Oniissanti Square, translated from Italian: All Saints Square (Piazza Ognissanti, Piazza Oniissanti) is one of the squares in the historical center of Florence, where the church of the same name is located, as well as palaces - now 5-star hotels where Princess Victoria, Charlie Chaplin, Henry Ford, Madonna and other famous personalities stayed.
The square was created in the thirteenth century as an extension for the opportunity of numerous believers to attend the sermons, ceremonies and celebrations of the Church of All Saints, from which the square got its name.
Since the sixteenth century, the square has served as a market for cattle. When roads along the Arno River, called Lungarno, were created in the 19th century, the square was significantly transformed: the street level was raised and the gates erected in 1838 were demolished to block access to the riverbed, with subsequent reduction and reconfiguration of buildings that closed the area from the Arno River.
Today, Oniissanti Square is a very popular tourist destination in Florence. It is located in the western part of the historical center of Florence, near the waters of the Arno River, on its northern bank.
The square is surrounded by the church of the same name and three significant palaces.
In the buildings around and near the square there are shops, cafes, restaurants and accommodation facilities (hotels, apartments)
The center of the square is decorated with a bronze group depicting Hercules fighting a lion (Statua di Ercole che lotta con il leone) by the Italian sculptor Romano Romanelli.
The sculpture was created in 1935 and placed on the square in 1937, replacing the previous monument depicting Daniele Manin by Urbano Nono from 1890.
The southern side of the square is open to the Arno River, while the entire northern side is marked by the ancient Church of All Saints or the Chiesa di Ognissanti (Chiesa di Ognissanti) in Neo-Renaissance and Baroque styles, with frescoes by Ghirlandaio and Botticelli and the graves of famous members of the Vespucci family, the Italian artist Sandro Botticelli and the Italian princess.
The church traces its history back to 1251.
There is also a monastery with a remarkable refectory, which is considered one of the secret gems of Florence, where the famous fresco by Domenico Ghirlandaio "The Last Supper" is located. More about the Church of All Saints…
On the western side of the square stands the Palazzo Lenzi Quaratesi, which originally dates back to 1470, the time of the two brothers Lorenzo and Pietro Lenzi, who were listed as the owners of the building.
Since neither the exact dates of construction nor the architect of the building are unknown, this palace has received the playful nickname "the palace of riddles".
At the time of Lenzi, the palace was prestigious. The Lenzi lived there until the seventeenth century, when the main branch of the family died out. In 1647, the Buini family bought the palace, which modernized the interior and expanded the building. In 1765, the palace passed to the Quaratesi family, and at the end of the 19th century to the antiques dealer Luigi Pisani, who began a series of important restorations. Between the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, the palace was rebuilt several times until it took its current form, in which its Renaissance image is enhanced.
In 1908, the palace became the residence of the French Institute. The Honorary Consulate of France and the French Library are also located here. Art exhibitions, theatrical productions, conferences and other cultural events are held periodically in the palace.
Externally, this architecturally unusual palace has three canonical floors with five large portals towards the square and two rows of arched windows on the upper floors. The facade has stone inserts, cornices and murals, probably dating back to the nineteenth century, although reproducing presumably original drawings. On the corner of the building between the square and the street there is a shield with the coat of arms of the Lenzi family.
Inside the palace there are vaults, possibly with fifteenth-century capitals. Of interest in the library is the Alcove hall with stucco decorations and an arch with the coats of arms of Buini and Frescobaldi, painted in honor of the wedding celebrated in 1705. There is also an eighteenth-century Assumption of the Virgin in the walls of the building, possibly indicating the use of the room earlier as a private chapel.
Next to the Lenzi Palace there is a narrow building - the Giuntini Palace (Palazzo Giuntini), which dates back to the end of the 19th century and was erected on the site of a building belonging to the Giuntini family, and probably designed by Filippo Brunelleschi.
The palace remained the property of the family until the 18th century, when it was sold to Popoleski, a family associated with the Tornabuoni family.
At the end of the 19th century, the building was rebuilt as a hotel, which it is to this day.
Since its opening, such famous personalities as Queen Victoria and American singer Madonna have stayed at this hotel; as well as an Indian prince and a young Californian student Leland Stanford, who died at this hotel.
Madonna shot a video clip for the single Turn Up the Radio, the shooting of which began right at the doorstep of the hotel, on Ognissanti Square and along the Lungarno Vespucci.
This is a 5-star hotel The St. Regis Florence with a restaurant, bar, spa, gym, free Wi-Fi, private parking and luxurious rooms, suites and super suites with antique furniture, mini-bar, safe, bathrobes, slippers, hairdryer and free toiletries.
The room rate can include: breakfast or breakfast + dinner. Link to the hotel
The eastern side of Oniissanti Square is occupied by the beautiful and voluminous Bonaparte Palace, which was modernized during the time until it was turned into a hotel where famous personalities stayed: from Arthur Rubinstein to Charlie Chaplin, and from Francoise Sagan to Orson Welles and Henry Ford.
At the corner of the building between the square and the street there is an eighteenth-century stone tabernacle (dated 1771), apparently reassembled here after the restoration of this place in the nineteenth century. The tabernacle has preserved a valuable polychrome stucco of the second half of the fifteenth century with the image of the Madonna on a Bambino pillar.
This 5-star hotel The Westin Excelsior, Florence has a rooftop garden with views of Florence and the Arno River.
At the hotel: terraces, restaurant, bar, wellness and spa center, private parking and Wi-Fi.
In the rooms and suites: air conditioning, stylish furniture, Carrara marble bathroom, plasma TV with multilingual programs, digital jukebox, mini-bar, safe, bathrobes, hairdryer and free toiletries.
The room rate can include: breakfast or breakfast + dinner. Link to the hotel
All accommodation facilities in Florence (hotels, apartments, guest houses, etc.), including those in the historic city center, near Piazza Ognissanti, and more remotely from those, you can view and book here
Practical information
Onyissanti Square is open to the public 24 hours a day.
Oniissanti Square is located in the historical center of Florence, 850 meters from the main square of the city - Duomo Square and a kilometer from the beautiful historical Piazza della Signoria.
Coordinates of Onyissanti Square: 43°46'19.9"N 11°14'43.4"E (43.772200, 11.245400).
