Sant’Ambrogio

The streets of Sant’Ambrogio, south of the synagogue, are among the most dusty and piquant in the city centre, a neighbourhood where tourists seldom venture. Life revolves around the church Sant’Ambrogio, one of the oldest churches in Florence and its adjacent market made of cast iron in 1873.

The church is said to mark the spot where St Ambrose, the Bishop of Milan, visited Florence in 393 and was originally set in the countryside, and was still outside the city walls when it rebuilt in the 13th century.

Sant'Ambrogio was given a simple façade in 1888, but has no lack of treasures inside, even though most have since been removed to the Uffizi. The second chapel on the right has a lovely fresco, Madonna Enthroned with Saints by the school of Orcagna (or Agnolo Gaddi).