Piazza di Santa Croce

by Melinda Gallo published on December 23, 2008

Piazza di Santa Croce is undoubtedly the most visited and photographed piazza in Florence. On any given day, hundreds of tourists pass through the austere piazza where Dante stands guard. Visitors stop to tour the impressive basilica (church) where some of the great Florentines are buried, and then continue on to other important destinations like the Duomo and the Uffizi. One of the greatest features about the piazza is that something always seems to be taking place: if it's not a mercato (market) where one can buy handmade gifts or local produce, it's an annual sporting event like the calcio storico (Florentine historical soccer). Quite a few other festive affairs occur here throughout the year that make the piazza one of the most exciting in Florence.

When I first moved back to Florence in 2004, I lived on a side street next to the basilica and walked through the piazza dozens of times a week. On my way to via Calzaiuoli, I used to cross the piazza diagonally to get to Borgo dei Greci. To get back to my apartment, I would walk the same path while I kept my eyes glued on the basilica.

Even though I no longer live behind the basilica, I still glance up at it every time I pass by. I am always taken by how the basilica is so stunning in different lighting, like right after dusk when the dark blue sky glows behind the brightly illuminated façade. I also admire the other palazzi (buildings) outlining the piazza because each one is as distinct as the person who had it built. I am always amazed by how their different heights, widths, styles, and colors make them fit harmoniously into the piazza as if they were a part of one single entity.

When I get a chance, I like to sit on one of the grey concrete benches, delineating the piazza, and admire the basilica, the palazzi, and especially the passersby. I initially try to decipher if the people walking past me are tourists or locals. Do they have a map in their hand? A camera? Do they look like they know where they are going? Are they looking around at the other people and buildings, or just looking at the ground engrossed in their thoughts?

At the end opposite the basilica is via dei Benci, where buses, taxis, motorini (scooters) and cars whiz by. I watch the people try to cross the street, ignoring the strisce (crosswalk) as they head toward Palazzo Vecchio. It is their initiation into life on the Florentine streets. Cars and motorini are forced to slow down, and only stop completely if the pedestrians don't move quickly enough. Rarely will someone honk at those who need an incentive to move along just a little faster.

A pedestrian street runs below the steps up to the basilica where small electric buses crawl by, trying to avoid the many tourists who are standing in front of the basilica. Because of so few benches in the piazza, a handful of people sit on the steps to relax and take in the atmosphere of the piazza. Sometimes, when I ride down this street on my bicicletta (bike) with my cestino (basket) full of groceries from the mercato di Sant'Ambrogio, I ring my bell to signal to the pedestrians that I'm coming. The tourists generally turn around and giggle before jumping out of the way while residents just stick to their path and try not to make any abrupt movements.

People who live nearby consider the piazza their big backyard. Most of the palazzi don't have any large areas or gardens for people to spend time in, so open spaces like this piazza are a luxury in the city. In the afternoon or early evening, locals play catch with their dogs or kick around a soccer ball while children chase after the pigeons that are rummaging around the piazza for crumbs.

I could never be bored in this piazza, and every time I pass through it, something new catches my eye that makes me smile. Even if I don't have time to look around the piazza at all the goings-on, I always find a moment to admire the basilica and greet Dante. For me, Piazza di Santa Croce is one of the rare piazze in Florence that gives a taste of the city's blend of tourists and locals.