Florence, Vanni Hall in the Complesso del Carmine opens to the public

The visitor experience at the Carmine Complex in Florence is being expanded with the opening of a new historic room. Following the recent opening of the Sala della Colonna, the Sala Vanni will now also become part of the cultural offerings accessible to visitors. Thanks to a collaboration with theMusicus Concentus Association, from June 7 to Aug. 31, 2026, those visiting the Brancacci Chapel will also be able to access the Sala Vanni, theformer seventeenth-century refectory of the Carmelite convent, now used as an auditorium.

Theexperimental opening will kick off on Sunday, June 7, on the occasion of Metropolitan Sunday, the initiative that allows residents of the Metropolitan City of Florence to visit the Florentine Civic Museums free of charge and participate in cultural activities promoted by the City of Florence, the Metropolitan City and the MUS Foundation.E. On this special day, it will also be possible to discover for free the Sala Vanni, which will become a permanent part of the Brancacci Chapel’s tour itinerary throughout the summer.

Developed along almost an entire side of the complex and overlooking the cloister of the Carmine convent, the Sala Vanni constituted the major refectory of the religious community. It was built in the second half of the 17th century to replace the previous refectory, now known as the Cenacolo Room. The name of the room is linked to Giovan Battista Vanni (1599-1660), author of the large fresco depicting the Supper of Christ in the House of Simon Pharisee, which still dominates one of the walls of the room and represents one of the most significant testimonies of the seventeenth-century decoration of the complex.

The visit will also allow visitors to admire a valuable group of detached frescoes from the Passion Chapel, also known as the Nerli Chapel, inside the Carmine Church. The works belong to a pictorial cycle dedicated to the Stories of the Passion of Christ, created around 1402 and attributed to Lippo d’Andrea.

Remained hidden for a long time within the walls as a result of the transformations undergone by the chapel over the centuries, these paintings were rediscovered and recovered in the 1930s. Prominent among the preserved masterpieces are the monumental Crucifixion with its associated sinopia, the Flagellation of Christ, topped by the remains of aLast Supper, and several figures of saints, including the significant depiction of St. Cyril.

From June 7 to August 31, the Vanni Room will be open to visitors on the same days and during the same opening hours as the Brancacci Chapel, within the Florentine Civic Museums circuit. The space will also be included in guided tours organized by the MUS.E Foundation, scheduled daily, with the exception of Tuesday, the day the complex is closed.

“The opening of the Sala Vanni represents an important opportunity to broaden the experience of visiting the Complesso del Carmine and to enhance a place of extraordinary historical and artistic interest that is not normally accessible to the public,” said Culture Councillor Giovanni Bettarini. “Thanks to the collaboration with Musicus Concentus we can offer citizens and visitors an even richer itinerary, which puts the masterpiece of the Brancacci Chapel in dialogue with an environment that holds significant evidence of the history of the convent, from the great fresco by Giovan Battista Vanni to the precious medieval paintings from the Nerli Chapel. An initiative that confirms the administration’s commitment to the widespread enhancement of the city’s cultural heritage and the discovery of lesser-known but valuable places.”

For information and reservations: info@musefirenze.it - 055 0541450.

Florence, Vanni Hall in the Complesso del Carmine opens to the public

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