Florence Plans Major Museum in Santa Maria Novella Complex

Florence is set to create a new city museum within the Santa Maria Novella complex, utilizing over 20,000 square meters freed up by the relocation of the Carabinieri's Marescialli and Brigadieri School. The museum will expand the currently visitable area, which includes the Chiostro Grande—the largest cloister in Florence with 56 arches and 16th-century frescoes by Alessandro Allori, Santi di Tito, and Poccetti—and the 14th-century Dormitory with its double row of pillars and cross vaults. From mid-December 2016 to mid-January 2017, the public can access the Chiostro Grande, the northern Dormitory, and the Cappella del Papa, which was prepared for Pope Leo X de' Medici's entry into Florence on November 30, 1515, featuring decorations by Ridolfo del Ghirlandaio and a lunette by Pontormo. Free guided tours are offered by Associazione MUS.E. This initiative follows the Santa Maria Novella day, when the Mameli Barracks were opened to the city after an agreement between Mayor Nardella and the Carabinieri. The new museum is part of a trend in Florence's historic center, which has recently seen the opening of the Museo del Novecento, Museo dell'Opera del Duomo, Museo della Misericordia, and the Museo degli Innocenti.