Piazza Santa Maria Nuova

This square, squeezed between the Oblate Complex and the Hospital of Santa Maria Nuova, sums up a lot of the history of Florence, of the assistance given over the centuries to the needy and the sick.

It is in fact the complex of the Ospedale di Santa Maria Nuova that dominates the place, with its horseshoe shape that seems to envelop the space in an embrace. The hospital, the oldest in the city, is closely linked to the Portinari family, in particular the founder, Folco, father of Dante's Beatrice, but also to artists such as Domenico Veneziano, Bernardo Buontalenti and Giambologna. Due to its 100-year history, the hospital presents 

The Church of Sant'Egidio is also part of the complex and the square.

The square is also bordered by the Oblate Complex, the primitive nucleus of the hospital, a convent dedicated to the care of the sick and today the site of the main municipal library, which bears the name of Biblioteca delle Oblate.