Piazzale Michelangelo

Oltrarno, Florence – Perched atop a hill on the south side of the Arno, Piazzale Michelangelo offers a breathtakingly expansive view of Florence, making it a popular spot for residents and tourists alike.

The front of the Piazzale looks out over the Palazzo Vecchio, Duomo, and beyond to the hills of Fiesole. Though the place is usually over-crowded during the day – and intensely hot in the summer – by night there’s no more romantic spot for enjoying a gelato and admiring the city from afar as local street performers provide soothing guitar music.

Concerts and shows are often staged in the piazza during the summer, and important football matches are shown on a gigantic screen in the middle of the square.

Whether visitors bring a bottle of wine to share on the stairs or set up their easels and tripods to try to capture the view, Piazzale Michelangelo offers a stunning backdrop for a scenic interlude during the course of the day or a bit of high-spirited conversation with the young local crowd that gathers there at night.    ← read less