Wander amongst elegant Renaissance buildings and remarkable works of art
San Giovanni Valdarno was known first as San Giovanni in Altura, then Castel San Giovanni, before arriving at its current name. Founded by the Florentines in 1299, the original town plan is usually attributed to the great architect Arnolfo di Cambio. Our route begins in Corso Italia, a central street flanked by elegant medieval and Renaissance buildings, one of which, number 83, was the former home of the family of the great Valdarno artist, Masaccio.
From Corso Italia continue until you reach a large square, divided into two smaller constituents in the form of Piazza Masaccio and Piazza Cavour. At the center of this enormous rectangle you will find the elegant Palazzo Pretorio, contemporaneously known as the Palazzo del Municipio: this medieval palazzo has been remodelled several times, around the designs of Arnolfo di Cambio. The old building is ringed with a colonnade, and its striking façade, particularly its coats-of-arms in stone and terracotta, is reminiscent of the work of della Robbia family.
Along the left side of Piazza Masaccio, you can see the stone and brick façade of the fourteenth-century Church of San Lorenzo. Recent internal restorations have shed light on remarkable and interesting parts of the frescoes, affording a deeper understanding of the work of Lo Scheggia, the local artist who painted them. In the right nave you will encounter The Martyrdom of Saint Sebastian, a Sant'Antonio Abate enthroned and then episodes from his life, a San Lorenzo and the Saint Francis receiving the stigmata. In the left nave look out for Saint Anthony of Padua and San Bernardino da Siena. Above the high altar rests an elegant triptych by Giovanni del Biondo, a Florentine who was born around 1356 and died in 1398. The triptych represents the Coronation of the Virgin with saints and is dated around 1374.
From Corso Italia continue until you reach a large square, divided into two smaller constituents in the form of Piazza Masaccio and Piazza Cavour. At the center of this enormous rectangle you will find the elegant Palazzo Pretorio, contemporaneously known as the Palazzo del Municipio: this medieval palazzo has been remodelled several times, around the designs of Arnolfo di Cambio. The old building is ringed with a colonnade, and its striking façade, particularly its coats-of-arms in stone and terracotta, is reminiscent of the work of della Robbia family.
Along the left side of Piazza Masaccio, you can see the stone and brick façade of the fourteenth-century Church of San Lorenzo. Recent internal restorations have shed light on remarkable and interesting parts of the frescoes, affording a deeper understanding of the work of Lo Scheggia, the local artist who painted them. In the right nave you will encounter The Martyrdom of Saint Sebastian, a Sant'Antonio Abate enthroned and then episodes from his life, a San Lorenzo and the Saint Francis receiving the stigmata. In the left nave look out for Saint Anthony of Padua and San Bernardino da Siena. Above the high altar rests an elegant triptych by Giovanni del Biondo, a Florentine who was born around 1356 and died in 1398. The triptych represents the Coronation of the Virgin with saints and is dated around 1374.
Leaving the church, keep to the left and you will find the Basilica of Santa Maria delle Grazie, built at the end of the fifteenth century but with an imposing facade from the nineteenth, which dominates the far end of Piazza Masaccio. Here you see a glazed terracotta lunette by Giovanni della Robbia, which dates to roughly 1513 and which depicts the Virgin Mary handing the holy girdle to Saint Thomas the Apostle, with Saints John the Baptist and Lorenzo also present. The large interior of the church houses a sixteenth-century tabernacle and a fresco of the Madonna delle Grazie, which is attributed to a Florentine painter of the 1300s.
The itinerary takes you inside the Museo della Basilica di Santa Maria delle Grazie, which is home to works by artists including Lo Scheggia, Mariotto di Cristofano, Giovanni da Piamonte, Domenico di Michelino, Jacopo del Sellaio, Beato Angelico and Giovanni Mannozzi, also known as Giovanni da San Giovanni.
Two panels painted by Lo Scheggia (real name Giovanni di Ser Giovanni) are also to be admired: a Madonna and Child (1440-1450), which originally lived in the church of San Lorenzo, also in San Giovanni Valdarno; and a panel done in tempera which depicts a choir of musician angels and forms part of an organ case, from the sacristy of the San Lorenzo Oratory (1440-1450).
In the same museum you will see two works by the Valdarno painter Mariotto di Cristofano, one of which is a Christ on the Cross between the Virgin Mary and Saint Lucy (1420-1425). This work originated in the church of Santa Lucia in the same town. The second is a Madonna and Child with saints (1453), from the church of San Lorenzo.
Leaving the church, keep to the left and you will find the Basilica of Santa Maria delle Grazie, built at the end of the fifteenth century but with an imposing facade from the nineteenth, which dominates the far end of Piazza Masaccio. Here you see a glazed terracotta lunette by Giovanni della Robbia, which dates to roughly 1513 and which depicts the Virgin Mary handing the holy girdle to Saint Thomas the Apostle, with Saints John the Baptist and Lorenzo also present. The large interior of the church houses a sixteenth-century tabernacle and a fresco of the Madonna delle Grazie, which is attributed to a Florentine painter of the 1300s.
The itinerary takes you inside the Museo della Basilica di Santa Maria delle Grazie, which is home to works by artists including Lo Scheggia, Mariotto di Cristofano, Giovanni da Piamonte, Domenico di Michelino, Jacopo del Sellaio, Beato Angelico and Giovanni Mannozzi, also known as Giovanni da San Giovanni.
Two panels painted by Lo Scheggia (real name Giovanni di Ser Giovanni) are also to be admired: a Madonna and Child (1440-1450), which originally lived in the church of San Lorenzo, also in San Giovanni Valdarno; and a panel done in tempera which depicts a choir of musician angels and forms part of an organ case, from the sacristy of the San Lorenzo Oratory (1440-1450).
In the same museum you will see two works by the Valdarno painter Mariotto di Cristofano, one of which is a Christ on the Cross between the Virgin Mary and Saint Lucy (1420-1425). This work originated in the church of Santa Lucia in the same town. The second is a Madonna and Child with saints (1453), from the church of San Lorenzo.
After visiting the museum, cross Piazza Masaccio to reach Piazza Cavour. Opposite the entrance of Palazzo d'Arnolfo is the parish church of San Giovanni Battista, which was built in the first half of the fourteenth century. The façade is girded by a colonnade, which was built later and is adorned with tondi from the della Robbia school.
If you still have a few minutes left to savor the city, we recommend a visit to the chapel of the Augustian monastery to admire one of the most beautiful panels by the Master of the Nativity of Castello, a fifteenth-century Madonna and Child.
After visiting the museum, cross Piazza Masaccio to reach Piazza Cavour. Opposite the entrance of Palazzo d'Arnolfo is the parish church of San Giovanni Battista, which was built in the first half of the fourteenth century. The façade is girded by a colonnade, which was built later and is adorned with tondi from the della Robbia school.
If you still have a few minutes left to savor the city, we recommend a visit to the chapel of the Augustian monastery to admire one of the most beautiful panels by the Master of the Nativity of Castello, a fifteenth-century Madonna and Child.