Piazza della Repubblica

Description

Piazza della Repubblica is the beating heart of the center of Florence, where the old city meets the modern one, and teems with life at any time of day or night.


Piazza della Repubblica has been the center of the city since the Roman times, when the cardo and decumanus (the two axial streets of all towns built by the Romans) intersected marking the location of the large Roman forum. The exact point is marked by a Column called Colonna dell’Abbondanza.


In medieval times, the area was very populated and the square was used as a market area from the year 1000. In the Renaissance it became the area of ​​the “old market”, since the Loggia of the New Market, or Loggia del Porcellino, was built close-by near Palazzo Vecchio and Ponte Vecchio. Not far from the old market there was also the Jewish ghetto, established in 1570 by Cosimo I, which had two synagogues.


The current appearance of Piazza della Repubblica dates to the late 1800s, when major renovations were made in Florence when it became the capital of Italy. The ring road, Piazzale Michelangelo and the Rampe date back to the same period. During the renovation works, the square was enlarged and many medieval buildings were demolished including towers, churches and noble palaces; the old Florence made way to modernity.

On the square elegant palaces and cafes were built transforming the area into the parlor of Florence. Here you can find places such as the Caffè delle Giubbe Rosse, where Italian artists and writers met, or the Caffè Gilli or the nearby Giacosa cafè where the Negroni cocktail was invented.


Today Piazza della Repubblica is still the center of the city, a meeting point halfway between the Duomo and Signoria squares, in the heart of Florentine shopping. Do not miss the beautiful, large carousel, fun for youngsters of any age.


Where is it?

Piazza della Repubblica, 50122 Firenze


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