Santa Maria Novella. A new quarter of the city, the heart of culture and creativity
The Santa Maria Novella complex will become the multi-purpose heart of Florence
A new cultural, social and creative centre in the heart of the city. The Santa Maria Novella complex is being transformed into Florence's multipurpose heart.
The work, some of which has already begun, will be carried out in stages and, for the most part, could be completed within the term of office.
The projects were presented by Mayor Dario Nardella, in the presence of Councillors Benedetta Albanese, Cecilia Del Re, Cecilia Del Re, Alessandro Martini and Tommaso Sacchi.
In short, the Santa Maria Novella complex will become a multifunctional space with: expansion of the museum area (part of which will also be used by the Fondazione Alinari), new storerooms that can be visited, exhibition spaces, events and performances in the Chiostro Grande, a museum of the Italian language, social housing, showrooms for artisans, creative and innovative start-ups, ateliers for contemporary art, and a Carabinieri headquarters.
The plans for the museum expansion include a new monumental entrance from Piazza della Stazione, with a reception hall (which will include a ticket office, cloakroom and refreshment facilities for a total of 800 square metres), and exhibition spaces for permanent and temporary collections (620 and 680 square metres respectively). Some rooms will be able to house part of the Alinari archive, in agreement with the Foundation and the Region of Tuscany. A new library (600 square metres, in connection with the Dominican library) and the museum's deposits and archives will be open to visitors.
Santa Maria Novella will also function as a centre of creativity for young entrepreneurs, artists and artisans: the New Monastery will house a showroom for quality handicrafts and a 'Kunst Halle' for exhibitions of young artists who will also have space for residencies. The spaces for weddings are also confirmed, while the Chiostro Grande will be increasingly used for the cultural performances of the Florentine Summer and for major international events. For the first time, some of the rooms on the third and attic floors will be reserved for the Municipality's institutional guests.
In the complex, what is now an internal car park will finally become a new freely usable square that will be central to the flats, the new language museum and the creative workshops.