Piazzale Michelangelo in Florence, Italy is a postcard staple and tourist hotspot because it offers the best views of the city.

It was completed in 1869 as part of the revitalization of the city's left bank of the Arno and was constructed in 1869 according to a plan by architect Giuseppe Poggi on a hill immediately south of the historic center. Starting in that year, Florence served as Italy's capital, and the entire city underwent a period of urban renewal known as the Risanamento, or bourgeois renaissance: On the right bank, the boulevard-like Circunvallazione was opened on the site of the city walls from the 14th century, and on the left bank, the Viale dei Colli, a panoramic tree-lined street about 8 kilometers long, was laid out across the hill of San Miniato, on top of which the Piazzale Michelangelo was built as a privileged panoramic terrace overlooking the city. The works were criticized for "the excessive cost" by certain Florentines, according to the Italian journalist Pietro Coccoluto Ferrigni (also known as "Yorick").