Look straight ahead for a wide avenue lined by leafy green trees and grand stone buildings, bordered by a central concrete barrier-iconic Viale Giacomo Matteotti stretches out before you.
Take a deep breath-can you feel the energy of Florence’s great boulevard? Imagine yourself a Florentine in the late 1800s, standing on what used to be the city’s tough old walls, but is now this elegant, tree-shaded avenue. At first, this street was named for a royal-Viale Principe Amedeo, to honor good ol’ Amedeo di Savoia. But after 1947, it gained a new, very different namesake: Giacomo Matteotti, a brave politician who stood up to fascists and paid dearly for it. A reminder that Florence’s broad avenues can tell big stories if you listen closely.
Now, picture huge crowds and horse-drawn carriages clip-clopping past as the city buzzes with excitement in the 1860s-Florence had just become the capital of Italy! You might see the renowned architect Giuseppe Poggi pacing here, blueprints in hand and his mustache bristling with ideas. Poggi had a dream: knock down the northern walls and unite the old city with the new, wrapping Florence in a grand ring of boulevards and beautiful squares like Piazza della Libertà and Piazza Beccaria.
But it wasn’t always easy. After Florence lost capital status, construction slowed. The street lost lush gardens to bombing during World War II, and in the 1950s and ‘60s, stately villas with flower-filled gardens gave way to bigger apartment blocks as Florence’s people needed places to live. Even the lovely hedges that once separated traffic lanes disappeared-replaced by no-nonsense concrete dividers. It’s not quite what dreamy Poggi imagined for the “high-bourgeois” neighborhoods!
As you stand here, notice the huge, impressive doorways on some old buildings-these were inspired by the wide Parisian boulevards. At number 22 hides the Enriques Capponi elementary school. If you pass number 54, tip your hat to Enrico Barfucci, a local legend who once lived here. Don’t miss the modern tabernacle at the corner with Via Benivieni, sheltering a delicate Madonna sculpted in 1954 by Ezio Giovannozzi-a little touch of faith in a fast-moving world.
So whether you’re dodging scooters or just strolling under the shade of the tall plane trees, remember: this lively avenue has survived bombs, bulldozers, and even city planners with very big dreams. Welcome to the living heart of Florence-onward to our next stop!
