Piazza della Santissima Annunziata is often cited as Florence's most beautiful square — and, unlike Piazza della Signoria, it achieves its effect through coherence and proportion rather than monumental display. Three sides are defined by loggia: the Ospedale degli Innocenti on the right (Brunelleschi, begun 1419), a matching arcade on the left added in the 17th century, and the entrance arcade of the Santissima Annunziata church closing the far end. The whole composition is unified by a sense of measured, human-scale architecture.
The central equestrian statue of Ferdinando I de' Medici (Giambologna, 1608) stands between two bronze fountains. Unlike much of central Florence, the piazza doesn't feel overwhelmed by tour groups — partly because it sits at the edge of the university quarter, partly because there is less immediately demanding the visitor's attention, and partly because it is simply a square to be in rather than a collection of must-see objects. It is at its best in the early morning or early evening.