Museo di San Marco

Art museum · Le Cure

Museo di San Marco

Art museum · Le Cure

Piazza San Marco, 3, 50121 Firenze FI, Italy

Highlights

Museum with Fra Angelico frescoes in 15th-century convent

Piazza San Marco, 3, 50121 Firenze FI, Italy Get directions

museitoscana.cultura.gov.it

@museodisanmarco

@afar

"Fra Angelico in the Museo di San Marco Housed in the monastery of San Marco, this museum pays homage to the delicate, spiritual work of Fra Angelico who lived and worked here as a monk from 1435-1445. Some of his most celebrated paintings and frescoes are on show here: the famous Annunciation (as reproduced on many a Christmas card) is at the top of the stairs on the first floor and the great Last Judgement alterpiece is in the Pilgrim’s Hospice. He painted frescoes in the corners of the main cloister and also decorated the monks’ tiny cells with the help of his assistants. This is one of my favorite museums in Florence ...don't miss it! Photo by Gianluca Moggi"

The Best Things to Do in Florence

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@cntraveler

16 Best Things to Do in Florence

"Museo di San Marco is set in a beautiful convent designed in the 15th century by architect Michelozzo, a favorite of Cosimo de' Medici. Located in the Oltrarno neighborhood, it feels like it's a secret though it's always been beloved for its standout frescoes. This experience is full-immersion Renaissance: You're stepping into a time capsule. There's no curation, no seasonal exhibits, no pacing—nothing. It's a beautifully preserved convent-cum-museum." - Erica Firpo

https://www.cntraveler.com/galleries/2016-07-01/best-things-to-do-in-florence-italy

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@cntraveler

Museo di San Marco – Museum Review | Condé Nast Traveler

"Zoom out. What’s this place all about? Museo di San Marco is set in a beautiful convent designed in the 15th century by architect Michelozzo, a favorite of Cosimo de' Medici. Located in the Oltrarno neighborhood, it feels like it's a secret though it's always been beloved for its standout frescoes. A museum's permanent collection is its defining feature: What's in this one? The complex has everything you could want: a palazzo, a courtyard, a garden, and cloisters. But the main draw is the series of frescoes and panels painted by Fra Angelico (c.1400-1450), the convent's best-known resident artist. Are there temporary exhibits? This experience is full-immersion Renaissance: You're stepping into a time capsule. There's no curation, no seasonal exhibits, no pacing—nothing. It's a beautifully preserved convent-cum-museum. What did you make of the crowd? It's an all-ages bunch—you'll find yourself standing next to art lovers, Oltrarno residents, and school groups. Any advice for the time- or attention-challenged? The Museo di San Marco can be pared down into an hourlong swing through Fra Angelico's greatest hits. Walk through the first-floor Friars' dormitories for the Annunciation and the cells frescoed by Fra Angelico, then look for the Deposition and San Marco Altarpiece." - Erica Firpo

https://www.cntraveler.com/activities/florence/museo-di-san-marco

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Lev Vilensky

Google

Lovely cloisters and very big historical events. Savonarola - this guy was an asceticism fanatic and religious leader, that ruled Florence 4 years and was burned as a heretic that came against Pope. Very impressive person. Together with Savonarolas camera you can see many medieval monastery's cameras. Art collection is excellent. Тому, кто знаком с именем Савонаролы - обязательно к посещению.

elisabeth mason

Google

Stunning museum with the world’s largest collection of Fra Angelicos! Don’t miss the painted cloisters upstairs!

Jackie Benjamin

Google

Wonderful museum which used to be a monastery with paintings and frescoes by Fra Angélico and his assistants. Absolutely stunning.

Sanjay Thampy

Google

Great experience visiting the museum, good place for knowing the history of Florence

Deborah Tackett

Google

Absolutely one of my favorites, in Florence. Great art and history. Lovely restorations and use of space.

Rtormao

Google

The museum left the best impressions. It does not overload the brain with an excess of works of art that then fade from memory. The main plus is that there are few tourists and you can calmly immerse yourself in the atmosphere of medieval Florence. The main downside is that it closes early, at 13:00 they start escorting visitors out.

Google

Best keep secret on florence , don't miss it. Amazing art and former home to Savonarola

Vienna

Google

Unparalleled charm, absolutely worth seeing, with a subtle and solemn elegance.

Ann L.

Yelp

The entrance is tricky to find, and I wish I could give helpful tips here but honestly we just wandered around the outside of the building until we found it! If you have a FirenzeCard, this is included, which was great since when we arrived they were only open for an hour longer; the closing time was earlier than what was posted on their sign, 2PM rather than 4PM, but hours seem to be variable and limited at many of the smaller museums. We were able to walk around and saw more fabulous art in the time we had; the second floor is worth seeing as well as it is the old "cells" and library. They are not kidding about closing time...at 1:45 they rang bells, started closing windows, and directing people out. Definitely a good stop if you have a FirenzeCard and are looking for a less crowded place to spend a little time.

David F.

Yelp

Museo di San Marco is an easy two-fer after you've seen David at the Accademia: it's located only one block north. It features the work of Fra Angelico, another famous Renaissance artist, in both frescoes and paintings. This museum is definitely worth a visit, and in addition to the paintings, the architecture and courtyard are beautiful. Like us, however, if you have come from the Accademia, unless you have started your day extremely early, you are going to run into a time crunch. Believe it or not, this museum closes at 1:50 PM. As a result, we had to rush through and missed quite a bit - but they are very serious about that closing time. On Saturdays, and selected (not every) Sundays/Mondays they do stay open until 4:50 PM. Not having arrived on that "selected" schedule, much of what this museum had to offer would not be seen by us.

Waris A.

Yelp

This museum is actually a monastery and a lot of the artwork is in what used to be monks' quarters. Some of this artwork is pretty cool, especially the pieces below the floor which can be seen by looking down onto a mirror. I really appreciated seeing the books handwritten in gorgeous calligraphy by the monks. However, I did find the museum to be a little dull, and it was overcrowded with school groups. Unless it has artwork you're particularly interested in, I would say you can skip this museum.

Dale H.

Yelp

What a treat! This is a MUST SEE for anyone who appreciates the work of Renaissance artist Fra Angelico ... and if you are not familiar with Fra Angelico this is a great place to discover his work! This museum is actually a monastery that was built in 1440. It's been very well maintained, and it's gorgeous to wander around, but the highlight is at the top of the steps leading to the monks quarters. There you will find Fra Angelico's 1442 fresco "The Annunciation". It is probably his best known work and it is spectacular to see in person! There are 43 monk's cells on this floor and each one has a fresco by Fra Angelico gracing an interior wall. It was fascinating to step into a tiny cell and try to imagine what it must have been like to call it "home". You can also see the living quarters of the most famous resident monk, Girolamo Savonarola. He was a Dominican Friar who got into politics after the Medici family was run out of town by the invasion of France's Charles VIII. He went mad with power and is famous for burning books and artwork he considered "immoral". It is said that he himself threw a painting by Botticelli on a bonfire! This is the origin of the concept "Bonfire of the Vanities". Eventually, people got sick of this wacko and burned him at the stake at the nearby Piazza della Signoria. This should definitely be a part of your itinerary.

John F.

Yelp

This museum is unlike most others. It is actually the monastery - attached to the church of San Marco - where Fra Angelico lived, along with Savonarola. You can see the latter's cell and memorabilia but the former's frescoes on each monk's cell wall are the spectacular highlight. One of his most famous works, the Annunciation, greets the visitor at the top of the stairs. If you are even remotely interested in early Renaissance art this is an absolute must. There were no lines the day we were there though we were told it sometimes is crowded.

Jordan S.

Yelp

This is an awesome museum, we didn't know how get in so we ended up walking around the back and entering through the back entrance. We then realized once we explored the place that their was a front entrance. We don't know if this place had an admission charge (whoops lmao) but it was pretty cool to see all of it for free. We would have definitely paid money because the museum was really awesome! There is tons of amazing renaissance art to be seen.