# Santa Maria Novella, Florence > Santa Maria Novella is the Dominican basilica beside Florence's main station, with a beautiful marble façade by Alberti. Inside are Masaccio's Trinity, among the first paintings in true perspective, Giotto's crucifix and Ghirlandaio's frescoes, while the monastery has cloisters and a famous historic pharmacy. Entry is paid; allow about an hour. Web page: https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/santa-maria-novella - City: [Florence](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence), Italy - YesGo score: 48/100 (Yes, if nearby) - Time on site: 1 h - With kids: Fine with kids - Entry: Paid, basilica plus cloister museum - Opening hours: Daily, Sunday from early afternoon - Highlights: Masaccio, Giotto, Ghirlandaio, cloisters - Pharmacy: Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica — free to enter - Time needed: About an hour - Location: By Santa Maria Novella station, 2 minutes - Coordinates: 43.77430, 11.24937 - Facts checked: 11.11.2026 ## Key facts - **13th–14th c.** — the Dominicans built the basilica (source: English Wikipedia) - **1458–1470** — Leon Battista Alberti completed the façade (source: English Wikipedia) - **c. 1427** — Masaccio painted the Trinity fresco (source: English Wikipedia) - **Giotto** — his early crucifix hangs mid-nave (source: English Wikipedia) - **1612** — the monastery pharmacy opened — still trading (source: English Wikipedia) ## A short history The **Dominicans** built the basilica in the 13th and 14th centuries. The lower façade is Gothic, with striped white and green marble arches; the upper part was completed in **1458–1470** by **Leon Battista Alberti**, the Renaissance architectural theorist, who married old and new with a classical pediment and great side volutes later copied by hundreds of churches across Europe. Wealthy families — the Tornabuoni, Strozzi and Rucellai — built chapels and hired the finest painters, making Santa Maria Novella a museum of painting from Giotto to Ghirlandaio; it also gave its name to the square and the city's main station. ## The masterpieces On the left aisle wall is **Masaccio**'s **Trinity** of about 1427, one of the first paintings built on **linear perspective** — a deep vaulted chapel seems to open in the wall, and contemporaries flocked to see the illusion. A large painted **crucifix by Giotto**, an early work, hangs in the middle of the nave. Behind the high altar, the **Tornabuoni Chapel** has **Domenico Ghirlandaio**'s frescoes of the lives of the Virgin and John the Baptist, acted out by 15th-century Florentines in fine dress; the young **Michelangelo** trained in his workshop at the time. Nearby is the Strozzi Chapel with frescoes by Filippino Lippi. ## What to see - **Masaccio's Trinity** — the Renaissance's first perspective. - **Giotto's crucifix** — suspended mid-nave. - **Tornabuoni Chapel** — Ghirlandaio's frescoes. - **Strozzi Chapel** — Filippino Lippi's frescoes. - **The Green Cloister** — Paolo Uccello's frescoes. - **The Spanish Chapel** — vast 14th-century frescoes. > **The historic pharmacy** Round the corner on Via della Scala is the Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella, one of the world's oldest pharmacies, opened by the monks in 1612. Its frescoed rooms sell perfumes, soaps and herbal tonics from old recipes; entry is free, and the interiors and scents alone are worth it. ## The cloisters The ticket also opens the monastery **museum**: the **Green Cloister**, named after the greenish Genesis frescoes by **Paolo Uccello**, and the **Spanish Chapel**, a chapter house painted top to bottom in the 14th century with the triumph of the Dominican order and a view of Florence with the cathedral still under construction. It's cool and peaceful after the busy station square, where two marble obelisks on bronze turtles once marked a chariot-race course. ## How to get there 1. From **Santa Maria Novella** station, 2 minutes across the square. 2. From [Florence Cathedral](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/florence-cathedral), 7 minutes on foot. 3. From the [Basilica of San Lorenzo](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/san-lorenzo), 5 minutes. 4. Trams T1 and T2 stop at the station. ## Is Santa Maria Novella worth it? Yes — especially if you arrive by train: it's steps from the station and holds some of the Renaissance's most important paintings, with far fewer crowds than the cathedral or the Uffizi, so you can study the frescoes in peace. Pair it with the historic pharmacy and a walk to the Duomo for a fine start to a Florence day. ## Before you go Tick off what's ready — your ticks are saved in this browser. - [ ] Buy a basilica and museum ticket - [ ] Find Masaccio's Trinity in the left aisle - [ ] See Ghirlandaio's frescoes behind the altar - [ ] Visit the Green Cloister and Spanish Chapel - [ ] Pop into the historic pharmacy ## Florence's churches: compare and choose Churches and basilicas in Florence rated by YesGo. - [Florence Cathedral](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/florence-cathedral) — YesGo score 60/100 (Yes, go) · 2 h · Free; dome paid - [Santa Croce](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/santa-croce) — YesGo score 50/100 (Yes, go) · 1 h · Paid - [Santa Maria Novella](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/santa-maria-novella) — YesGo score 48/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Paid - [Florence Baptistery](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/florence-baptistery) — YesGo score 48/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 30 min · Combined cathedral pass - [Basilica of San Lorenzo](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/san-lorenzo) — YesGo score 46/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 45 min · Paid - [Orsanmichele](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/orsanmichele) — YesGo score 45/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 30 min · Free - [Santo Spirito](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/santo-spirito) — YesGo score 44/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 40 min · Free - [Medici Chapels](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/medici-chapels) — YesGo score 43/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Paid - [San Miniato al Monte](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/san-miniato) — YesGo score 43/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 45 min · Free - [Brancacci Chapel](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/brancacci-chapel) — YesGo score 41/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 30 min · Paid, timed entry - [Giotto's Campanile](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/giottos-campanile) — YesGo score 41/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Combined cathedral pass ## From the station to the Duomo Santa Maria Novella, the Basilica of San Lorenzo and the Medici Chapels, then the cathedral and Baptistery. 1. [Santa Maria Novella](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/santa-maria-novella) — YesGo score 48/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Paid 2. [Basilica of San Lorenzo](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/san-lorenzo) — YesGo score 46/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 45 min · Paid 3. [Medici Chapels](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/medici-chapels) — YesGo score 43/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Paid 4. [Florence Cathedral](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/florence-cathedral) — YesGo score 60/100 (Yes, go) · 2 h · Free; dome paid ## Don't mix it up Santa Maria Novella is the basilica, Florence's main station and a historic pharmacy, all named after the church and minutes apart. Don't confuse it with the cathedral, Santa Maria del Fiore. ## Tips - 2 minutes from the station. - Masaccio's Trinity — left aisle. - The pharmacy is free to enter. - Fewer crowds than the Duomo. ## Questions ### What is there to see in Santa Maria Novella? Masaccio's Trinity, Giotto's crucifix, Ghirlandaio's frescoes in the Tornabuoni Chapel, the Green Cloister and the Spanish Chapel. ### Is Santa Maria Novella free? No, a ticket covers the basilica and the monastery museum. ### What is the Santa Maria Novella pharmacy? A historic monastery pharmacy opened in 1612, selling perfumes and soaps from old recipes; entry is free. ### Who designed the façade? The upper part is by Leon Battista Alberti, 1458–1470. ### How long do you need? About an hour including the cloisters. ## How we checked History and works from English Wikipedia. Prices and hours weren't confirmed with an official source — hence the 'checking' badge. ## Sources - English Wikipedia, Santa Maria Novella; Holy Trinity (Masaccio) - Official site smn.it --- This is the Markdown version of a YesGo page for AI assistants. Quote the web page link above, not this file.