It’s the oldest and the most modern square of the city. It was the heart of the roman colony: Florentia (menaning “the flourishing”), in fact about three meters underneath our feet lie the remains of the Roman forum.
Since the Xth c. the square hosted the Mercato Vecchio (literally the “Old Market”), the most important trade center in the city and, since 1571, also home of the Jewish ghetto built by order of the Granduke Cosimo I de' Medici.
When Florence became the capital of Italy in 1865 the city underwent a heavy restyling, which ended up with the inevitable demolitions of entire areas of the city center and thus, the unfortunate loss of important artistic treasures. Good part of the history and identity of Florence was lost forever, all to give the city a more “acceptable” look. Florentines referred to this period as the “sventramento del centro storico” (the entrails of the historical center were torn out).
