Piazzale Michelangelo

Piazzale Michelangelo is a terrace of the Tuscan capital, loved by tourists and Florentines alike. Piazzale Michelangiolo – the original name – was created in 1875 by architect Giuseppe Poggi.

It was during the period of Florence’s capitalist boom when urban planning became part of the so-called revitalization plan, which also led to the creation of the great avenues, a period of social and urban renewal of the city of Florence. The sumptuous terrace is located on a hill on the south bank of Arno, just east of the Boboli gardens.

The ancient 14th-century walls were razed to form the avenue of ring roads, on the model of the Parisian boulevards: along the Hill of San Miniato the Colli avenue, a panoramic road of about 8 kilometers was formed and the square was placed at the end of its route. From 1890 to 1935 the avenue was run by the Chianti intersections connecting Florence with Greve in Chianti and San Casciano Val di Pesa.

The square was named after the renowned Renaissance artist Michelangelo, to whom the monument was also dedicated, consisting of a bronze copy of David and the statues of the Medici tombs in San Lorenzo (on the contrary, the original ones were made in marble).

According to the chronicles of that time, on June 25, 1873, nine pairs of oxen were used to carry the monumental works on the terrace. The works were completed within a couple of years, and the terrace became accessible in 1875.

At David’s feet are the copies of the four statues, allegories of day and night , that adorn the tombs of the Medici chapels of St. Lawrence: David’s copy occupies a privileged position, towering over the city and observing it from above , as an ever-watchful guard on Florentine beauties.