Piazza della Repubblica

I don’t give out 5 stars so easily as Unilocalers back home know, so listen up lol.
This place is a good enough reason to return to Florence. Just like what you see in the movies.
Culture, shopping, eating, cafes, action all into one: plus it’s safe. Sure you have to be mindful of the usual pickpockets & gypsies, etc. but compared to Napoli the day before, where one really has to be on guard (as well as being dirty), Florence was amazing.
You’ll need a few days just to go through every nook and cranny here. Most streets are pedestrian friendly, with the odd one for scooters, as usual. Plus our tour bus guide remarked that the city only grants licenses to other cars but I digress. So the cobblestone shopping and walking the streets, it’s all here.
Action: music playing, horse buggy rides, eating patios, drinking wine on the streets, oh yeah baby.
As with any touristy areas, there is a luxury area with Prada, etc. Only wished I had looked for the Longchamp but I digress again.
There’s a statue of David here as well.

Awesome piazza! I’m desperately trying to find out how to reach the 2 street musicians that play the mandolin & guitar. If you visit the piazza enjoy their beautiful music and get their information! I regret not buying their CD!

The Piazza della Repubblica is a rectangular-​shaped public city square in the Signoria District of Firenze, Italy. This square has marked the center of the city since Roman times. The tall column in the center (Colonna dell’ Abbondanza) marks the intersection of two main roads from the Roman period.
Initially this square held Firenze’s marketplace and was the commercial hub of the city. In the 16^th century Cosimo I de’ Medici forced the city’s Jews to live in this square and the Jewish ghetto developed.
In the 18^th century the town council decided clean up the center of the Piazza della Repubblica. Medieval towers, churches, workshops, homes, and original seats of the some of the Guilds were destroyed in order to widen the square into it’s rectangular shape.
Today the square is filled with street performers, elegant restaurants, and historical literary-​cafès: Caffè Gilli, Paszkowski, Caffè Giubbe Rosse, and Caffè Gambrinus. These cafes were once the meeting points for many of the city’s artists and writers in the past. At night the square is filled with bright lights, music, and squeals of laughter from children riding the carousel.

Fun piazza. Annoying Indian toy vendors at night avoiding cops. Cops are a joke in Florence. Great way to see them in action. We ate at one of the restaurants. Great service. We watched evening music for a while from a classical quartet. Nice to sit at a monument and rest too.

For whom did not know…
This was the Jewish ghetto, and the fish market,
the structure of the fish market with columns, paintings and terracotta was moved to Piazza dei Ciompi were still stands right now.
In order to create space for the «Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II»
now called Piazza Della Republica…

Market the first Saturday each month!

Near other piazzas, shopping and food. Scenic and good people watching.

While Piazza della Signoria is more the tourists piazza, this much larger Piazza della Republica is probably more of the locals meeting point. Though, during high tourist season you would never know it as everyone meets here. Florentines dash by to and from work or take a passegiatta to the fashionable shopping streets near by. On a Saturday night this square is one giant party and I do mean party. With 3 famous caffes among other places, there is blaring music, street vendors, people catching up, or having a drink at Gilli.

One of my most frequented places in Florence.
Here’s why:
1. There’s a CAROUSEL (need I say more???)
2. My fav club YAB is directly behind the arch
3. The odeon (the most amazing theater that plays American movies) is also behind the arch
4. My fav restaurant to get spaghetti alla carbonara (hands down) is in the piazza
5. They have amazing performers at night
6. The bookstore in the piazza sells English books
7. It is surrounded by fantastic places to shop.
Boom.