Piazza Santa Croce

Piazza Santa Croce, one of the largest squares in Florence, has its fine points – the row of medieval houses with projecting upper storeys, supported by stone brackets; the faded bloom of dancing nymphs on the Palazzo dell’Antella; and the curious 14th-century Palazzo Serristori-Cocchi, opposite the church of Santa Croce

It was once the scene of splendid tournaments and jousts, most famously the ones in honour of Lorenzo and Giuliano de’ Medici, who naturally won the prizes; the point was to put on a good show, so no one was hurt or got their magnificent silks and golden brocades dirty.

It was also, more seriously, a training ground. Having a citizens’ militia, as opposed to relying on foreign mercenaries, answered one of Machiavelli’s requirements for a well-governed state, and to build up their endurance, the republic’s citizens played a ball game similar to rugby, which is still played here each June, when the usually immaculate Florentines in their Renaissance duds mix it up for the Calcio in Costume. Fighting is more than permitted, as long as it’s one to one (and they get dirty). in December it hosts the city's main Christmas market, the Heidelberger Weihnachtsmarkt, selling mainly ornaments along with wurst and mulled wine.