Piazzale Michelangelo is on an elevation overlooking the Arno. From this observation point one can have the most beautiful view on the Old Town of Florence. From that place you may admire the most beautiful sunsets tingeing the waters of the Arno river with gold.
After the tours of the east bank of the Arno where you can see the Palazzo Pitti and the Boboli Gardens you must ascend the hill of the Oltrarno. You may reach it by the left bank of the river. It is about a kilometer from the Ponte Vecchio (Old Bridge) to the stairway leading up to the observation point of the Piazzale Michelangelo, and you will go by the most beautiful buildings of the Old Town of Florence.
Having reached a big stair at the medieval stone tower you should ascend the terrace where the Italian architect Giuseppe Poggi created the magnificent Piazzale Michelangelo in 1865.
There was placed a bronze replica of the most famous statue of Michelangelo - «David». For a long time the original marble statue created by Michelangelo in 1504 was on the Piazza della Signoria at the entrance of the Palazzo Vecchio. In 19 century, for purposes of its safety, the original statue was moved to the Fine Arts Academy Museum.
But the sculptures of Michelangelo aren’t the main attraction of the Piazzale Michelangelo. All tourists come there to enjoy magnificent views on Florence. From there you can have a good view on beautiful houses and palaces of Florence. In the center of the city they are dominated by the Palazzo Vecchio and the Santa Maria della Fiore Cathedral.
You can come there any time, but the place is especially beautiful in the evening, when the rays of the setting sun tinge the waters of the Arno with pink and gold. The oldest bridge of Florence – the Ponte Vecchio – is especially beautiful at that time.
