This vast proportioned square was built in the middle ages, and lay immediately behind the walls of Communal Florence, in close context with the complex of Franciscan architecture which stands on the eastern side of the square.

The right side of the church features a number of distinctive buildings jutting out on brackets or corbels, including the Palazzo dell’Antella. Among those, on the other side, it is possible to recognize the original medieval structure, narrow and tall.

The square, which was essentially designed to accommodate great crowds of the faithful, has been used for more secular pursuits as well. As early as the 14th c. and especially during the Renaissance, feasts, jousts and matches of ‘Calcio Fiorentino’, which still take place in this space.

On the side of the square opposite to the church, stands Palazzo Cocchi Serristori designed by Giuliano da Sangallo.