Piazzale Michelangelo

High above the historic center of Florence is Piazzale Michelangelo, one of the best-known viewpoints in the city. From its broad terrace, Florence seems to spread out below with the Arno River and its bridges, the towers and rooftops of the old city, Palazzo Vecchio, Santa Croce and, dominating the skyline, Brunelleschi’s great dome of the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore.

Although the view encompasses centuries of Florentine history, the piazzale itself is relatively recent. It was designed by architect Giuseppe Poggi and constructed in the 1860s, when Florence was undergoing enormous changes after becoming the capital of the newly unified Kingdom of Italy in 1865. Poggi created new boulevards, parks and overlooks around the city, with Piazzale Michelangelo providing a grand panoramic view of Florence.

The piazzale was dedicated to Michelangelo, one of the greatest artists to emerge from Florence. At its center stands a bronze reproduction of his David, along with bronze copies of figures he created for the Medici Chapel. The original marble David, completed in the early 16th century, is preserved today in Florence’s Galleria dell’Accademia.

Here artists set up their easels along the overlook, displaying paintings of Florence and creating new ones as people passed by. In a city so closely associated with Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Botticelli and countless other artists, it seemed fitting that people were still coming here with brushes and paints to interpret Florence for themselves.

This photograph captures Emily and Erin standing beside one of those artists, watching carefully as he worked. I love that they weren’t simply seeing a completed painting in one of Florence’s museums. They were watching the process and seeing an artist study what was in front of him and then transform that view into his own interpretation on canvas.

That moment seemed especially appropriate in Florence. So much of our time in the city was spent surrounded by art created centuries earlier, in museums, churches, public squares and buildings. At Piazzale Michelangelo, the girls were able to see that Florence was still inspiring artists.

The piazzale gave us one of the great views of Florence, but this photograph reminds me that there was something else worth watching there as well. While the city itself provided the subject, Emily and Erin stood quietly beside an artist and watched another image of Florence come to life.