Most beautiful and famous piazzas in Florence + map and tips for visiting
Squares, or piazze in Italian (in the singular it’s piazza), are an essential element of Italian cities, and especially of Florence. Ancient churches full of artistic masterpieces often overlook the squares. Many of the most beautiful and oldest piazzas in Florence were born in the Middle Ages thanks to the churches and monasteries, which needed an external space in which to preach to the people.
And still today, centuries later, it is precisely in the squares that the locals meet, go for a coffee or an aperitif, go shopping in the markets.
Most beautiful piazzas in Florence, Italy
I am a local, licensed tour guide of Florence, with more than 10 years of experience. I am living and walking daily in all of those places! Learn more about me and my guided tours in Florence.
In this post you will find the list of the most beautiful piazzas in Florence, the most famous and the ones not to be missed during a visit to the city. You will also find my tips for visiting the monuments and the events that take place there.
At the end of the post there is also a map where all the squares I mentioned are located, so you can find them easily.
- To arrange your trip, check my Florence travel planner, with all the info you may need and all my best tips.
- For special views of the city, check the best rooftop bars in Florence.
Piazza Duomo
Piazza Duomo is the religious heart of Florence, it’s the square where the cathedral, baptistery and Giotto’s bell tower stand. The oldest building is the Baptistery, which was built starting from the 11th century. At the end of the 13th century, the construction of the cathedral with its bell tower, separated from the body of the church, was begun.
The cathedral and the baptistery stand in the center of the large square, called Piazza Duomo. Technically Piazza Duomo is only the space around the cathedral, while the space around the Baptistery is officially called Piazza San Giovanni. But the two buildings are so close that the entire space is commonly called Piazza Duomo.
Not to be missed in Piazza Duomo:
The visit of the cathedral complex: bell tower, church, baptistery, museum, and the climb to Brunelleschi’s dome. For more information on how to visit these monuments, read my guide to visiting the Duomo of Florence and the dome.
Have a beer with a view at Move On! It’s a craft beer pub and record store with an enviable location and view over the square.
- Warning: Piazza Duomo is always very crowded, and unfortunately there are pickpockets. Be especially careful in the area in front of the Gates of Paradise, the golden door of the baptistery, and as you queue to enter the cathedral.
Piazza Santa Maria Novella
In my opinion this is one of the most beautiful squares in Florence, thanks to the perfect facade of the church of Santa Maria Novella. The church was built in the 14th century, while the Renaissance façade was created by Leon Battista Alberti in the mid-15th century. The square is oval-shaped and there are two obelisks supported by turtles. In the Renaissance, horse-drawn cart races were held here!
The church of Santa Maria Novella is very rich in works of art by masters such as Giotto, Filippino Lippi, Ghirlandaio, Brunelleschi, Paolo Uccello and many others. It can be visited by paying an entrance ticket which you can also book online. There is usually not much queue, but I recommend you to book in advance in summer and on weekends.
In piazza Santa Maria Novella there are often markets with local handmade and artistic crafts, and typical products such as cheese, wine, olive oil and sweets, especially during the Christmas holidays.
Piazza Santa Croce
Also in this case the square takes its name from the church that overlooks it. The church of Santa Croce is one of the most beautiful and important in the city, built starting from the 13th century and completed in the mid-1400s. Inside there are so many artistic masterpieces that the church constitutes a museum. Giotto, Brunelleschi, Donatello and many other great names in art have worked here. The church is also the burial place of the most important personalities of Florence and Italy, such as Michelangelo, Galileo Galilei and Niccolò Machiavelli, whose monumental tombs you can admire.
Piazza Santa Croce has a rectangular shape, and for centuries Florentine Historic Football matches have taken place there, the ancestor of modern football and one of the most violent sports in the world. Historic football is still played today in Piazza Santa Croce, every year, and the final is played on June 24, the day of the patron saint Saint John the Baptist. For more information read my post on historic Florentine football.
- If you want to buy an excellent quality leather bag, or take part in a leather making class, check out Scuola del Cuoio, the school of leather, in Piazza Santa Croce!
Most beautiful square in Florence: Piazza della Signoria
This square doesn’t have a church, but instead a public building, Palazzo Vecchio, which has been the heart of political life in Florence for over 7 centuries. It’s definitely the most famous piazza of Florence, the most iconic and probably the most beautiful one.
Next to Palazzo Vecchio is the Loggia dei Lanzi, a medieval loggia built in the 14th century. The narrow space between the palace and the loggia gives access to the Uffizi square (pay attention to pickpockets in that narrow space!)
Palazzo Vecchio was built starting from 1299 as the palace of the Florentine Republic, and today houses the city hall. But it is also a large and beautiful museum, where you can admire Renaissance frescoes and statues of great artists such as Donatello and Michelangelo.
- Find all the information for the visit in my post dedicated to Palazzo Vecchio.
Piazza della Signoria is also an open-air sculpture museum, with lots of original masterpieces, including:
- Perseus and Medusa by Benvenuto Cellini
- The Rape of the Sabines by Giambologna
- The Fountain of Neptune by Niccolo Ammannati
In this square there are also three copies of very famous statues:
- The copy of Michelangelo’s David. The original is now in the Accademia Gallery Museum, but for centuries it has been placed outdoors, in Piazza della Signoria, exactly where the replica is.
- Copies of two statues by Donatello. The bronze statue of Judith and Holofernes, and the stone one of the lion called Marzocco.
Piazza Santo Spirito
Piazza Santo Spirito is the heart of the Santo Spirito district, in the Oltrarno area (beyond the Arno river). It is one of the most characteristic neighborhoods of the city, where many locals still live and where you can experience an authentic atmosphere.
The square and the neighborhood take their name from the church of Santo Spirito, designed in 1400 by Filippo Brunelleschi. Its facade is later, but it is so iconic that it has become the landmark and the logo of the neighborhood.
Piazza Santo Spirito is full of bars, restaurants and nightclubs. It’s the perfect place to experience the most relaxed nightlife of Florence. Here the Florentines come to have an aperitivo, sitting at the outdoor tables or on the edge of the fountain in the center of the square. On weekends, they stay until late at night to have fun, drink wine and spritz, eat pizza and make new friends. Volume is my favorite bar here!
- One of my absolute favorite restaurants is i’ Raddi, which is located a few steps from the square. They have also opened a second place, which serves sandwiches and glasses of wine, right in the square, in front of the left corner of the church.
Every second Sunday of the month, in the morning, in Piazza Santo Spirito there is the antiques market, one of the most fascinating city markets. You can find everything there, objects from the past are wonderful.
Piazzale Michelangelo
More than a square, Piazzale Michelangelo is a terrace set on the side of a hill that is right in front of the city. It’s at a walking distance from the historic center. You can get there in 15-20 minutes on foot from Piazza della Signoria, to enjoy a magnificent view of the city. From Piazzale Michelangelo you can see all the domes and bell towers of the city, the Arno River and all the bridges that cross it, including the Ponte Vecchio, with the rolling hills of Tuscany in the background.
Access to Piazzale Michelangelo is free, and being a public square it is accessible 24 hours a day. The best times, however, are early in the morning (when nobody is there yet) and at sunset.
A few steps from Piazzale Michelangelo there is also the beautiful medieval church of San Miniato al Monte, founded in 1019, with the Porte Sante monumental cemetery behind it. They are both free and I advise you not to miss them, but remember that they close around 5pm.
- In addition to Piazzale Michelangelo, there are many other places where you can see the city from above. You can find them all in my post on best view points of Florence!
Piazza della Repubblica
Piazza della Repubblica is one of the oldest squares in Florence, it was already the heart of the city in Roman times. In fact, the column recalls the place where the Roman Forum used to be. But the square was once very different and much smaller, there was a market around the column, and it was surrounded by a medieval quarter, which was demolished in the 19th century. Its original name was Piazza del Mercato Vecchio (Old market square).
Today Piazza della Repubblica is a large square overlooked by historic cafés such as Caffè Gilli and Caffè Paszkowski. There is also a vintage carousel that makes adults and children happy.
- In this square there is also the La Rinascente department store: go to the top floor to have an aperitif at the rooftop bar with a magnificent view over the city.
Piazza San Lorenzo
Once again, a square and a church of the same name, San Lorenzo (St. Lawrence). This church is deeply linked to the Medici family, who financed its reconstruction in the 15th century, entrusting the architecture to Filippo Brunelleschi. Next to the church there is also the Biblioteca Laurenziana, the Library founded by Lorenzo the Magnificent and designed by Michelangelo.
In the church of San Lorenzo are also the Medici Chapels, the burial place of all members of the Medici family, from the first to the last. The Medici Chapels constitute a national museum, separate from the church, and also include the New Sacristy, designed by Michelangelo.
A few steps from Piazza San Lorenzo is the Central Market (Mercato Centrale). It is a large covered market, with a food court on the first floor, with over 20 different restaurants, street food carts and wine shops. Here you can taste the best of Florentine and Italian flavors. Outside the market there are stalls selling leather products and souvenirs: they are quite touristy and I don’t recommend them.
Piazza Santissima Annunziata
I love this square, with the perfect geometry of its architecture!
On one side of the square there is the church of the Santissima Annunziata (admission is free, come in to admire the many paintings that enrich it). Another side is characterized by the arches and columns of the Hospital of the Innocents (Ospedale degli Innocenti), another iconic architecture by Filippo Brunelleschi. The Innocenti hospital is the oldest institution in the world for abandoned children, founded in 1419 and still active today. The hospital also has a wonderful museum that tells the story of the charity institution through works of art and curious objects. There are also paintings by Ghirlandaio and Botticelli.
- Learn more about the Museum of the Hospital of the Innocents in Florence.
In Piazza della Santissima Annunziata there are often weekend markets, with local handmade products, street food, antiques and much more. The most important are:
- Fierucola dell’Immacolata, and happens in the days around the Immaculate Conception day (December 8th)
- Fierucola in piazza Santissima Annunziata – the first weekend of September.
Map of the most beautiful piazzas of Florence
I have pointed all the places mentioned before on a map. Hope you find it useful to locate and visit the most beautiful piazzas of Florence during your trip to Italy! Let me know in the comments if you have any other tips to share, and what is your favorite one!