Florence: a museum city teeming with splendid works of art at every corner.
Because of the presence of countless masterpieces essential to the history of art, the public visiting the Tuscan capital often neglects many spectacular and important testimonies.

A perfect example is certainly the Florence Charterhouse, rarely visited and often not even mentioned by guides. This beautiful complex stands south of the city and its foundation dates back to the 14th century.

Inside this charming monastery, there are works by prestigious Florentine artists: it is impossible not to mention the sixty-six medallions by Giovanni della Robbia, found in the Main Cloister or, inside the crypt, the Chapel of St.Tobias attributed to Orcagna.

Other works have been moved to the great Florentine museums, including Beato Angelico’s Maestà, now in the Museum of San Marco, or Pontormo’s Supper at Emmaus, now in the Uffizi but originally designed for the refectory of the monastery.

This Carthusian monastery was Pontormo’s favorite place, where he found refuge during the plague of 1523. During his stay, which lasted four years, Pontormo frescoed the lunettes of the cloister, now ruined by weathering and 20th-century attempts at restoration, but still visible inside the complex.

The Charterhouse remains a magnificent place to visit for taking a break from a very crowded Florence while staying in contact with artworks of absolute quality.