Piazzale Michelangelo in Florence
The most famous viewing point in the city
Piazzale Michelangelo is where you can get the most famous view of Florence, a magnificent terrace overlooking the city, named after one of the most important Florentine artists of the Renaissance: Michelangelo Buonarroti. It can be reached from viale Galileo, viale Michelangiolo or from Piazza Poggi climbing the famous stairs known as the Rampe del Poggi.
Construction of the piazzale was part of Florence’s urban renewal when it was named capital of Italy, beginning in 1873 and opened two years later. According to the designs of the architect, Giuseppe Poggi, the entire piazzale was to become a shrine to Michelangelo: even the Neoclassical loggia was proposed as a museum where all the great artist’s works in Florence would be on display. In the end, the museum idea was scrapped and in 1876, the loggia became a restaurant-café.
In the middle of the piazza there is a monument made up of bronze copies of some of Michelangelo’s works: the four allegories from the Medici chapel in San Lorenzo and the famous David, with his gaze directed towards the hills on the other side of the city.
The piazzale is an excellent panoramic terrace over Florence, a favourite spot for citizens and tourists who want to take in all of Florence’s beauty from an evocative place.
