FREE PUBLIC SQUAREEUROPE FLORENCE · ITALY
Piazza della Repubblica
Stand beneath the nineteenth-century arcades where the Roman forum once stood.
What to expect
The present square took shape when Florence was Italy's capital from 1865 to 1871, replacing a medieval district built over the Roman forum. The Column of Abundance marks the crossing of the ancient Cardo and Decumanus. The 1895 monumental gallery, historic cafés and central arch give the square its current look; the cafés and carousel are businesses rather than free attractions.