Giotto returned to Florence in 1309 and executed a polyptyque of the Madonna with Child in Santa Maria del Fiore.

In Santa Croce, around 1325, Giotto art reached its maturity and refinement in expressiveness and architectural rendering. Those frescoes are in poor conditions due to whitewashing in the recent past [more on Peruzzi Chapel]. He painted the Peruzzi and Bardi chapels while his disciples painted the other chapels. Santa Croce became a showcase for some of Giotto's more talented pupils: Taddeo Gaddi who decorated the Baroncelli family chapel.