Casino Mediceo di San Marco

The Casino Mediceo di San Marco is a Renaissance palazzo tucked between Via Cavour and Via San Gallo in Florence's northern historic center. In the late 15th century Lorenzo de' Medici — il Magnifico — established it as a sculpture garden and informal academy where young artists could study ancient works firsthand. The young Michelangelo Buonarroti is said to have trained here, caught the eye of Lorenzo himself, and was effectively taken under Medici patronage as a result. Today the building houses a regional public prosecutor's office and is largely closed to the public. It carries no tourist signage to speak of, making it one of the most overlooked Medici sites in a city saturated with them.