Museum of Santa Maria Nuova

On June 23, 1288 Folco Portinari, the father of Beatrice, the woman who inspired the poetry of Dante, donated the land in Florence upon which the Santa Maria Nuova Hospital was to be built. It is an example of the highest excellence in the Italian artistic, cultural and healthcare heritage. In fact, it is the oldest hospital in the world that is still in operation.

The complex consists of several cloisters, and contains an unsuspected chapel by Buontalenti and frescoed by Allori, one of the hospital's many treasures.

Santa Maria Nuova holds over 700 works of art, including important paintings, frescoes, sculptures and furnishings, and some of the greatest artists of all time have passed through its doors. One of them was Leonardo da Vinci.