Museo nazionale di San Matteo
The national museum of Pisa in the former convent of San Matteo in Soarta, with medieval sculptures and paintings, including works by Giunta Pisano, Simone Martini and Masaccio.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
The original core of the museum is a collection of “primitive” paintings formed in 1796 by the canon Sebastiano Zucchetti. In the 19th century the collection grew through state acquisitions in the Napoleonic period and after unification, and it gradually merged into the Accademia di Belle Arti. In 1893 Iginio Benvenuto Supino set up the Museo Civico in the convent of San Francesco.
The Museo Nazionale was founded in 1949 and installed in the restored convent of San Matteo in Soarta, a building that dates back to an 11th-century medieval monastery, altered in the mid-16th century. The neoclassical façade on the Lungarno is probably from the late 18th or early 19th century.
The collections include large sculptures from the 12th to the 15th century, among them works from the church of Santa Maria della Spina, panels and gold-ground crosses from the 12th to 14th centuries, 15th-century paintings and a rich collection of Mediterranean ceramics, including Islamic ones.
Highlights
- Painted cross by Giunta Pisano (around 1254)
- Polyptych of Saint Catherine by Simone Martini
- Saint Paul by Masaccio
- Sculptures by Giovanni, Nino and Andrea Pisano
- Mediterranean and Islamic ceramics of the 10th–13th centuries
Permanent exhibitions
- Scultura medievale – Large sculptures from the 12th to the 15th century, with works by Giovanni, Nino and Andrea Pisano and pieces from Santa Maria della Spina.
- Pittura su tavola – Panels and gold-ground crosses from the 12th to 14th centuries and 15th-century paintings, including works by Simone Martini, Traini and Masaccio.
- Ceramiche mediterranee – Collection of Mediterranean ceramics, with Islamic examples from the 10th to 13th centuries.
- Founded
- 1949
- Operated by
- Musei nazionali di Pisa (Ministero della Cultura)
Admission & discounts
| Adults | €5 |
|---|---|
| Reduced | €2 |
| Combined ticket with the Museo di Palazzo Reale | €8Reduced €4 |
| Combined ticket for the four national museums of Pisa (7 days) | €14 |
| Named annual pass for the four national museums of Pisa (365 days) | €35 |
Free admission: First Sunday of the month: free admission, from 9:00 to 13:30.
Booking is optional. Guided tours at weekends and on public holidays are paid in addition to the ticket.
Accessibility
- Wheelchair accessible
- Elevator
- Accessible restroom
- Accessible parking: no information
- Service dogs welcome: no information
- Tactile models & exhibits: no information
- Sign language tours
- Easy-to-read materials: no information
- Audio description: no information
The main entrance is suitable for wheelchair users (threshold under 2.5 cm, door at least 75 cm wide). A lift with an accessible cabin is near the exit stairs; toilets for people with disabilities are on the ground floor. Guided tours in Italian Sign Language (LIS) are available, and a LIS route can be downloaded via QR code.
Kids & families
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Getting there & parking
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Amenities & dining
- Museum shop
- Coat check
The cloakroom is free; the bookshop sells publications, catalogues and museum objects.
Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Plan your visit
| Guided tours | yes |
|---|---|
| Audio guide | yes (IT) |
| Good to know | Maps and audio guides can be downloaded free of charge via QR code (in Italian and LIS). Guided tours for individuals and groups are offered at weekends and on public holidays, by booking at +39 324 0018050 or by e-mail to info@visitamusei.pisa.it. |
