Brancacci Chapel access route to be redesigned

The Florence city council has approved a project to upgrade the visitor access route to the Brancacci Chapel, located inside the church of Santa Maria del Carmine in the Oltrarno district.

The project will be financed through the European programme Access, in which the Municipality of Florence participates as a partner. The plan was developed by the city’s Fine Arts and Palazzo Vecchio workshops service, with an investment of about €40,000 aimed at improving the experience for visitors.

Changes to the access route and visitor area

The works will focus on reorganising the entrance route to the chapel, which houses the celebrated fresco cycle by Masolino, Masaccio, and Filippino Lippi, widely considered one of the foundations of Renaissance painting.

The project also includes improvements to the reception system for visitors. In particular, the area of the left transept of the Carmine church, currently used as a waiting space for tour groups, will be redesigned and equipped with new seating.

Additional measures will address security and visitor flow management, with the aim of making the access system clearer and more comfortable for the large number of people who visit the chapel every year.

Completion expected in 2026

According to the municipality, the works are expected to be completed by summer 2026.

City officials say the intervention is intended not only to preserve the chapel but also to make it easier to access, including for visitors with mobility needs. The broader goal of the European programme is to combine heritage conservation with new technologies and improved visitor services in cultural sites.

A key site of Renaissance art

The Brancacci Chapel is one of Florence’s most important artistic landmarks. Its fresco cycle, painted mainly in the early 15th century, is known for its revolutionary use of perspective, realism and human expression.

Art historians often describe the chapel as a formative place for later Renaissance masters, including Michelangelo, who studied the frescoes while training in Florence.

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