Piazzale Michelangelo

Piazzale Michelangelo is Giuseppe Poggi's nineteenth-century panoramic terrace above Florence's Oltrarno. The city, river and surrounding hills form the setting for a monument dedicated to Michelangelo.

Why it matters

The terrace belongs to the urban transformation associated with Florence's period as capital of the Kingdom of Italy from 1865. It presents the historic city as a coherent panorama, connecting modern urban planning with the commemoration of Renaissance art.

What to notice

The bronze ensemble reproduces Michelangelo's David and allegorical figures from the Medici Chapels. Across the river, the cathedral dome and Palazzo Vecchio's tower stand among the roofs and bridges. Poggi's loggia provides an architectural counterpart to the open terrace and was originally conceived for a museum devoted to Michelangelo.

Context and history

Poggi's capital-era works included boulevards and the Viale dei Colli. The terrace developed within that wider scheme during the later nineteenth century. The proposed museum in the loggia was not realised; the building acquired a different public use as a cafe in 1876. The piazzale's history therefore combines planned commemoration with subsequent adaptation.