Let yourself be transported to one of the most fascinating places in Florence, where every stone tells eight centuries of history, art and faith.
The Monumental Complex of Santa Maria Novella includes the majestic Basilica and the adjacent Civic Museum housed in the cloisters of the former convent and the rooms adjacent to them, including the Spanish Chapel, the Ubriachi Chapel and the imposing Refectory which displays a selection of splendid sacred vestments and furnishings from the Basilica’s treasury.
Built in the thirteenth century and expanded over the centuries, this Dominican complex still houses unique masterpieces, such as the Crucifix painted by Giotto, the Trinity by Masaccio, the Crucifix sculpted by Brunelleschi and a cycle of frescoes in the Green Cloister illustrating the Stories of Genesis, including in particular the famous depiction of the Flood by Paolo Uccello.
On April 17, 2017, three new areas of the complex officially became part of the museum: the magnificent Great Cloister, the North Dormitory and the Pope’s Chapel.
The guided tour of Santa Maria Novella is a unique experience that will make you discover the true soul of Florence.
Santa Maria Novella with guide: Florenceforanyone tours
With my guide in Santa Maria Novella you will be able to visit silent cloisters, frescoed chapels and majestic rooms, discovering secrets and stories that only an expert guide can tell.
Discover the guided tours organized by Florenceforanyone and get ready for a journey through centuries of art history, where the greatest masters of the Renaissance left their indelible mark.
Visit Santa Maria Novella: route and duration of the visit
The tour begins with the external description of the Basilica.
We will focus, in particular, on the Renaissance-style cladding with bichromatic marble slabs and the various extensions carried out over the centuries.
We will then head inland where you can admire Gothic elements of Cistercian architecture, the cross ceiling, the stained glass windows of the 14th and 15th centuries and, in front of the main altar, at a height of almost 5 meters, Giotto’s Crucifix hangs majestic.
Along the two naves on the right and left there are important altars, partly made by Brunelleschi. The chapels on the right and left of the Maggiore, the latter with frescoes by Domenico Ghirlandaio and Michelangelo and the beautiful Crucifix by Giambologna, belong to important families of Renaissance Florence. The chapels are all frescoed by illustrious artists mainly from the 1500s and inside one of them hangs Brunelleschi’s Crucifix.
Along the internal naves you can admire two pipe organs, the largest one from the 14th century. Adjacent to the central body of the Basilica is the Sacristy built starting from 1380. Inside there is a marble and glazed terracotta washbasin by Giovanni della Robbia from the 1400s.
The Green Cloister, built after 1350, has frescoes by Paolo Uccello “on the green ground” with scenes from Genesis.
On the northern side of the cloister there is the Cappellone degli Spagnoli dating back to 1300, where you can admire a beautiful cycle of frescoes from the 1300s depicting the Dominicans engaged in the fight against heresy.
From the Green Cloister you enter the Refectory where you can admire an oil painting on canvas with the Last Supper of 1500 by Alessandro Allori.
This guided tour lasts 2 hours in which we will see:
- external description of the Basilica
- Internal description
- side chapels of the Main Chapel
- Green Cloister
- Cappellone degli Spagnoli
The stages will be:
- external description of the Basilica
- Internal description
- side chapels of the Main Chapel
- Green Cloister
- Cappellone degli Spagnoli
