Santa Maria Novella Basilica Tour

We will visit the church of Santa Maria Novella, a gothic basilica in Florence with beautiful frescoes by Ghirlandaio and Masaccio, and its Officina Farmaceutica.

The cycle of frescoes dedicated to the life of Mary and St. John the Baptist by Ghirlandaio is a brilliant composition which mirrors Florentine life in the late 15th century; the frescoes are like tableaux vivants and many of the figures portrayed lived at the same time of the artist. Another important masterpiece housed in the church is the The Holy Trinity, painted by Masaccio in 1426. The fresco represents God the Father supporting Jesus with the Holy Spirit, depicted as a dove. The amazing tromp l’oeil setting of The Trinity was recreated by Masaccio thanks to a proportionate and accurate depiction of a real place, a technique which takes inspiration from Brunelleschi’s pioneering method to recreate the illusion of a realistic area.

Do not miss the visit to the old Pharmacy of Santa Maria Novella, one of the oldest Pharmacies in the world set up by the Dominican friars shortly after 1221, the year of their arrival in Florence. In the garden, the friars grew the herbs that they used to prepare medications, balms and creams for the monastery's small infirmary. In 1612 the Pharmacy was opened to the public and herbal secrets of the friars became internationally renowned. The essences, as well as many famous and highly requested perfumes, pomades, spirits and liqueurs are still prepared similarly to the original formulas developed in the 1500s for Caterina de’ Medici.