After failing in our visa extension, we consoled ourselves at the weirdest church in Florence, San Lorenzo. This is the oldest church in the city, founded in 393, and served as Florence's cathedral for three hundred years. It was also the parish church of the Medici who showered art and treasure on the church. The airy, somber interior of the main church was designed by Brunelleschi (the guy who lost the Duomo bronze door competition but designed its dome).

One aspect of its weirdness can be seen from the aerial view. The church sprawls in all directions, but importantly, the huge dome that dominates the church is in fact a separate building, the Medici chapel used only for the family. Its out of control interior can be seen in the marble drenched photo below. It's also got elaborate Medici tombs designed by Michelanelo. The other weird aspect is that, despite its over the top interior, they forgot to put a face on the church. Michelangelo (again) designed a facade, but somehow they never got around to building it. So it greets the world with one of the ugliest exteriors of any building in Italy.