Certosa of Florence: History, Visiting Hours and Practical Information

The Certosa of Florence is located on Monte Acuto, at the meeting point between the Ema and the Greve rivers, in the Galluzzo area.

The monastery is made up of a series of buildings of different sizes and characteristics.

Inside the complex we find the church, the sacristy, the chapter house, the refectory, the cells of the lay fathers and brothers, and the cloister.

It covers a total area of 16,000 square metres and housed works of great value, such as:

The Madonna and Saints, by Fra Angelico. Today in the National Museum of San Marco;
Supper at Emmaus by Pontormo. Today in the Uffizi Gallery;
Guardian Angel by Giovanni Bilivert. Today at the Oratorio dei Bini in Via Romana in Florence;
Madonna and Saints by Gherardo Starnina. Today at the Gemäldegalerie in Berlin.

Certosa of Florence: History

The construction of the Carthusian monastery began in 1341 and was completed during the seventeenth century.

The project was started at the behest of the Grand Seneschal of the Kingdom of Naples Niccolò Acciaiuoli, a member of an illustrious Florentine family.

The name and building characteristics come from the first house of the Carthusian order built near Grenoble, the Grande Chartreuse.

During 1810, after the suppression of the religious orders, the Certosa was deprived of 500 works of art, which were then only partially returned.

Furniture, paintings and sculptures were irretrievably lost.

The same panel of the high altar of the church is now divided into several foreign museums and collections.

The earthquake of 1895 caused extensive damage that required considerable repairs.

In 1958 the Carthusians were replaced by the Cistercian Benedictines, who opened the Carthusian monastery to the public.

In 2017 the Cistercians were replaced by the community of San Leolino.

How to get to the Certosa of Florence

Like all Carthusian monasteries, the one in Florence is located in an isolated location far from the town.

The Certosa of Florence is located in Via della Certosa, in the locality of Galluzzo.

It can be reached from the city by bus lines 11, 131, 131R, 37, 370A.

Those travelling by car can easily reach it from the A1 motorway exit: the Certosa is about a kilometre from the toll booth.

Coming from the SS2 Cassia da Tavernuzzo we can reach it by following the road signs.

Certosa of Florence: parking

We can easily reach the Certosa of Florence by car or motorbike and take advantage of the parking.

We walk along Via della Certosa and reach the southern part of the complex.

Here we find a large free unguarded outdoor car park, where we can leave our vehicles and visit the complex.

Entrance times to the Certosa of Florence

The Certosa of Florence can be visited through guided tours arranged in turns.

Each turn last about an hour.

Individuals, couples and families can arrive a few minutes before the visiting turn begins.

Groups, on the other hand, must book their visit by referring to the contact form on the official website of the Certosa.

Prices for a visit to the Certosa of Florence

Please visit the official website of the Certosa di Firenze: https://www.certosadifirenze.it/

How the visits to the Certosa of Florence take place

The visit to the Certosa of Florence usually starts from the entrance where we find the ticket office and the women’s chapel.

Through the staircase that leads to Palazzo Acciauioli and the courtyard we enter the complex itself.

From here we visit the different rooms of the Certosa: the church, the cloister of the monks, the related rooms, the large cloister with the entrance to a cell, the area of the lay brothers.

Let’s take a look at all the rooms of the Certosa and their characteristics and peculiarities:

Palazzo Acciauioli and Picture gallery: the structure was erected by Jacopo Passavanti and Jacopo Talenti for the stay of Niccolò Acciaiuoli. The building develops over two levels. On the ground floor there are four rooms, now used for exhibitions. On the first floor there are two halls that house the Picture gallery. Among the works in the Picture gallery we point out the frescoes with the Scenes of the Passion by Pontormo, works by Cigoli, Jacopo Ligozzi, Giovan Battista Naldini, dell’Empoli, the portrait by Niccolò Acciauoli, the Madonna and Child with Saints by Perugino, the Coronation of the Virgin by Mariotto di Nardo, the Holy Trinity by Paolo Schiavo, the panels by Ridolfo del Ghirlandaio, the Martyrdom of St. Andrew by Cosimo Gamberucci, St. Catherine of Siena by Bernardino Mei;

Foresteria: it connects Palazzo Acciaiuoli and the church of San Lorenzo. Built between 1545 and 1550, it was intended to accommodate the guests of the monastery. It consists of a large hall, a bedroom and a study;

Church of San Lorenzo: with a single nave, it was built during the fourteenth century and transformed in the sixteenth century with the construction of the façade in sandstone by Giovanni Fancelli. It is divided into two parts: one for cloistered monks and one for lay brothers. Among the works present in it are paintings by Felice Ficherelli, Tommaso Garelli and Rutilio Manetti, as well as frescoes by Bernardino Poccetti and Orazio Fidani. Also of great importance are the walnut stalls carved by Angelo Feltrini. The polychrome marble floor is also important;

Sacristies: they are located next to the main altar. On the right we find that of the Relics with decorations by Poccetti and frescoes by Massari. On the left is the sacristy with eighteenth-century works. Going down into the basement we find the oldest frescoes in the entire Certosa;

Corridor of the chapels: the corridor is on the east side of the church. It is overlooked by several chapels including that of San Bruno and that of Blessed Niccolò Alberati;

Oratory of Santa Maria Nuova: dating back to 1404 and in the shape of a Greek cross, it houses a fourteenth-century wooden choir, St. Francis receiving the stigmata by Andrea del Minga, the Martyrdom of St. Eulalia by Lucio Massari, Gothic aedicules and two polychrome stained glass windows;
Crypt: we access it from the oratory. Here we find the chapel of Tobias which houses the tomb of the founder Niccolò Acciaiuoli and frescoes by Bernardino Poccetti;

Corridor of the Colloquium: this is the room where the monks gathered and interrupted the obligation of silence. Built in 1559, it is small in size and decorated with glazed terracotta, the work of Andrea della Robbia;

Cloister of the Monks: built during the fourteenth century, it is completed by a loggia. The refectory, the Chapter Hall and the large cloister open onto it;

Chapter Hall: the hall is not particularly large and was the meeting place to read a chapter of the rule or to talk about the problems of the community. Of particular note are the wooden door and the fresco with the Crucifixion by Mariotto Albertinelli;

Refectory: it is a large rectangular room dating back to the fourteenth century. In it we admire the lunette with St. Lawrence between two angels, made by Benedetto da Maiano;

Large Cloister: built between 1491 and 1520, it has sides with harmonious round arches with terracotta busts by Giovanni della Robbia.