Masaccio's Trinity and the world's oldest pharmacy still in business
The Dominican basilica of Santa Maria Novella, a few steps from the station that bears its name, has one of the most harmonious façades of the Renaissance, completed by Leon Battista Alberti in green and white marble.
Inside is Masaccio's Holy Trinity (around 1427), the first painting to use mathematical perspective, which made viewers believe a real chapel had been carved into the wall. There are also Giotto's crucifix, the Tornabuoni chapel frescoed by Domenico Ghirlandaio, with Florentine ladies of the time in the scenes, and the Green Cloister by Paolo Uccello.
Tip: around the corner, the Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella, founded by the friars in the thirteenth century and officially opened in 1612, sells perfumes, liqueurs and remedies in frescoed rooms.
Where it is
More things to see in Tuscany
Where to stay near Florence
Tours and activities nearby
Offers from GetYourGuide. Some links are affiliate links: if you book we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.