Museum of San Marco — Beachcomber Pete Travel Adventures

Centre District, Florence, Italy

If you are a visitor to Florence, Italy you must be certain to spend some time in the Centre District. Many of the city’s most impressive sights are here in the center of the city, and you won’t want to miss the opportunity to see them for yourself. Conveniently, the district is not very spread-out, so you can see several fantastic landmarks within just a few blocks of each other. If you have only a day to spend in Florence, this would be an excellent place to spend it since you will be able to see so much in such a short time.

The Cathedral, otherwise known as the Duomo, is found in the center of Florence, along with the baptistry. Its proper title in English is the Basilica of Saint Mary of the Flower, and the cathedral reflects that lovely name. Along with the richly ornamental doors and the finely sculptured marble walls, the cathedral boasts 44 gorgeous stained glass windows created in the 1300s and 1400s. Construction on the cathedral began more than seven centuries ago, and several noted artists and architects had a hand in the design of this beautiful building whose golden dome towers over central Florence.

The Cathedral Square, or Piazza del Duomo, also includes the beautiful spectacle of Giotto’s Bell Tower, a splendid example of Gothic architecture, and the Museum of the Works of the Cathedral, which houses magnificent works of art connected with the cathedral, including the handiwork of Michaelangelo and Donatello. With its rich history, this is a definite must-see for any art enthusiast.

Another impressive sight in this district of Florence is the Ponte Vecchio, which is the bridge that stands over the Arno River. In addition to its structural beauty, which dates back to medieval times, the bridge is notable because it is lined with shops. While many bridges of that time were similarly lined with shops, that is not the case for many bridges that stand today, so it’s especially fun to wander these stores and buy the art, jewelry and souvenirs that is sold inside of them.

If you are planning a visit to Florence and looking for accommodation in the Centre District or all over the city, check out Oh-Florence where you can find a huge selection of apartments to suit your every need. Clearly, this central portion of Florence has a great deal to offer any visitor with a deep and abiding interest in art, culture and history, and its magnificence is such that it is likely to foster such an appreciation in others as well.

Museum of San Marco, Florence Italy

San Marco is a religious center in Florence, Italy. It contains both a church and a convent that is now a museum. The complex is noted for several reasons. Two celebrated Dominicans, the priest, Girolamo Savonarola, and the painter, Fra Angelico, both resided there. Michelozzo constructed a library that contains a well-known collection of manuscripts.

The current convent is on the location of a Vallombrosan monastery of the 12th century. After the Benedictine monks took over, the Dominicans assumed control of the location in 1435. They asked Cosimo de Medici the Elder for money to restore the site. Michelozzo renovated and expanded the building in a Renaissance design, including the cloister and library. The latter room was one of Lorenzo the Magnificent’s preferred location to meet with the humanists of Florence. Fra Angelico and other painters, including Benozzo Bozzoli, painted works in each of the monk’s cells. Cosimo de Medici retained a cell at the convent for his refuge. The Dominicans consecrated the convent in 1443.

The museum provides visitors with a well-preserved example of a convent from the 15th century. Bruschellescha’s improvements encouraged the design. Fra Angelico, a Dominican monk, worked along with Michelozzo and his students to create the frescoes found in the refectory, the cloister, the almshouse and the cells of the monks on the first floor. The Crucifixion painted in the Chapter House is one of the most celebrated frescoes. Some of the frescoes painted in the cells are the Annunciation, the Noli me tangere and the Three Maries at the Tomb. The earlier works of Angelico are the panel paintings in the Refectory as well as reredos that presented the Last Judgment and the Deposition with settings of the Tuscan hills. The museum also displays a Ghirlandaio fresco of the Last Supper and paintings by Fra Bartolomeo, who lived at the convent at the start of the 1400s.

The Library contains a collection of illuminated manuscripts produced in the convent. Visitors can view cells that were occupied by Savonarola and Cosimo the Elder.

The visitor’s area and the room underground display of artifacts that were preserved when the Dominicans lost control of the convent. The first incident was in 1808 at the time of the Napoleonic wars, and then in 1866 when the state assumed ownership.

Centre District, Florence, Italy

Museum of San Marco, Florence Italy

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