Santa Maria Soprarno Square

Piazza Santa Maria Soprarno is a tiny square named after a church that no longer exists. One of the Oltrarno’s oldest parish churches stood here, dedicated to Santa Maria and also called Santa Maria de’ Bardi. Suppressed in 1785, it was demolished in 1869–1870, during Florence’s capital years (1865–1871), to open Lungarno Torrigiani. Ferdinando Ruggieri’s 1731 plan of Florence labels this widening of the street Piazza de’ Bardi, after the road it lay on. The square has undergone profound changes over recent centuries. The entire area suffered destruction in 1944 by retreating German forces. During reconstruction, a broad ramp, the Rampa delle Coste, was built at the back of the square to connect it with Costa San Giorgio.