In this 19th-century piazza, a bronze replica of Michelangelo’s famous David watches over the city below, surrounded by replicas of allegorical sculptures from the Medici Chapels of San Lorenzo.

Piazzale Michelangelo was designed by Florentine architect Giuseppe Poggi and built in the 1860s. Poggi also designed a monument base dedicated to Michelangelo, intended for copies of the artist’s work. The bronze replica of Michelangelo’s David was placed there in 1873 and still stands in the center of the piazza today. The original marble David can be found in the Galleria dell’Accademica in the city of Florence below.

Giuseppe Poggi also designed and built a building on the hillside with a loggia that would serve as a museum for Michelangelo’s works, but this idea was never fully realized. Today the building intended to be a museum is the Ristorante La Loggia, a coffee bar and restaurant with a beautiful view of the city.

Piazzale Michelangelo’s bronze David is now surrounded by vendors who set up their shops below the monumental base. Tourists visit the piazza dedicated to Michelangelo for its breathtaking views, but are also greeted by Michelangelo’s statue of David replicated in bronze.