Florence, Day 1: Piazzale Michelangelo

In the evening, we were heading toward Piazzale Michelangelo. It would be a great place for night photography. JJ was excited.

We walked along the Arno river. There were people rowing the boat in the river and playing football on the grass nearby. It was picture-perfect. Maybe too perfect? I couldn’t help wondering if anyone had been drowned in the river.

I would say it was a 30 minute walk from Piazza della Signoria. I was expecting the place to be tranquil because it is away from the city centre. I couldn’t be more wrong. There were a lot of tourists here to see the panoramic view of Florence. The viewpoint isn’t big, so you have to wait for your turn to take pictures (stick around until someone leaves the spot). Most guidebooks probably won’t tell you that Florence is overrun by tourists. Rick Steves did mention Florence is touristy on his website but he didn’t elaborate. I really imagined Florence would be like those quaint small towns in Spain such as Figueres (Dali’s hometown). It turned out to be anything but quaint. 

Certainly, another fake David stands in the middle of the piazzale since the square is dedicated to Michelangelo.

When it gets dark, the city of Florence was lit up with lights. It’s breathtaking, isn’t? Can you picture Florence during the Renaissance? I definitely love the view but wish it were not that crowded. Oh well, you can’t have everything. From here, you can see Ponte Vecchio, The Duomo, Palazzo Vecchio, and the Arno River.