Daily Life Articles

The Daily Life articles depict life as experienced in Florence by both expats and locals.

In the Seat of Abundance: Piazza della Repubblica

by Cheryl Tucker published on July 28, 2009

If you stay in Florence long enough, you'll find a piazza--one where you feel at home, one that you'll seek out after being away. On my first stay in Florence a few years ago, passing through the centrally located Piazza della Repubblica was part of my daily routine; I thought of it as a "throughway" piazza. The space is quite plain. Unlike Piazza della Signoria, you won't find ornate sculptures of David or Neptune, nor is it bordered by a beautiful Franciscan basilica like the one found in Piazza di Santa Croce. But, as often happens with rituals, I started to like passing through the square. After a couple of weeks, instead of racing through to reach one of the cafés on via Corso, or heading straight for via Calimala toward Ponte Vecchio, I'd stop and sit for a spell on the stone seat at the base of the piazza's only column.

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Sitting in Piazza della Signoria

by Lisa McGarry published on May 20, 2009

My natural inclination when I go to Piazza della Signoria is to find a spot somewhere around the edge and look into the middle of the piazza, which is like a big container for people and energy. Whether from under the loggia, the steps in front of Palazzo Vecchio, a table on Caffè Rivoire's patio or simply a free bit of curb, I like to watch the chaotic mixture of locals, visitors, children, dogs, horses and pigeons that doesn't change much from one day to another, but always entertains me.