The beautiful Piazza Santa Maria Novella is one of the largest squares in the old city centre of Florence, enlarged several times to be able to contain the crowds of people drawn there by the preaching of the Dominican monks, who had settled in this part of town in 1221 and built a convent. Because of its size, the square was later the obvious place to hold the Palio dei Cocchi or Chariot race, today remembered by two marble obelisks set on top of two bronze turtles by Giambologna.

One side of the square is occupied by the Dominican Basilica and the convent, which also included the monks' ancient Pharmacy, while another is delimited by the long loggia of what was once the Hospital of San Paolo, built between 1489-96 as a copy of the Loggia degli Innocenti by Brunelleschi. A polychrome terracotta lunette by Andrea della Robbia, can be seen on the right underneath the portico. The lunette represents a meeting between St. Francis and St. Dominic, which is said to have taken place here in 1221.

The construction of Santa Maria Novella was started by the Dominicans in the XIII century. In 1360 the Church was almost finished but the façade was completed only in the XV century. Leon Battista Alberti worked to the construction of the Church. The most important work of art of the Church is the "Trinità" of Masaccio, one of the first works where the principles of perspective were used.

Moreover, in the Church there are frescos of Filippino Lippi and Ghirlandaio. A wonderful masterpiece made by Giotto is the huge wood crucifix above the central nave.