The magnificent church of San Domenico: a troubled history that gives it an unparalleled charm.

Its foundations were laid in the last decades of the 13th century and, after years of great effort, it was finally completed in 1316. The façade, as we can admire it today, remains unfinished, but it is precisely this imperfection that makes it fascinating. The lower part shows the typical two-tone of alberese and serpentine marble, while the upper part reveals the bricks. Along the left side, tall closed mullioned windows, a majestic portal that recalls the style of Giovanni Pisano and a row of sepulchral arches, similar to those that adorn the church of Santa Maria Novella in Florence, capture the gaze of visitors.

Looking at the church from the outside, the apse area is dominated by a mighty fourteenth-century bell tower, with two orders of double and triple lancet windows supported by elegant columns.

Although the exterior maintains an elegant Gothic appearance, the interior of the building surprises us with a total transformation. After the devastating fire caused by lightning in 1647, the church was completely rebuilt to a design by Baccio del Bianco. This tragedy led to the destruction of priceless works of art and furnishings, causing structural damage and architectural reworking. The large Gothic windows were blocked up, shrouding the interior in a mysterious darkness. Despite the loss of many precious works, the church, with its new seventeenth-century appearance, still shines with art that spans the centuries from the fourteenth to the sixteenth.