The powerful Medici family commissioned Brunelleschi to design the Florentine basilica of San Lorenzo in the 1400s. Today the Medici Chapels (Cappelle Medicee) are what most visitors come to see. The New Sacristy houses tombs carved by Michelangelo to depict the reclining figures of Night and Day and Dawn and Dusk. The ornate domed Chapel of the Princes contrasts with colorful marble and semiprecious stone and is filled with carved niches, statues, and armorial plaques.
The Medici Chapels are among the most popular attractions in the city, and booking a Medici Chapels tour that includes skip-the-line entrance tickets to the chapels and crypts is essential to avoid the entrance lines. Many Florence sightseeing walking tours and shore excursions also visit highlights such as Uffizi Gallery, Accademia Gallery (Galleria dell'Accademia), and Piazzale Michelangelo.