The beating heart of the Oltrarno neighbourhood — a leafy square anchored by Brunelleschi's unfinished-facade church of Santo Spirito, ringed with restaurants and bars, and populated throughout the day by students, residents, and visitors who've crossed the Arno to find a less tourist-heavy Florence. In the evening it becomes one of the city's best aperitivo spots.
Come here for dinner or an evening drink rather than as a tourist stop. Volume, on the piazza itself, is a good bookshop-bar for a Negroni; there are several reliable restaurants within walking distance.