The spectacular view from Piazzale Michelangelo, Florence, Italy

Piazzale Michelangelo sits on a hilltop in the Oltrarno district of Florence and has perhaps the best panoramic view of the city possible. From left to right you can see historical landmarks such as the Ponte Vecchio, Palazzo della Signoria, Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore and  the Basilica di Santa Croce where Gallileo and Michelangelo are buried. Many copies of Michelangelo’s sculptures are to be found at Piazzale Michelangelo and while the originals are all made of marble the copies are made of bronze.

I had decided this day to just start walking and see where my feet brought me and as I had explored much of Florence’s historic centre the day before I thought it to be a good idea to cross the river and check out some places that I had not yet seen. My hotel was right near the Palazzo della Signoria which is the building with the tower on the left of the photograph, so it took me a while to meander through the city and finally up some very slippery slopes covered in ice and find myself overlooking one of the most picturesque cities in the world. As you can see from the snow covered rooftops and trees it was a cold day and the long walk was a great way of keeping warm however I think that if I were to do it again some Italian coffee or hot chocolate in a thermos would be a good idea on such a trek. There are so many parts of Florence that I did not get the chance to see and I’m just grateful that my feet had the good sense to lead me to this place with such a breathtaking vista. This was one of the few times during my time in Florence where the sky was actually blue and it wasn’t snowing, it couldn’t have happened at a better time.

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