If one were to conjure an idyllic European scene in their minds it would almost certainly include a pavement café or bar of some kind, most probably on a wide piazza populated by beautiful people meeting other beautiful people for an espresso. There may well be accordion music, or perhaps an itinerant violinist. The scene has a good chance of being black and white. Where am I going with this? The Piazza della Signoria…I wanted so much for this to be that spot. But it just isn’t.
Don’t get me wrong; if you come to Florence, you must see this Piazza. It is historic; Florence’s own mad monk Savonarola executed his Bonfire of the Vanities here by setting alight the trappings of Renaissance Medician wealth, the imposing 14th century Palazzo Vecchio dominates one side of the square and the Uffizi gallery runs off here too.
You will not want for a pretty café from which to watch the world go by either. Of course, some of the charm is lost when you find yourself dragging out a 5-euro mouthful of coffee over half an hour. The Blonde and I missed breakfast one morning and found ourselves spending 30 euros on an espresso, orange juice and toasted sandwich each (I figure that you have to feel ripped off at least once on holiday). As an aside, I had an espresso stood at a counter in a Piazza café the next morning and paid under a euro – remember that the caffeine fix can be taken without a chair.
Sadly, this isn’t an overly pleasant place to spend any length of time. It is packed from early morning when the crowds start arriving for the Uffizi and there’s scarcely a lull from then on.
The only reason to dwell is because the piazza is the setting of a significant chunk of the city’s statues. It is packed with classics. There’s Michelangelo’s David (a copy in the original’s place; the real one is in the Accademia) with his frighteningly large hands and squint. The Loggia dei Lanzi (an attractive porch n the rear of the Uffizi) is home to bronze Perseus proudly holding Medusa’s head aloft (Cellini clearly paid an unhealthy amount of time working on the gory bits dangling from the neck and severed body). The Rape of the Sabine Women continues the Renaissance obsession with naked muscular forms and a delight in the human form. Outside the Loggia the form continues. Duke Cosimo upon his greenish steed, Neptune and his assorted nymphs, they all make an impression.
But the setting isn’t quite right. The square has lost its authentic paving, the cafes just demand too much and the Italian obsession with graffiti creeps in too much. You’ll see some fabulous things, but I suspect you’ll find your dreamy romantic spot elsewhere.