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Piazzale Michelangelo, along with the Forte Belvedere, the Basilica of San Miniato al Monte and the hill of Fiesole, is a privileged vantage point in Florence.

The square was designed in 1860 by architect Giuseppe Poggi, on a hill south of the historic center, it was built in 1865, at the time when Florence was the capital of Italy.

The square is dedicated to Michelangelo Buonarroti presenting the bronze copies of some of his famous works in marble preserved in Florence: the David and the four allegories of the Medici Chapels of San Lorenzo. In the project of Poggi was also the realization, in the Piazzale, of a museum with Michelangelo's works, at the scope was built the Loggia in neoclassic style that dominates the whole terrace, but the museum was never realized, the Loggia today accommodates a panoramic restaurant.

The square can be reached by car along the Viale Michelangelo, or on foot, climbing the stairs of the "Rampe" from Piazza Poggi in the district of San Niccolò. On a clear day, the view from Piazzale Michelangelo allows overview of the historical city center, with sweeping views from the walls of Oltrarno and Forte Belvedere, the Arno and its bridges, including the Ponte Vecchio, the Duomo, Palazzo Vecchio, the Bargello and the Badia Fiorentina, all the way to Santa Croce Basilica and beyond, on the background of this magnificent landscape are the hills of Fiesole and Settignano, Mount Morello and the arc of the peaks of the Apennines, that in winter are often covered with snow.