Borgo San Frediano

Lonely Planet review

Just north of Piazza del Carmine stretches Borgo San Frediano. The street and surrounding area have, to a degree, retained their feel of a working-class quarter where small-scale artisans have beavered away over the centuries. Many continue to do so.

At the western end of the street stands the lonely Porta San Frediano, one of the old city gates left in place when the walls were demolished in the 19th century. Before you reach the gate, you'll notice the unpolished feel of the area neatly reflected in the unadorned brick walls of the Chiesa di San Frediano in Cestello, whose incomplete façade hides a restrained version of a baroque interior. The western side of Piazza di Cestello is occupied by granaries built under Cosimo III de' Medici.