San Niccolò: the riverside under the hill

Stops along the way

Things to notice.

1. 01

   1

   Lungarno Torrigiani

   Start on the south embankment just past Ponte Vecchio and walk east with the river on your left. This stretch gives you the postcard — the bridge, the towers, the Duomo dome floating beyond — without the crowd that's photographing the same thing from the other side. Take it slowly.

   01

   Lungarno Torrigiani

   Start on the south embankment just past Ponte Vecchio and walk east with the river on your left. This stretch gives you the postcard — the bridge, the towers, the Duomo dome floating beyond — without the crowd that's photographing the same thing from the other side. Take it slowly.

   ◉Street View
2. 02

   2

   Via di San Niccolò

   Turn inland onto the spine of the quarter, a long straight lane of low houses, a couple of wine bars, and workshops that haven't moved in decades. It feels like a village street that happens to sit inside Florence, because that's more or less what it is.

   02

   Via di San Niccolò

   Turn inland onto the spine of the quarter, a long straight lane of low houses, a couple of wine bars, and workshops that haven't moved in decades. It feels like a village street that happens to sit inside Florence, because that's more or less what it is.

   ◉Street View
3. 03

   3

   Chiesa di San Niccolò Oltrarno

   The neighbourhood church, plain outside, with a luminous Bicci di Lorenzo *Madonna* in a chapel within. Worth the two minutes if the door's open; if it isn't, no loss — the street itself is the draw here.

   03

   Chiesa di San Niccolò Oltrarno

   The neighbourhood church, plain outside, with a luminous Bicci di Lorenzo *Madonna* in a chapel within. Worth the two minutes if the door's open; if it isn't, no loss — the street itself is the draw here.

   ◉Street View
4. 04

   4

   Porta San Niccolò

   The reason the walk ends here: the one Florentine city gate never shortened, standing at full medieval height because the hill behind it made an attack from above pointless. Crane your neck. The little garden ramps of the Poggi climb up beside it toward Piazzale Michelangelo if your legs want more.

   04

   Porta San Niccolò

   The reason the walk ends here: the one Florentine city gate never shortened, standing at full medieval height because the hill behind it made an attack from above pointless. Crane your neck. The little garden ramps of the Poggi climb up beside it toward Piazzale Michelangelo if your legs want more.

   ◉Street View
5. 05

   5

   Piazza Giuseppe Poggi

   The riverside square at the foot of the gate, framed by Poggi's 19th-century loggia and fountain grotto. A good place to sit with the tower above you and the Arno beside you. The view of the bridges back west is quietly one of the best in the city.

   05

   Piazza Giuseppe Poggi

   The riverside square at the foot of the gate, framed by Poggi's 19th-century loggia and fountain grotto. A good place to sit with the tower above you and the Arno beside you. The view of the bridges back west is quietly one of the best in the city.

   ◉Street View
6. 06

   6

   Lungarno Serristori

   If you've time, drift back west a little along this leafy embankment before catching the bus — plane trees, benches, joggers, and almost no tourists. A calm coda to a calm walk. The C3 minibus loops through the quarter from Porta San Niccolò.

   06

   Lungarno Serristori

   If you've time, drift back west a little along this leafy embankment before catching the bus — plane trees, benches, joggers, and almost no tourists. A calm coda to a calm walk. The C3 minibus loops through the quarter from Porta San Niccolò.

   ◉Street View