Tucked away on a quiet street in Florence, the Chiostro dello Scalzo is one of the city’s hidden gems. This small, peaceful cloister was once part of a religious brotherhood devoted to charity and caring for the sick and poor. What makes it so special, aside from the exquisite interior architecture of the place, are the incredible frescoes of one of my favorite artists of the renaissance - Andrea del Sarto. His frescoes decorating the four walls of the cloister are sublimely beautiful!, a soft series of sepia-and-white (grisaille) paintings created by del Sarto between 1509 and 1526.
The firts time i visited I was walking from San Marco looking for the address and finally came to a simple, beautiful un-ceremonial door - no line, no crowds outside. Walked into a little reception room with one half-asleep attendant slumped over his desk, (bored to tears). Confused, I asked him if it was open and he said yes! He made me write my name in a guest book then let me into the cloister. my jaw dropped!
I was the only one in there. It is not a big cloister but the beauty of this serene place and magnificence of the frescoes is all consuming. I spent over an hour in there and no one walked in. I felt i had traveled back in time, I was in awe!.
Pontormo, another one of my favorites, was a pupil of del sarto and you can see his mentor’s influence in the posture and body language of Pontormo’s mannerist figures.
The frescoes tell the life story of St. John the Baptist, Florence’s patron saint, and are remarkable for their elegance, gentle shading, and sense of quiet grace.
Because it’s a bit off the usual tourist path, the Chiostro is often wonderfully uncrowded, offering a rare chance to step back in time and experience a peaceful, beautifully preserved corner of Renaissance Florence.
If you’re visiting the city and want to see a place where art and history meet in a simple, intimate setting, the Chiostro dello Scalzo is well worth a stop.
Prints below are available for purchase. Please visit: www.aritmeticas.com
Prints are available for purchase. Please visit: wwwaritmeticas.com