. Reservations will be accepted until March 30th, as the opening is a test.