5 Attractions Near Piazzale Michelangelo, Florence

Take in the Views From Piazzale Michelangelo

The views from this broad, open space are the finest in Florence and maybe anywhere in Italy, especially as the sun sets. The piazzale is typically crowded with tour bus passengers and tourists who've made their way up on foot. But no matter how you get there or how crowded it is, it's worth it for the stupendous views. You'll see a lot of street vendors—legal and otherwise—keen to sell you souvenirs and fake designer handbags. (Do watch your own handbag, camera or wallet in this busy place.) If you want to linger without the crowds, dine at La Loggia, a rather pricey cafe and restaurant offering the same great views in a more refined setting.

Visit the Abbey of San Miniato al Monte

About a 10-minute walk uphill (with stairs) from Piazzale Michelangelo, this beautiful 11th-century abbey and church complex is worth every ounce of effort to get here. Its geometric facade of green and white marble and gold mosaics is visible from the center of Florence, and its interior is a jewel box of early Medieval religious art and architecture. Resident monks still produce candles, sweets and herbal products, which make unique gifts and at 5:30 p.m. most days, they celebrate mass with Gregorian chant. Carefully tended grounds and a cemetery with some elaborate tombs make this a pleasant, atmospheric place to spend an hour or so.

Wander the Giardino delle Rose & Giardino dell'Iris

These two free, public gardens on either side of Piazzale Michelangelo are perfect for flower-lovers or anyone who wants to wander in a peaceful green space, free from the nearby crowds. You'll walk past the rose garden (Giardino delle Rose) if you're coming from central Florence, and it's open daily during daylight hours. The iris garden, just east of the piazzale, is only open from late April to late May, when the iris are in bloom.

Explore the Pitti Palace & Boboli Gardens

It's about a 25-minute walk, mostly level or downhill to the Pitti Palace, the vast museum complex that's part of the Uffizi Gallery. The 15th-century, Brunelleschi-designed palace houses room after room of Renaissance to modern works of art, plus galleries devoted to costume and noble household items, as well as rooms of private apartments once home to the Medicis and Hapsburgs. The adjacent Boboli Gardens are a study in Renaissance perfection and have interesting botanical specimens.

Head to Basilica di Santo Spirito & Piazza Santo Spirito for the Evening

If you're making a day of it on Florence's left bank, you may as well make a night of it too, and head to the Santo Spirito area in Oltrarno, a district favored by Florentine residents and tourists trying to get a feel of a local Florence neighborhood. The Brunelleschi-designed Basilica di Santo Spirito has a modest exterior but a fanciful Baroque-style interior, as well as a cloister, and a wooden crucifix carved by Michelangelo.

Piazza Santo Spirito is something of a living room for the neighborhood. By day there's a produce market and by night, the piazza buzzes with crowds, music and impromptu dancing outside its many bars and restaurants.