Piazzale Michelangelo, with a view on Oltrarno and San Niccolo (with Santo Spirito, Santa Maria della Carmine and the Ponte Vecchio

Piazzale Michelangelo, con veduta del Duomo di Santa Maria del Fiore

Florence is filled with many other churches stuffed with some of the finest art in the world: San Miniato al Monte, San Lorenzo, Santa Maria Novella, Santa Trinita, the Brancacci Chapel at Santa Maria della Carmine, Santa Croce, Santo Spirito and more.

San Miniato al Monte

San Miniato al Monte is standing atop one of the highest points in the city. It has been described as one of the finest Romanesque structures in Tuscany and one of the most scenic churches in Italy. The crypt is the oldest part of the church and the high altar supposedly contains the bones of San Miniato himself (although there is evidence that these were removed to Metz before the church was even built). In the vaults are frescoes by Taddeo Gaddi.

San Miniato al Monte (and the Piazzale Michelangelo) can be accessed by car along the tree-lined Viale Michelangelo, or by walking the stairs, going up the ramps from the Piazza Giuseppe Poggi, also known as the Poggi Ramps in the district of San Niccolò. The best way is to climb the stairs of Scalea del Monte alle Croci (follow Via San Niccolò and then up Via Monte alle Croci until you see the famous cypress lined stairs on your left) and ultimately to the church of San Miniato. The Giardino delle Rose can be accessed from the Scalea del Monte alle Croci.

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From Ponte Vecchio to Piazzale Michelangelo and back

The bars and terraces that are mainly visited by the working locals in the morning and at noon, are populated by young people in the evening. In this district you will also find the only city beach of Firenze, la spiaggia sull'Arno, where you can sunbathe in the summer. River Urban Beach Terrazza Marasco is a great place to enjoy a relaxing, open-air sunset along the river banks. From there you can walk up from Porto San Niccolò along the Viale Giuseppe Poggi, or climbing the stairs of Scalea del Monte alle Croci (take From the garden you can enjoy the most beautiful panorama of the city, with views of the Ponte Vecchio, the Duomo Santa Maria del Fiore, the Uffizi, Santa Croce and the Palazzo Vecchio.
Viale dei Colli is an approximately 6 km long panoramic road that stretches from the Porta Romana to the Ponte San Niccolò and was designed and realized by Giuseppe Poggi in the short period that Florence was the capital of Italy (1865-1871). The architect meticulously described them in the seventh chapter of his report on the extension of Florence. He deliberately designed 'picturesque' effects, right down to the promenade to the church of San Miniato al Monte and the Cimitero delle Porte Sante cemetery. The Piazzale Michelangelo has been conceived as the highlight of the Viale dei Colli. Along the walking route, which has a slope between 1 and 3.8%, Poggi provided some gardens with arbors and chalets that at the time offered "all kinds of recreation". One of these gardens was the Giardino delle rose (The Rose Garden).		Viale dei Colli and panorama of Florence in a nineteenth-century photo
Florence, Photo gallery

Piazzale Michelangelo [Magnificent View on Ponte Vecchio]	Piazzale Michelangelo, con veduta del Duomo di Santa Maria del Fiore	Panoramic view from Piazzale Michelangelo on Santa Croce

Piazzale Michelangelo	Piazzale Michelangelo, con veduta del Ponte Vecchio e di Palazzo Vecchio	Piazzale Michelangelo al tramonto, con veduta del Duomo di Santa Maria del Fiore, degli Uffizi, di Santa Croce e di Palazzo Vecchio

San Miniato al Monte, Cimitero Porte Sante	Giardino Bardini, View east inbetween Porta San Niccolo and Piazzale Michelangelo	Piazzale Michelangelo al tramonto


Strolling in Florence \| Walk from Ponte Vecchio to Piazzale Michelangelo Beautiful walk in one of the most authentic neighborhoods of Firenze, San Niccolò. The atmosphere of an authentic Florentine neighborhood still remains here.
		Giardino Bardini, View east inbetween Porta San Niccolo and Piazzale Michelangelo
Transport Timetables and routes - ATAF \| Map You can view the bus routes at the Florence transit site: www.ataf.net/en/ataf.aspx?idC=2&LN=en-US
		Bus trasport in Florence

[1] Foto di Sailko, licenziato in base ai termini della licenza Creative Commons Attribuzione-Condividi allo stesso modo 3.0 Unported