To give a sense of what the city of Florence looks like, we have gathered here a selection of snapshots of the many piazzas of the city. Florence has a compact city center (centro storico) of medieval origin made up of a network of piazza (plazas or squares) which are connected by via (streets). Almost every major piazza has a church associated with it. If you like to join us on this epic road trip from the beginning in Switzerland, click here for the first post of the series.
Starting with the piazza nearest to our hotel …
Piazza di San Giovanni
The religious center of Florence is Il Duomo (the Cathedral, see our earlier post). This piazza is situated on the west side of the Baptistery, a part of the cathedral complex.
Piazza del Duomo
We believe the pedestrian-only areas surrounding the cathedral or at least the southside constitutes Piazza del Duomo. It is continuous with Piazza di San Giovanni mentioned above.
Street artists selling drawings, and cafes line the piazza, in the shadow of the Duomo.
Piazza della Signoria
Walking towards the River Arno from the Duomo, this piazza is the subject of an earlier post dedicated to the most important square of the city.
Piazza degli Uffizi
Piazza degli Uffizi lies between the two wings of the Uffizi Gallery.
Piazza della Repubblica
This piazza was created in 1885 during Risanamento to replace the old market (Mercato Vecchio) and the Jewish ghetto. and thereby give the city, then the capital, a prettier public space.
The inscription on the arch reads “The ancient centre of the city / restored from age-old squalor / to new life” (translated).
Several well-known cafes line the perimeter of the square while newer eateries occupy the spaces in the square. We walked passed this square several times and it was always crowded with tourists and street performers. We did not know (but read about them later) that intellectuals congregate in one of the cafe, Caffe delle Giubbe Rosse, from which the Futurist Manifesto was launched in 1910.
New cafes/eateries are installed actually inside the piazza (making the piazza smaller) and they obscure the entrances to the older cafes, unfortunately.
One of the oldest hostel, Pensione Pendini founded in 1879 is located on the fourth floor of a building facing the piazza. Apparently it is a mid-priced lodging offering a great location, grand views, and rooms with character and antique furniture.
The Column of Abundance (Colonna dell’Abbondanza) in the Piazza della Repubblica dates to 1431 is the only thing that was left from the old market. It used to mark the geographic center of the ancient city but was repositioned in 1956. The merry-go-round below the column added much light and excitement to the square at night.
Basilica di San Lorenzo
While there is not a named piazza associated with the Basilica di San Lorenzo, the public spaces surrounding the church functioned effectively as a piazza. People were sitting on the steps next to the church, relaxing, socializing.
The basilica of San Lorenzo was built in the 4th century, renovated in the Romanesque period, in 1059, and then rebuilt in the 15th century following a design by Filippo Brunelleschi under the patronage of the Medici family.
Piazza del Mercato Centrale
Not far from the Basilica di San Lorenzo, this piazza is triangular in shape and situated in front of the Central Market (Mercato Centrale) which is covered in an earlier post.
There were many stalls here selling a variety of goods for daily use, and souvenirs.
If you are interested in the history of Florence, this is the book. Beautifully illustrated.
We will be wrapping up our coverage of Florence. Don’t miss our next post for a last look at a few more Florentine piazza.