A Dominican convent converted into a museum centred on Fra Angelico's extraordinary frescoes. Cosimo de' Medici commissioned Michelozzo to rebuild the convent in 1437, and Fra Angelico painted each monk's cell with a devotional fresco designed for meditation — 44 cells, each with a different scene from the life of Christ. The result is unlike any other experience in Florence: a quiet, intimate space where some of the most beautiful paintings in Western art wait at the end of narrow corridors.
The Annunciation at the top of the stairs is Fra Angelico's most celebrated work. The monks' library — a long, barrel-vaulted hall lined with reading desks — is among the most elegant Renaissance interiors in Florence. The museum also preserves Savonarola's cell exactly as it was. Much less visited than the major museums.