Peace at the Piazzale Michelangelo

Another favorite place thus far is the Piazzale Michelangelo. Cross the Ponte alle Grazie, the bridge before the Ponte Vecchoio and again, you find a vastly different Florence than the touristy, crowded spots in the city center. Don’t get me wrong, I love all the things that make Florence what it is, the Duomo, the Uffizi, and all of the major piazzas, but you can only weave through so many groups being led by guides holding up giant flowers or little flags before you want to scream. I like to cross to the other side (where most Florentines actually live) and not feel like I am in some amusement park where people somehow forget how to walk and stand in the middle of the street until a motorcycle almost hits them or they spot a gelato shop that inspires them to move. An hour or so before the sunsets I like to follow the via del Monte alle Croci until I come to a huge set of steps and start climbing. At the top and on the right is the “Gelato Michelangelo” which is not only delicious but affordable and after that many steps I definitely deserve ice cream. The motivation is the view, nothing else is up there, but the view is enough.

Not only is it beautiful and relaxing, but it offers perspective. When you are so close to everything you only see a piece of it, but the view from the piazzale lets you step back and really see the enormity and brilliance of the structures you took pictures of earlier before being shuffled along to the next museum. You can also see the hills that rise up around Florence and keep it tucked in the valley. Behind you is the road that people take when Florence is something they are ready to escape. You can look down and seen the cars of the people can’t wait to return to misunderstood city they tried leave behind but couldn’t. You see the Duomo, the axis on which the world spins, everything changing except the tightly woven center of Florence which after all these years is mostly the same. And when your eyes can’t hold anymore and the sun has set, it is time to descend back down the stairs, down the hill, cross the bridge, and return to the chaos, noise, and beauty that is Florence.