The Last Supper Fresco Tour

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Difficulty: Easy
Length: 3.3 miles / 5.3 km
Duration: Half day

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Overview: The Last Supper scene was a truly Florentine tradition, found all over the city's monasteries from the 1300s to the late 1500s.

This themed itinerary will have you searching through some of Florence's oldest churches to view just a selection of the Last Suppers of some of the most famous Renaissance artists. It is essentially a journey through the history of Florentine painting.

The Florentine Last Suppers were aptly painted in the refectories (eating halls) of monasteries and convents, where the monks could reflect silently at every meal on this scene of Jesus eating the last supper before his death with his 12 apostles and disciples.

Bread and wine, symbolic of Jesus' body and blood, are always present at the table. Some time during the supper, Jesus reveals to his disciples, "One of you will betray me."

Often Judas, whom Jesus is referring to when he predicts the betrayal, is sitting on the opposite side of the table from everyone else, while one of the other figures, St. John, depicted as a young man (he was the youngest and most devoted of the apostles), is innocently sleeping next to Jesus during the supper.

In Leonardo da Vinci's famous and lively depiction of the Last Supper (painted in Milan 1495-98 after viewing some of the Florentine Last Suppers) he shows the reactions of each of the apostles at this very statement.

Tips: The best day to do this itinerary is a Saturday morning, when every site is open.

Keep in mind that many of these sights are free or cost less than 4 euro. Many are open only in the morning and the Ognissanti fresco is accessible only on Monday, Tuesday or Saturday, Fuligno only on Tuesday, Thursday or Saturday, and the Santa Maria Novella museum on Monday, Thursday, Saturday or Sunday.

If you do this on a day when one or more are closed, you could also make a trip to see the Last Supper in Santa Croce church, which is open daily. This is the oldest of all the Florentine Last Supper frescoes. Painted by Taddeo Gaddi in 1340, it is the first Last Supper scene where you see Judas depicted on the opposite side of the table, a symbol of his betrayal and a way to spot him immediately in the group of apostles. This tradition of showing Judas this way is broken only by da Vinci in Milan and some 16th century versions. Tickets cost 5 euro.

If you are really into these, you can also add in the Andrea del Sarto Last Supper at San Salvi, a hidden jewel of a church on the outskirts of Florence, about a 15-minute walk west from Santa Croce church. It is free and is closed only on Mondays. It is open from 8:15am-1:50pm.

Points of Interest

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Chiesa di Ognissanti

Domenico Ghirlandaio painted three beautiful Last Supper frescoes in Florence, one in the Badia di Passignano (about a 40-minute drive south of Florence) from 1476 and the other in the refectory of San Marco, which is almost identical to the Ognissanti Last Supper.

Painted in 1480, Ghirlandaio's Ognissanti Last Supper includes many beautifully painted elements such as fruit trees and birds, each of which has a symbolic meaning that contributes to the reading of the image: apricots for sin, oranges for paradise, lettuce for repentance, while cherries and wine symbolize the blood of Christ. The pheasants that fly overhead foreshadow Christ's resurrection.
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Admission Free
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Hours
Monday, Tuesday, Saturday 9am-Noon

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Museum of Santa Maria Novella

The museum of Santa Maria Novella is largely overlooked by the majority of visitors. Its entrance is separate from the rest of the church, and is tucked away to the right of the church's facade in the corner of Piazza Santa Maria Novella. A visit to this part of the church complex is a must for any fresco lover. Aside from the frescoes of Paolo Uccello in the Green Cloister, you'll also find some stunning medieval frescoes in the Spanish chapel, accessed through the cloister.

You'll also find Alessandro Allori's (the student of the great portrait painter Bronzino) Last Supper.

Painted between 1584 and 1597, this dynamic Last Supper by Allori is found between the two cloisters of the Santa Maria Novella Museum complex and is a work unlike the others in that the main scene is actually on canvas and set in the wall, painted in fresco in the traditional way. The scene, full of movement, emotion and expression, is the very last time we see the Last Supper tradition in Florence.
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Admission 2.50 Euros
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Hours
Monday, Thursday, Saturday, Sunday 10am-4pm
Weekday holidays 9am-2pm

800px-Museo_di_santa_maria_novella,_cenacolo_di_alessandro_allori,_tela.JPG Photo

Alessandro Allori Santa Maria Novella museum Photo

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Cenacolo di Fuligno Museum

The Last Supper by the celebrated Umbrian painter Pietro Perugino was painted in the early 1490s for the refectory of the Fuligno convent, used by a group of Fransiscan monks from Umbria.

Like many churches in Florence, the interior was whitewashed in the 18th century, and this beautiful Perugino fresco was uncovered and rediscovered only in the 19th century. It was initially attributed to Raphael, who was actually Perugino's student.
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Via Faenza, 42
50123 Firenze, Italy
39-055-286982
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Admission Free
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Hours
Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday 9am-Noon
Closed New Year's Day, Christmas Day, May 1

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San Marco Museum

In 1482, Domenico Ghirlandaio painted a Last Supper (almost identical to the Ognissanti Last Supper) for the refectory of the Dominican monks of San Marco.

One of the main differences between his two Last Suppers (this is a bit like a spot the difference game!) is the presence of a cat in the San Marco Last Supper. The cat was a symbol of infidelity and evil, in reference to Judas, who betrays Jesus, sitting in the foreground.

The refectory is now the gift shop of the Museum of San Marco, which is a treasure in itself because of the unique frescoes by the master Fra Angelico. It is well worth a wander through the museum, especially the first floor, where the Renaissance monks' sleeping quarters were, to admire Fra Angelico's beautiful work. The refectory/gift shop where the Last Supper is frescoed can be seen on the way out of the museum.
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Piazza di San Marco, 1
50121 Firenze, Italy
39-055-238-8608
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Admission 4 Euros
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Hours
Monday-Friday 8:15am-1:30pm
Saturday, Sunday: 8:15am-4:50pm
Closed the 1st, 3rd and 5th Sunday and the 2nd and 4th Monday of each month, New Year's Day, May 1, Christmas Day
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Note: this is a state museum, so if you have the Florence Museum Card, the cost of this museum is included in your card.

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Cenacolo di sant'Apollonia

Painted around 1447 by the Renaissance master Andrea del Castagno for the convent of Sant'Apollonia (originally a medieval Benedictine convent), this expressive Last Supper sits together with images of the Crucifixion, the Deposition and the Resurrection.

The refectory, like other religious institutions in Florence, was whitewashed in the mid-1800s, leaving the frescoes in poor conditions until the 1950s when it was decided to recover/restore the frescoes. Upon doing so, the original under drawings (sinopie) were discovered, removed and placed next to the original frescoes. This is essentially like seeing the artists' preliminary sketches used to create the fresco.

Andrea del Castagno's Last Supper is unique in that it is painted with the tromp l'oeil setting of a room depicted in perfect perspective, complete with elegant faux marble panels.

The names of the apostles are written underneath the table along a little step, but you'll notice that the traitor Judas' name (Giuda in Italian) is not included.
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Via 27 Aprile, 1
50129 Firenze, Italy
39-055-238-8607
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Admission Free
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Hours
Tuesday-Saturday 9am-2pm
Closed on the 2nd and 4th Monday of each month and the 1st, 3rd and 5th Sunday of each month

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Basilica of Santa Croce (Basilica of the Holy Cross)

This is the oldest of all the Florentine Last Supper frescoes. Painted by Taddeo Gaddi in 1340, it is the first Last Supper scene where you see Judas depicted on the opposite side of the table, a symbol of his betrayal and a way to spot him immediately in the group of apostles. This tradition of showing Judas this way is broken only by da Vinci in Milan and some 16th century versions.
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Piazza di Santa Croce, 16
50122 Firenze, Italy
39-055-244619
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Admission 5 Euros
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Hours Open daily

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San Michele a San Salvi Church

If you really like these frescos, you can also add in the Andrea del Sarto Last Supper at San Salvi, a hidden jewel of a church on the outskirts of Florence, about a 15-minute walk west from Santa Croce church.
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Piazza di San Salvi, 10
50135 Firenze, Italy
39-055-678351
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Admission Free
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Hours
Tuesday-Sunday 8:15am-1:50pm

Pictures in this guide taken by: Emiko, wikipedia

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