<previous Leaving Rome, Giotto was then a seasoned artist with an art studio and several properties in Florence. His reputation led him to the north of Italy in Rimini and Padua around 1305. There he influenced the local school.

Of this period is left the frescoes of Scrovegni or Arena Chapel in Padua and the main panel of a Crucifix executed around 1309 for the murderous Malatesta, the local despot. The small figures of the extremities of the traditional wood panel of the crucifix are missing. Only one has been recovered. The careful execution of the anatomy of Christ and of the loin garment testify for the refinement of Giotto's art.