Florence  (Tuscany): pop. 493,000 [ MAP ] 

Santa Maria Novella's Basilica dates back to 1360. It is characterized by a white and green Romanesque-Gothic façade.

The interior is divided into a nave and two aisles and it is rich in works of art such as the “Trinity” by Masaccio, the frescoes by Lippi and Ghirlandaio, the “Miracle of Jesus” by Bronzino, the tomb of Filippo Strozzi (1491) by Benedetto da Maiano; Vasari’s “Madonna of the Rosary” (1568); the Giotto’s Crucifix; and that of Brunelleschi; other nice works by Orcagna and Ghiberti.

Adjacent to the Church is the Museum of Santa Maria Novella with a splendid cloister frescoed by Paolo Uccello, with “Scenes from Old Testament”

Must see:

• The beautiful facade of inlaid black and white marble
• The Spanish Chapel or chapter house (1350-55)
• The convent Refectory (1353) and the great pointed bell-tower in Romanesque-Gothic style (1330)
• The interior of the Basilica which contains a series of works by Giotto, Andrea Orcagna, Brunelleschi, Ghiberti, Benedetto da Maiano, Masaccio, Domenico Ghirlandaio and Filippino Lippi.
• The frescoes inside the Cloisters by Paolo Uccello and the Florentine school of the 13th and 15th century.