About This Location
Piazza della Repubblica is one of Florence’s main crossroads, and it sits on very old ground. In Roman times, this area was the forum of Florentia, where the city’s main streets met and public life gathered. For centuries after that, the same space stayed busy - but in a very different way. It became the Mercato Vecchio, packed with stalls, shops, and tight lanes. Part of the area also held Florence’s Jewish ghetto, established in the late 1500s and later erased from the map during redevelopment. The square seen today is mostly the result of the late 19th-century “Risanamento,” when Florence reshaped parts of its historic center. Whole blocks were demolished and replaced with wider streets and grand façades, creating the open, elegant piazza that now feels so modern compared to the older streets nearby. Near the middle stands the Colonna dell’Abbondanza, a marker for the historic “center” of the city. The column dates to the 1430s and took the place of an earlier Roman-style marker. It was dismantled during the 1800s works and only put back in the square in 1955. On top is a figure of Dovizia - the statue seen today is a later replacement rather than the original. At one end of the piazza is the large arch known as the Arcone. Look up and the inscription gives away the mindset of the period - it celebrates the “old center” being restored from long decline into “new life.” It is one reason locals still debate what was gained, and what was lost, when this square was created. Standing here, there is a lot to see at once. The wide open space is framed by arcades and grand hotel-like façades. Several streets lead out like spokes: one direction goes toward the Duomo area, others slip into shopping streets and older lanes. On the edges, historic cafés set the tone - including Caffè Gilli, which traces its story back to 1733 and is still a classic stop for a coffee break in the center of town.