Piazza della Passera is an open space, a very characteristic small square in the Oltrarno (the area beyond the river Arno) a stone's throw from Ponte Vecchio and Palazzo Pitti. This unusual place was the result of an opening, in the dense urban fabric of the area, during the 1920s. Originally called via del Pavoncello (the sculptural fragment of a peacock is still visible on the corner between via Toscanella and via dello Sprone), over the centuries this area was renamed with the popular nickname of Piazza della Passera, probably in relation to the existence of an ancient brothel; actually the term Passera (in English "sparrow"), in Italian is an allusion to the female organ.
In recent years this truly unique corner of Florence became pedestrian and is now animated by the numerous venues that overlook it.
Piazza della Passera
