The Lungarno delle Grazie runs along the north bank of the Arno east of the historic centre, past the Biblioteca Nazionale and below the embankment walls of the Santa Croce quarter. It is considerably quieter than the central lungarni — no shops, no tourist stalls, relatively little traffic in the evenings — and provides good views upstream toward Ponte Vecchio and the hills framing the river valley.
The embankment is most pleasant in the early morning and late afternoon, when the light on the water is good and the foot traffic is local. The flood marks from the 1966 disaster, which reached over 5 metres in this area, are recorded on buildings nearby. Walking east from here leads to the Biblioteca Nazionale and eventually to the Torre della Zecca, the surviving medieval tower at the city's former mint, and the Porta alle Grazie. It is a useful connection between the Santa Croce area and the quieter eastern end of the city along the Arno.