Museo dell'Opera di Santa Croce

Housed in the Palazzo del Podesta (1255 AD) as the residence of Florence's chief magistrate, this museum houses an unrivalled collection of Italian Renaissance sculpture..

The Murate complex, a place rich of history, today the beating heart of the contemporary city, was originally founded as a complex to host the nuns who lived on the Rubaconte Bridge, the current Ponte alle Grazie. The architectural complex was known as the Monastery of the Santissima Annunziata delle Murate. Suppressed by the French government in 1808 it first became a military barracks for the Austro-Hungarian troops in 1815, then in 1832 with the closure of the nearby Stinche prison, a male prison institute. The architectural complex went through further modifications, remaining a men's penitentiary institute until 1883. In the 1990s, the City of Florence began a project of urban redevelopment under the guidance of architect Renzo Piano, making the complex a center of social housing and a driving force for contemporary arts in the city dedicated to young people.