Cross the Arno and walk a few minutes into Oltrarno and the character of the city shifts noticeably — narrower, quieter streets opening onto Piazza Santo Spirito, a tree-lined square that's been a genuine neighbourhood gathering place since the 13th century, and which locals will often say they prefer to the grander, more tourist-heavy piazzas on the other side of the river.
The Basilica di Santo Spirito
The square is dominated by the Basilica di Santo Spirito, Filippo Brunelleschi's final work, commissioned in the 1430s and completed after his death. Its facade was never finished, left as a plain plastered surface that's easy to walk past without realising what's inside: a wooden crucifix attributed to a young Michelangelo, and further Renaissance works by Filippino Lippi and others, in an interior built with the same clean, mathematical clarity Brunelleschi brought to the Duomo's dome.
The market
Santo Spirito hosts a small daily local market, plus two larger monthly ones: a handicraft and antiques market on the second Sunday of the month, and an organic food market on the third Sunday — both genuinely popular with residents, not staged for visitors. See our markets guide for how this compares to Mercato Centrale.
When to go
Santo Spirito works at almost any hour: mornings for coffee and market browsing, afternoons for a quiet sit by the fountain, and evenings for what's genuinely one of Florence's best areas for a relaxed aperitivo or dinner, as café tables spill out across the square once the weather's warm. See our aperitivo guide.