Via dei Renai

The name Via dei Renai reveals that this was once a deposit of sand left by the River Arno. Before Giuseppe Poggi redesigned the riverside embankments, the whole area, including present-day Piazza Poggi, was called Piazza delle Molina because of the mills along the Arno. Towards the river, Via dei Renai is bounded by Piazza Demidoff, which commemorates the family of Russian industrialists. Both sides of the street have important buildings linked to Florence’s history. On one side stands Palazzo Serristori, whose oldest part dates from the 16th century and whose façades have an unusual red plaster finish. On the other side is the substantial Bardini Museum building, once the showroom of antique dealer and collector Stefano Bardini and now one of the city’s most interesting municipal museums. A film connection: in Amici miei by Pietro Germi, the friends met at Bar Necchi, here in Via dei Renai. A plaque honouring the legendary bar was unveiled on 4 November 2017 at what is now Bar Negroni.