3 exhibitions for the fall

The art of Guido di Pietro, also known as Giovanni da Fiesole but better known as Fra Angelico, paved the way for the Florentine Renaissance with his use of perspective and the play of light.
Fra Angelico is “at home” in Florence, always admirable in the beautiful Museo di San Marco. Still, the exhibition that opened last September 26 turns the spotlight back onto this famous artist.

Angelico is a monograph devoted to the monk-painter who spent a large part of his life in the convent of Piazza San Marco. This exhibition is truly grand due to the works on display, the in-depth study and the dual venues of Palazzo Strozzi and the Museum of San Marco.

 On view until January 25, 2026, the exhibition is also a cue for rediscovery. In fact, a series of lectures with free admission, related to the exhibition both in Florence and the surrounding areas, is designed to offer a comprehensive look at Fra Angelico’s work. 

Linked to the Florentine exhibition is another that opened around the same time in the Museum of Sacred Art in Reggello, titled An Illustrious Guest from the San Marco Museum: Paolo Uccello.

In fact, it is an exchange of works: the San Giovenale Triptych by the young Masaccio left Reggello for Florence and to compensate for its absence, 2 works by Renaissance artist Paolo Uccello conserved in Florence are now on display in the Valdarno museum.

The interweaving of influences also brings into play another Valdarno painter, Starnina, whose influence can be seen in the Madonna and Child from the Beccuto family home.
The other work, the Predella di Avane, dates from 1452.

After visiting the exhibition at the enchanting Pieve di Cascia, you can set off to explore the Reggello area, with its woods around the Vallombrosa Forest replete with a 1000-year-old abbey of the same name, or else venture into the Balze area for an entirely different landscape.

The last leg of this little tour of the area takes you to Impruneta. In the town south of Florence, known for its cotto (a type of earthenware tile), you can visit a quaint, affectionate permanent exhibition dedicated to a distinguished “honorary” citizen Ferdinando Paolieri, a painter, poet and novelist who lived from the late 19ᵗʰ to the late 20ᵗʰ century between Florence and Impruneta.

The permanent exhibition is curated by the Associazione Ferdinando Paolieri, which also promotes cultural events, mainly in the summer at the Pagoda, the exhibition venue in Piazza Garibaldi. 
Close by is Piazza Buondelmonti, Impruneta’s spectacular square overlooked by the Basilica of Santa Maria and the Loggiati del Pellegrino.

Within the loggia is a Tourist Information office where you can also ask for details on visits to the town’s most typical places, namely the terracotta kilns, where you can admire the craftsmanship of a technique that is synonymous with Tuscany around the world.