Itinerario Beato Angelico fra San Giovanni Valdarno e Cortona

The itinerary winds from north to south through two valleys: the Valdarno with the city of San Giovanni and the Valdichiana up to Cortona .
What unites the two places is the artistic activity of a great Florentine painter of the Renaissance, Dominican, " Beato Angelico " (Guido di Pietro Tosini, Vicchio di Mugello 1387/1400-Rome 1455).
In the museum of Santa Maria delle Grazie in San Giovanni Valdarno it is possible to admire a table depicting the Annunciation , one of the most delicate painted by the artist. The work, built between 1430-32, comes from the Franciscan convent of Montecarlo, a few kilometers from the city of San Giovanni Valdarno.
Leaving San Giovanni Valdarno, continue on SR 69 until reaching Arezzo. From here we proceed to the SR 71 until we reach Cortona. This town of very ancient origins, preserves from the Etruscan period impressive sections of the city walls dating back to the 5th century BC, from the medieval period are still visible churches such as San Francesco and San Domenico and palaces such as Palazzo Comunale and Palazzo Casali .
In this city the Florentine artist's presence is revealed in the Diocesan Museum . In the great hall, once the Baptistery of the former church of the Gesù, there are two tables of Fra Angelico: the Annunciation and a Madonna with Child and four saints , both painted for the church of San Domenico. The two tables, in addition to a fresco that the artist had painted for the lunette of the entrance door of the church, were built between 1434-38, a few years after the table of San Giovanni, during the painter's stay in the Dominican convent. di Cortona (Fra Angelico stayed there until 1438).
If for the first Annunciation the artist seems to be linked more to Masolino, for the Annunciation of Cortona the teaching is that of Masaccio.