After a visit to Piazza Santissima Annunziata, where we paid a visit to the church of the same name, as well as spending some time admiring the Della Robbia medallions that grace the front of the Spedale degli Innocenti, we needed refreshment before heading to the Convent and Museum of San Marco. Standing in the piazza, facing the church, there is a small cafe to the left of the church where we stopped for pannini and coffee. Little did we know that we would also find some of the most delicious cookies I've ever tasted in this tiny, nondescript little place.

It is worth your while to seek it out, for the cookies are sublime.

Inspired by what I tasted there, I developed this recipe for delicate almond cookies with pignoli nuts. These cookies are macaroon-like, sweet and crunchy, and proved to be very popular. I hope you enjoy them as much as my family and friends have.

• Biscotti di Mandorla Toscani
  
  
• Ingredients
  
  
• 1 cup whole blanched almonds
  
  
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
  
  
• 1 large egg white
  
  
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract

Pinch salt

Pignoli nuts for rolling the cookies; less than a cup will do. These should be placed in a shallow bowl, for you will be dipping the unbaked cookies into these nuts.

Confectioner's sugar, for dusting.

I like to bake these on Silpats, but a lightly buttered cookie sheet will work well. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Using a food processor, place the almonds and the sugar in the work bowl and process until finely ground. Add the remaining ingredients, except the pignoli nuts, and process until combined. This only takes a few seconds. Using a teaspoon, scoop a small amount of the mixture into your hand and shape into a rough ball. Holding the bottom, gently press the top of the cookie into the pignoli nuts until several nuts adhere to the surface. Then gently place each cookie on the cookie sheet, about 2 inches apart.

Bake these in the middle of the oven for about 10 minutes, or until they are a pale golden color. Remove from oven when done, and let them sit on the cookie sheet for a minute or two to become a little firm, then transfer to a rack to cool completely. When cooled, dust lightly with confectioner's sugar. These will keep for 4 days in an airtight container. This recipe makes about 18 cookies.

Born Guido di Pietro, in 1395 in Vicchio di Mugello, Tuscany, Fra Angelico became a Dominican friar known as Fra Giovanni da Fiesole in around 1420; he was accompanied by his brother Benedetto. After his death, in approximately 1455, he became known as Fra Angelico due to the popularity of his beautiful and spiritually inspired paintings. He wasn't beatified by the Catholic Church until 1984, but the designation "Beato" came to him soon after his death; it refers to the blessed quality of his artistry, rather than his ranking as a possible saint. To this day, he is known as "a man of gentle personality and mystical art."

Fra Angelico may have been divinely inspired, but he was also a very professional artist who kept up with all the latest developments in art, especially while he was near Florence. The Dominicans had taken vows of poverty, and they begged for their upkeep. During his daily encounters with people of the city, he was exposed to a wide cosmopolitan view. It is likely that he began in art as a manuscript illuminator, as did many monks and friars at the time. Masaccio was a great influence on Fra Angelico, and this can be seen in many of the friar's works. Most notable among them is the Annunciation that can be seen in the Diocesan Museum in Cortona.

Although he later traveled extensively for important commissions, Fra Angelico spent most of his life in the convent at San Domenico in Fiesole, where he eventually became Prior in 1450. It was here that he produced his first art works, which include an altarpiece of the Annunciation, and The Coronation of the Virgin. However, it is in Florence proper, at San Marco, where his most famous works abide. In his final years, Fra Angelico worked in Orvieto and Perugia, but his most important works outside Florence are in Rome. Most notable is the private chapel of Pope Nicholas V in the Vatican, which he decorated with scenes from the lives of Saints Stephen and Lawrence.

These were done between the years of 1447 and 1450, and they are quite different from the paintings in San Marco, which we will discuss in that section of the newsletter. The Rome paintings had a strong new emphasis on the stories of the saints' lives, and on details. These Roman frescoes brought Angelico into the clear center of mainstream 15th Century painting. His influence is most clearly seen in the works of his pupil Benozzo Gozzoli, and in the graceful and innocent works of the Perugians. It was Vasari, who revered Fra Angelico and his art, who popularized the use of that name for Fra Giovanni.

Fra Angelico died in Rome shortly after the completion of the Vatican paintings, and he and was buried in the church of Santa Maria Sopra Minerva, where his tombstone can still be seen. His feast day is the 18th of February, the day of his death.

For anyone interested in seeing more of his work while in Florence, the Uffizi Gallery houses several of his paintings. These include The Coronation of the Virgin, The Virgin and Child with Saints, The Naming of John the Baptist, The Preaching of St. Peter, The Martyrdom of St. Mark and The Adoration of the Magi. At the Accademia, Fra Angelico's works include The Last Judgment, Paradise, The Deposition from the Cross, The Entombment, scenes from the lives of St. Cosmas and St. Damian and various subjects from the life of Christ.

The Museum of San Marco was originally a Sylvestrine monastery, which was taken over by the Dominicans, Fra Angelico's Order, in 1436. He, along with his assistants, painted approximately 50 frescos in the friary between 1438 and 1435. These lovely frescos both express the spiritual life of the monastic community, and provided a guide to that life for the monks who lived there. A majority of the frescos are in the monks' cells, and were intended to be devotional aids. Each fresco possesses a beautiful economy in both composition and drawing, and their coloring, although faded today, is exquisite. There is a most extraordinary sense of serenity to the rooms and the convent; this is a visit to a Florence museum that is quite apart from any other.

These works are, as we said above, are in the cloisters of the convent, and in the Chapter House as well; the entire complex is now a national museum. Among the most notable works is the Chapter House Crucifixion, featuring the Savior crucified between two thieves and surrounded by a group of twenty saints. Below the fresco are portraits of seventeen Dominicans, and the entire composition is a remarkable example of Fra Angelico's mastery of painting infused with a sense of divinity and holiness. The faces of the monks show touching emotion as the contemplate the Crucifixion above. This is a truly moving work and should not be missed.

Adding to the serene atmosphere of the convent museum is the fact the Michelozzo's architecture has been well preserved through the centuries. It also helps that San Marco is off the main tourist trails. In fact, one is not likely to encounter crowds there. Besides the original frescos, other works of Fra Angelico which were brought to the Museum of San Marco in the 20th Century, make the collection much larger and more in-depth. Also to be seen are works by Fra Bartolomeo and other important 16th Century painters. The museum has a small section featuring fragments of sculpture and architecture from buildings of the city center which were demolished in the 19th century. These can be seen in the designated Visitor's Area and underground room, which also displays relics and other precious objects, and a rare collection of bells.

Address: Piazza San Marco 3, 50122 Firenze.
Ph. +39 055 2388608 - Fax +39 055 2388704
Email: museosanmarco@tiscali.it

Although we plan on writing about some of the sites near San Marco in the future, if you are interested in visiting the Museum soon, you may like to take into consideration the attractions listed below. Among the most notable sites for visitors near the convent are:

*Cenacolo di Sant'Apollonia

Andrea del Castagno's Last Supper (Cenacolo) was painted, and is housed, in the Convent of Sant'Apollonia. The convent is now a museum, open 8.30am-1.50pm Tue-Sun, and features other works by del Castagno.

*Cimitero degli Inglesi (Protestant Cemetery)

Sadly, when parts of Florence's medieval walls were destroyed, this quiet green spot became a traffic circle on the Viale. Nevertheless, lovers of the Brownings, the Grand Tour, and other distinctly English connections to Florence, will find this place well worth the time. Both Elizabeth Barrett Browning and Hiram Powers are buried in Florence's Protestant Cemetery. Florence's English Cemetery, Piazzale Donatello, 38, 50132 FIRENZE, is open to the public Mondays, 9:00-12:00, Tuesdays through Fridays, Summers, 3:00-6:00, Winters, 2:00-5:00. Closed on weekends and holidays. Phone 055 582608 http://www.florin.ms/cemetery.html

*Galleria dell'Accademia (Academy Gallery)

For most of us, a visit to the Accademia is an essential part of any visit to Florence. David, of course, resides here, and we needn't say much more. The Accademia is a small museum, and it is easy to combine with a visit to San Marco. In fact, seeing Fra Angelico's works in the first room at the Accademia would be perfect after seeing the paintings at San Marco. The website is in Italian, but particularly easy to follow: http://www.polomuseale.firenze.it/accademia/

*Museo Archeologico (Archaeological Museum)

From our own FlorenceVillas.com website: "Famous for the bronze Greek statue known as the Idolino, the Archaeological Museum ins housed in the Palazzo della Crocetta, which was built for the grand duchess MariaMadalena of Austria in 1620, probably by Giulio Parigi.

Established in 1870, the Museum contains one of the most important collections of Etruscan art in the world.

One section of the Archaeological Museum is formed by the Egyptian collections, which are the most important in Italy after those of Turin. There is a section dedicated to Attic black-figure vases and houses the famous François Vase, from the 6th century BC, attributed to the Greek artist Cleitias."

Hours: Mon 2-7pm, Tues and Thurs 8:30am-7pm; Wed and Fri-Sun 8:30am-2pm (Closed 2nd and 4th Monday of the month)
Address: Via della Colonna 38

*Museo Opificio delle Pietre Dure

The ancient fine art of marble and precious stone inlay is celebrated at this jewel of a little museum and restoration workshop. They have a terrific website at http://www.opificio.arti.beniculturali.it/eng/index.htm

*Santissima Annunziata

The Church of Santissima Annunziata sits on the piazza of the same name. It is often said that this is the native Florentine's favorite church; the one they love to attend for holiday masses and special ceremonies. The Servite Order was founded here in 1230 by a group of Florentine noblemen who gave up all their possessions and entered into a monastic life. The Votive Cloister is by Michelozzo, who redesigned the church; Santissima Annunziata contains a wealth of wonderful art, including outstanding pieces by Andrea del Sarto.

Daily 7:30am-12:30pm and 4-6:30pm
Piazza Santissima Annunziata

*Spedale degli Innocenti

Although I have repeatedly missed the interior, due to schedule conflicts, it is really the portico of this building that I love. Looking out over the Piazza Santissima Annunziata, the roundels by Della Robbia gracing its facade, it speaks to me of Florence as she was. The Piazza, by the way, is one of my favorites, if you haven't guessed so by now. I highly recommend a visit.