It was going to be super-hot today so I left the apartment at 7:45am and hiked up to Piazzale Michelangelo on the other side of the Arno for the spectacular view of the city. It was about a 35-minute walk and almost a straight shot from my place to the bridge, Ponte alle Grazie, and then a winding path up to the Piazzale. I passed Porta San Niccolò, which is one of the old gates to the city. It was built in 1324 and is the only gate in the old city walls that retains its original height – the others were lowered in the 16th century – and remnants of more of the old walls can be seen from the Piazzale.
This piazza was designed by architect Giuseppe Poggi and built in 1869 on a hill just south of the historic center, during the redevelopment of Oltrarno, the South (left) bank of the Arno River. In 1869, Florence was the capital of Italy and the whole city was involved in urban renewal, and in Oltrarno the Viale dei Colli was built, a tree-lined street over 8 kilometers long ending at the Piazzale Michelangelo, which was built as a terrace with a panoramic view of the city. The square, dedicated to the Renaissance sculptor Michelangelo, has bronze copies of some of his marble works found elsewhere in Florence: the David and the four allegories of the Medici Chapel of San Lorenzo. The view captures the heart of Florence from Forte Belvedere to Santa Croce, across the lungarni (river walks) and the bridges crossing the Arno, including the Ponte Vecchio, the Duomo, and Palazzo Vecchio.
Beautiful photos: https://photos.app.goo.gl/LVwNP8PBjzR52hXT6
I took a bus back to near my neighborhood to pick up something at the pharmacy and then walked around the city center, Duomo, San Lorenzo and Central Market – and it was getting way too hot. I was lagging and got on a bus back to my place, turned on the A/C, and at 3pm it was 103° but was said to feel like 107°. I had originally thought of going out for dinner tonight but that’s not happening – I’ll make pasta!
This piazza was designed by architect Giuseppe Poggi and built in 1869 on a hill just south of the historic center, during the redevelopment of Oltrarno, the South (left) bank of the Arno River. In 1869, Florence was the capital of Italy and the whole city was involved in urban renewal, and in Oltrarno the Viale dei Colli was built, a tree-lined street over 8 kilometers long ending at the Piazzale Michelangelo, which was built as a terrace with a panoramic view of the city. The square, dedicated to the Renaissance sculptor Michelangelo, has bronze copies of some of his marble works found elsewhere in Florence: the David and the four allegories of the Medici Chapel of San Lorenzo. The view captures the heart of Florence from Forte Belvedere to Santa Croce, across the lungarni (river walks) and the bridges crossing the Arno, including the Ponte Vecchio, the Duomo, and Palazzo Vecchio.
Beautiful photos: https://photos.app.goo.gl/LVwNP8PBjzR52hXT6
I took a bus back to near my neighborhood to pick up something at the pharmacy and then walked around the city center, Duomo, San Lorenzo and Central Market – and it was getting way too hot. I was lagging and got on a bus back to my place, turned on the A/C, and at 3pm it was 103° but was said to feel like 107°. I had originally thought of going out for dinner tonight but that’s not happening – I’ll make pasta!