San Miniato al Monte

Just uphill from Piazzale Michelangelo, with its belvedere affording sweeping city views, is San Miniato. Unlike its larger, noisier city sisters, Santa Maria Novella and Santa Croce, this lovely church maintains a hushed, serious ambiance. Its interiors are not lit, and the haunting faces of the many wall paintings stare out from the dim surroundings like ghostly reminders of the building’s long history, dating to the early eleventh century. Ask the concierge at your hotel for the schedule of services: hearing Gregorian chants sung by the monks of the monastery is truly an otherworldly experience.