Canto degli Scali is located right in the medieval heart of Florence, on Via delle Terme that runs between Via Por Santa Maria and Piazza Santa Trinita. This makes it an ideal and extremely convenient location if you are spending a few days here visiting museums or just doing some shopping. The complex is right next to Piazza Santa Trinita, where the town’s exclusive fashion thoroughfare (Via de’ Tornabuoni) begins, and all the town’s main museums and sights (the Uffizi, Ponte Vecchio and Palazzo della Signoria) are just a stone’s throw away. The street it stands on is one of the oldest and most picturesque in the city thanks to the towers and palazzos it overlooks. In fact, this is one of the roads that once bordered on the ancient Roman castrum, a fortress that permanently housed a battalion of the Roman army. The street itself takes its name from the ancient Roman baths or terme that once stood here, but fell into disuse during the barbarian invasions. Several centuries later, a number of rich and powerful families – especially the Buondelmonti Guelphs – chose this spot to build numerous fortified towers and palazzos. In terms of Florence’s urban fabric, Via delle Terme is one of the very few streets that was not restructured during the 19C or destroyed – and then rebuilt – due to bombing in the Second World War.