Indian Chief Travel Guides

Cappella Brancacci (Brancacci Chapel)

World-famous for its Renaissance fresco cycle depicting scenes from the Old Testament (from the Original Sin to the Life of St Peter) and a must-see for any serious art fan, the Cappella Brancacci was happily preserved from the 1771 fire that destroyed almost all the remainder of the 13th-century church (later reconstructed in its present Neo-Gothic style). The frescoes were worked on by Masolino and his then-pupil Masaccio, then completed by Filippino Lippi after the death of the latter from the plague. But it is the frescoes by Masaccio that are the most celebrated, especially those of the Expulsion from Paradise (first panel left) and the episodes of The Tribute Money (top left). The work of Masolino can be seen in the lower tier to the right of the altar, while Filippino Lippi is responsible for most of the lower zone of the right wall.

The narrow Via S. Monica leads onto Via Sant’Agostino, where you’ll find yourself in a much pleasanter tree-lined community square, Piazza Santo Spirito. Buzzing with gelato-eaters year-round, it is especially engaging during Firenze Estate (the city’s summer festival, see page 66), when it sees live performances on an almost nightly basis. Its showpiece, apart from the bustling caffès and restaurants, is the Brunelleschi-designed church of Santo Spirito with its uncompleted, slightly dilapidated, yet somehow charming, façade.