Piazza Santa Croce in Florence
The splendid Basilica looks out onto this square, where historic Florentine soccer is played
Piazza Santa Croce, one of the main squares in Florence's historic center, gets its name from theBasilica of Santa Croce, which is located there and is one of the largest Franciscan churches in Italy.
The entire east side of the square is occupied by the Santa Croce Monumental Complex that, along with the Basilica, includes the Sacristy and the Novitiate, the two cloisters (large cloister and Brunelleschi cloister) with the Pazzi Chapel, the Cenacle and the Cerchi Chapel.
The Basilica of Santa Croce contains important works of art, created by artists of the caliber of Cimabue, Giotto, Taddeo and Agnolo Gaddi, Orcagna, Donatello, Rossellino, Brunelleschi, Bronzino, Vasari, Canova and Bartolini. Santa Croce is also known for being the burial place of the "Greats" (Galilei, Foscolo, Michelangelo and Machiavelli, to name a few).
The square is bordered by important noble palaces. Those on the southern side feature protruding floors held up by supports known as "overhangs".
One of the most original buildings is Palazzo Cocchi-Serristori, on the side opposite the Basilica, which is considered to be the work of Giuliano da Sangallo, trusted architect of Lorenzo the Magnificent.
On the south side of the square, stands Palazzo dell'Antella, with its façade adorned with numerous paintings based on the theme of Virtue and Divinity: drawings of allegorical figures, putti, plant elements, flowers and arabesques that frame the bust of Cosimo II de' Medici. A copy of Caravaggio's Sleeping Cupid, in the fourth panel from the left, is particularly interesting.
In front of the Basilica, on the left, is the monument dedicated to Dante Alighieri, a work by Enrico Pazzi erected in 1865 on the occasion of the celebrations for the 500th anniversary of Dante’s birth. Initially placed in the center of the square, it was moved to the churchyard after the 1966 flood of Florence.
During the Renaissance, because of its width and even shape, the square became the favorite place for folk festivals, tournaments between knights, shows and celebrations. Events include the Calcio Storico Fiorentino, which still takes place here in June. Two marble discs, one on the façade of Palazzo Antella and one on the façade of the building across the street, mark the middle of the playing field.
