With a name derived from “St Michael of the Vegetable Garden”, this austere building dominates the main commercial street in Florence. Throughout the middle ages it had an unusual dual function. The upper stories housed a thriving market and the city's grain store, whilst the cooler ground floor was dedicated to worship of the Virgin Mary. It now houses some of the greatest works by sculptors such as Donatello, Verrocchio, Ghiberti and Luca della Robbia.