Late Afternoon in Florence
I visited Italy in September 2025, breaking my trip into three sections. I spent a few days on Lake Como, a few days along the Ligurian coast near Genoa, and two days in Florence. I had last visited Florence back in 2016, and I was hoping to get a few good photos of the city skyline, something that had eluded me in the past.
When visiting Florence, the classic place to view a sunset is from the Piazzale Michelangelo. The view is stunning, and depending on the time of year, can provide an excellent sunset location. In September, the sun was setting a little further to the south than in my previous visit, so the late afternoon light would be raking across the skyline.
I was staying close to the train station, so it was about a forty-minute walk to the Piazzale. I showed up about 90 minutes before sunset, and the plaza was packed. At the corner of the Piazzale, where one can line up an excellent photo of the Arno river and bridges, people were stacked several deep — not my scene; I don’t like crowds. I found a gap in the crowd further down, and set up to wait for sunset.
As we neared sunset, the crowds built, with people trying to push in and make space for themselves. As the light dropped, I shot this photo of the skyline:
After the sun dropped under the horizon, the clouds lit up a little, but not too much. It turned out that the golden pre-sunset light was better.
When I was done, I walked back to my lodging, stopping off at a few places to take more photos.
I love this view, but it’s an incredibly crowded place. If you go, go early!
