Is Basilica di Santa Maria Novella worth it in a day?
Worth itIn a day
Even on a tight schedule, Basilica di Santa Maria Novella earns the hours.
Allow 1–1.5 hours.
The reason a non-art-nerd should care about Masaccio's Trinity is simple: it's the first painting in history where a flat wall convincingly becomes a deep coffered chapel you feel you could walk into — the moment perspective was switched on, around 1427, and you can stand at the marked spot where it snaps into three dimensions. Even if you skip every other fresco, that one wall is a genuine 'oh' moment. The rest — Ghirlandaio's cycles, the green-cloister frescoes, Alberti's striped marble façade — is a calm bonus, and the basilica draws notably fewer crowds than Santa Croce. The only real catch is its unglamorous setting by the train station.
Contains Masaccio's Trinity (c.1424–27), a landmark in the invention of linear perspective, plus Ghirlandaio's Tornabuoni fresco cycle; the façade is by Leon Battista Alberti. · smn.it
Entry is ~€7.50 (reduced €3.50 for over-65s and ages 5–18; free under 5); the basilica is notably quieter than Santa Croce. · whichmuseum.com