Piazzale Michelangelo in Florence

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.