Among Florence’s thousand hidden treasures, the Brancacci Chapel is truly one not to be missed. Located within the church of Santa Maria del Carmine, it is a chapel originally owned by the Brancacci family, richly frescoed by Masaccio and Masolino da Panicale in the early fifteenth century and later completed by Filippino Lippi around 50 years later.
After a turbulent history and a long period of decline lasting virtually the entire nineteenth century, the Chapel’s frescoes were restored at the beginning of the last century, but it was only the impressive restoration work of the 1980s that brought them back to life.
Masaccio’s works inside the Brancacci Chapel gave a significant impetus to the development of the Renaissance. They were closely studied by future great master painters, to such an extent that Vasari described it as “the school of the world”, because it was here that all the research into light, perspective and colour were realised. One of the most important visitors to Masaccio’s frescoes was Michelangelo, who drew inspiration here for his frescoes in the Sistine Chapel.
The wealthy merchant Felice Brancacci returned to Florence from Egypt in 1423, and upon his return commissioned a series of frescoes inside what would later forever be remembered as his family’s chapel. The work was assigned to Masolino and Masaccio, who, unfortunately, both had to leave Florence for different reasons, so in 1427 the frescoes remained unfinished. They were only completed in 1483 by Filippino Lippi, who finished the chapel by painting the missing scenes.
The cycle of frescoes that can be admired inside the Brancacci Chapel was created in parallel by Masolino and Masaccio, who worked simultaneously on the so-called historia salutis, or the history of man’s salvation. There are scenes taken from Genesis, the Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles. The absolute protagonist of the paintings is Saint Peter, depicted in numerous scenes from his life, but there are also some scenes of a different kind, such as the one painted by Masaccio depicting Adam and Eve being cast out of the Garden of Eden.
On the altar, positioned opposite the chapel entrance, there is instead a panel of the Madonna and Child, by an unknown artist, probably dating from 1268, the year the church of Santa Maria del Carmine was founded. It was placed inside the Brancacci Chapel after 1436, the year the family was expelled from the city and the chapel dedicated to the Madonna del Popolo.
The Brancacci Chapel is open Monday, Friday and Saturday from 10:00 to 17:00, and Sunday from 13:00 to 17:00. It is closed on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, as well as on New Year’s Day, 7 January, Easter Day, 16 July, 25 August and Christmas Day. Last entry is 45 minutes before closing.
Full admission costs €10; concessions — for visitors aged 18–25 and university students — cost €7. Entry is free for under-18s, school groups and their teachers, tour guides, disabled visitors and their companions, and holders of the Firenze Card.
Visits are organised in groups of maximum 30 people every 20 minutes: booking is strongly recommended for individual visitors and mandatory for schools and groups.
The Brancacci Chapel is one of the attractions included in the FirenzeCard: consider purchasing it if you want to visit several museums over 3 days in Florence.
It is possible to visit the Brancacci Chapel in Santa Maria del Carmine independently or via two different official guided tours, which allow you to discover both the chapel and the church.
The first, simply called “visit to the Brancacci Chapel”, is reserved for schools and allows you to admire up close the splendid frescoes of the stories of Saint Peter. It lasts 75 minutes and departs twice a day, at 9:30 and 11:00 in Italian, English and French. The tour runs on Monday and Wednesday.
The other tour is called “visit to the Brancacci Chapel in Santa Maria del Carmine” and is open to everyone aged 10 and above. It takes place exclusively by reservation on Monday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, in Italian and English; it lasts 50 minutes and allows you to explore the historical and artistic context of the church of Santa Maria del Carmine and the Brancacci Chapel.
The Brancacci Chapel is located inside the church of Santa Maria del Carmine, at piazza del Carmine 14. We are in the heart of Oltrarno, halfway between the districts of Santo Spirito and San Frediano. It is certainly a tourist area, though far less crowded than piazza del Duomo or piazza Signoria.
Despite being off the main tourist routes, we are still in Florence’s historic centre, and so it is best to get around on foot. From Santa Maria Novella station, for example, it takes only 15 minutes to reach the Brancacci Chapel, crossing the Arno at the Ponte alla Carraia after crossing piazza Santa Maria Novella and walking along the entire via del Moro.
Distances are more or less the same from piazza Duomo and piazza Signoria, whilst from the basilica of Santa Croce the route is slightly longer: it takes between 20 and 25 minutes on foot, crossing the Arno alternatively via the Ponte Vecchio or the Ponte di Santa Trinità.
At certain times of the day you can also drive to piazza del Carmine. The piazza is part of Florence’s historic centre ZTL, specifically sector O. Here the ZTL is active Monday to Friday from 7.30 to 20:00, and Saturday from 7.30 to 16:00. Additionally, from the first Thursday in April to the first Sunday in October, the night-time ZTL is active, extending hours from 23:00 on Thursday to 03:00 on Friday, from 20:00 on Friday to 03:00 on Saturday, and from 16:00 on Saturday to 03:00 on Sunday.
The Brancacci Chapel is located within the Church of Santa Maria del Carmine, situated in Piazza del Carmine in Florence's Oltrarno district.
City Card allow you to save on public transport and / or on the entrances to the main tourist attractions.
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