Museo Civico di Santa Maria Novella

Inaugurated in 2006, the Museum exhibits works that illustrate the life of the town across the centuries, from the first Etruscan settlements up to the 19th century. The museum tour covers five rooms exhibiting two collections. The room dedicated to Roman art contains the noteworthy sculpture of the god Apollo, found in the monumental complex of the thermal baths of Vicarello and recently acquired by the museum; the work is a Roman copy of a Greek sculpture of the 4th century B.C. The historical artistic collection is arranged by themes and exhibits pieces that illustrate the institutional, artistic and religious life of the town. A small, but interesting collection of vestments is exhibited in a showcase equipped with a multimedia device that describes its contents. Particularly prestigious is the Bust of Christ attributed to the late 15th century circle of Andrea Bregno, and the Venus and Adonis sculpture by Cristoforo Stati, realised in the early 1600s and donated by the artist to his native town. The 18th century manikin of the Madonna with her wardrobe of clothes is also of interest. The museum is equipped with multimedia interactive points that give information about the collections, local history and the territory’s cultural heritage.