Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Designed by Bernardo Buontalenti for Grand Duke Ferdinando I at the end of the 16th
century, this star-shaped fortress on one of the city's hills is only open when it hosts tem-
porary exhibitions of contemporary art - check the website for details. Soldiers once kept
watch from the massive bulwark to protect the Palazzo Pitti against foreign attack.
(
055 29 08 32; museicivicifiorentini.comune.fi.it; Via di San Leonardo 1)
5
Porta San Niccolò
CITY GATE
Built in the 1320s, the best preserved of the city's medieval gates still stands sentinel on
the banks of the Arno. Behind it, a monumental staircase designed by Giuseppe Poggi
winds its way up towards Chiesa di San Miniato al Monte.
(Piazza Giuseppe Poggi)
