Largest city in Tuscany, Italy
Comune in Tuscany, Italy
Florence
|
---|
|
Comune di Firenze
|
|
Coat of arms
|
|
Location of Florence in Tuscany
Show map of Italy
Florence (Tuscany)
Show map of Tuscany
|
Coordinates:
43°46′17″N
11°15′15″E
/
43.77139°N 11.25417°E
/
43.77139; 11.25417
|
Country
| Italy
|
---|
Region
| Tuscany
|
---|
Metropolitan city
| Florence
(FI)
|
---|
Frazioni
| Baronta, Callai, Galluzzo, Cascine del Riccio, Croce di Via, La lastra, Mantignano, Ugnano, Parigi, Piazza Calda, Pontignale, San Michele a Monteripaldi, Settignano
|
---|
|
? Mayor
| Dario Nardella
(
PD
)
|
---|
|
? Total
| 102.32 km
2
(39.51 sq mi)
|
---|
Elevation
| 50 m (160 ft)
|
---|
|
? Total
| 367,150
|
---|
? Density
| 3,600/km
2
(9,300/sq mi)
|
---|
Demonyms
| English:
Florentine
Italian
:
fiorentino
(m.),
fiorentina
(f.)
|
---|
Time zone
| UTC+1
(
CET
)
|
---|
? Summer (
DST
)
| UTC+2
(
CEST
)
|
---|
Postal code
| 50121?50145
|
---|
Dialing code
| 055
|
---|
ISTAT
code
| 048017
|
---|
Patron saint
| John the Baptist
[3]
|
---|
Saint day
| 24 June
|
---|
Website
| Official website
|
---|
Florence
(
FLORR
-?nss
;
Italian
:
Firenze
[fi?r?ntse]
ⓘ
)
[a]
is the capital city of the
Italian
region of
Tuscany
. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 360,930 inhabitants in 2023, and 984,991 in its
metropolitan area
.
[4]
Florence was a centre of
medieval
European trade and finance and one of the wealthiest cities of that era.
[5]
It is considered by many academics
[6]
to have been the birthplace of the
Renaissance
, becoming a major artistic, cultural, commercial, political, economic and financial center.
[7]
During this time, Florence rose to a position of enormous influence in Italy, Europe, and beyond.
[8]
Its turbulent political history includes periods of rule by the powerful
Medici
family and numerous religious and republican revolutions.
[9]
From 1865 to 1871 the city served as the capital of the
Kingdom of Italy
. The
Florentine dialect
forms the base of
standard Italian
and it became the language of culture throughout Italy
[10]
due to the prestige of the masterpieces by
Dante Alighieri
,
Petrarch
,
Giovanni Boccaccio
,
Niccolo Machiavelli
and
Francesco Guicciardini
.
The city attracts millions of tourists each year, and
UNESCO
declared the
Historic Centre of Florence
a
World Heritage Site
in 1982. The city is noted for its culture,
Renaissance art and architecture
and monuments.
[11]
The city also contains numerous museums and art galleries, such as the
Uffizi Gallery
and the
Palazzo Pitti
, and still exerts an influence in the fields of art, culture and politics.
[12]
Due to Florence's artistic and architectural heritage,
Forbes
ranked it as one of the most beautiful cities in the world in 2010.
[13]
Florence plays an important role in
Italian fashion
,
[12]
and is ranked in the top 15
fashion capitals
of the world by
Global Language Monitor
;
[14]
furthermore, it is a major national economic centre,
[12]
as well as a tourist and industrial hub.
Etymology
[
edit
]
Firenze
comes from
Florentiae
,
locative
form of
Florentia
, in turn a name conveying good luck, from
Latin
:
flor?re
,
lit.
'to blossom'.
[15]
History
[
edit
]
Timeline of Florence
Historical affiliations
Roman Republic
, 59?27 BC
Roman Empire
, 27 BC?AD 285
Western Roman Empire
, 285?476
Kingdom of Odoacer
, 476?493
Ostrogothic Kingdom
, 493?553
Eastern Roman Empire
, 553?568
Lombard Kingdom
, 570?773
Carolingian Empire
, 774?797
Regnum Italiae
, 797?1001
March of Tuscany
, 1002?1115
Republic of Florence
, 1115?1532
Duchy of Florence
, 1532?1569
Grand Duchy of Tuscany
, 1569?1801
Kingdom of Etruria
, 1801?1807
First French Empire
, 1807?1815
Grand Duchy of Tuscany
, 1815?1859
United Provinces of Central Italy
, 1859?1860
Kingdom of Italy
, 1861?1943
Italian Social Republic
, 1943?1945
Italy
, 1946?present
Florence originated as a Roman city, and later, after a long period as a flourishing trading and banking
medieval commune
, it was the birthplace of the
Italian Renaissance
. It was politically, economically, and culturally one of the most important cities in Europe and the world from the 14th to 16th centuries.
[11]
The language spoken in the city during the 14th century came to be accepted as the model for what would become the
Italian language
. Thanks especially to the works of the Tuscans
Dante
,
Petrarch
and
Boccaccio
,
[16]
the Florentine dialect, above all the local dialects, was adopted as the basis for a national literary language.
[17]
[18]
Starting from the late
Middle Ages
, Florentine money?in the form of the gold
florin
?financed the development of industry all over Europe, from Britain to Bruges, to Lyon and Hungary. Florentine bankers financed the English kings during the
Hundred Years' War
. They similarly financed the papacy, including the construction of their
provisional capital of Avignon
and, after their return to Rome, the reconstruction and Renaissance embellishment of Rome.
Florence was home to the Medici, one of European history's most important noble families.
Lorenzo de' Medici
was considered a political and cultural mastermind of Italy in the late 15th century. Two members of the family were
popes
in the early 16th century:
Leo X
and
Clement VII
.
Catherine de' Medici
married King
Henry II of France
and, after his death in 1559, reigned as regent in France.
Marie de' Medici
married
Henry IV of France
and gave birth to the future King
Louis XIII
. The Medici reigned as
Grand Dukes of Tuscany
, starting with
Cosimo I de' Medici
in 1569 and ending with the death of
Gian Gastone de' Medici
in 1737.
The
Kingdom of Italy
, which was established in 1861, moved its capital from
Turin
to Florence in 1865, although the capital was moved to
Rome
in 1871.
Roman origins
[
edit
]
Florence was established by the Romans in 59 BC as a colony for veteran soldiers and was built in the style of an
army camp
.
[19]
Situated along the
Via Cassia
, the main route between Rome and the north, and within the fertile valley of the
Arno
, the settlement quickly became an important commercial centre and in AD 285 became the capital of the
Tuscia
region.
Early Middle Ages
[
edit
]
In centuries to come, the city experienced turbulent alternate periods of
Ostrogoth
and
Byzantine
rule, during which the city was fought over, helping to cause the population to fall to as low as 1,000 people.
[20]
Peace returned under
Lombard
rule in the 6th century and Florence was in turn conquered by
Charlemagne
in 774 becoming part of the
March of Tuscany
centred on
Lucca
. The population began to grow again and commerce prospered.
Second millennium
[
edit
]
Margrave Hugo
chose Florence as his residency instead of
Lucca
around 1000 AD. The
Golden Age
of Florentine art began around this time. In 1100, Florence was a "
commune
", meaning a city-state. The city's primary resource was the
Arno river
, providing power and access for the industry (mainly textile industry), and access to the Mediterranean sea for international trade, helping the growth of an industrious merchant community. The Florentine merchant banking skills became recognised in Europe after they brought decisive financial innovation (e.g.
bills of exchange
,
[21]
double-entry bookkeeping system
) to medieval fairs. This period also saw the eclipse of Florence's formerly powerful rival
Pisa
.
[22]
The growing power of the merchant elite culminated in an anti-aristocratic uprising, led by
Giano della Bella
, resulting in the
Ordinances of Justice
[23]
which entrenched the power of the elite guilds until the end of the Republic.
Middle Ages and Renaissance
[
edit
]
Rise of the Medici
[
edit
]
At the height of demographic expansion around 1325, the urban population may have been as great as 120,000, and the rural population around the city was probably close to 300,000.
[24]
The
Black Death
of 1348 reduced it by over half,
[25]
[26]
about 25,000 are said to have been supported by the city's
wool
industry: in 1345 Florence was the scene of an attempted strike by wool combers (
ciompi
), who in 1378 rose up in a brief revolt against oligarchic rule in the
Revolt of the Ciompi
. After their suppression, Florence came under the sway (1382?1434) of the
Albizzi
family, who became bitter rivals of the Medici.
In the 15th century, Florence was among the largest cities in Europe, with a population of 60,000, and was considered rich and economically successful.
[27]
Cosimo de' Medici
was the first Medici family member to essentially control the city from behind the scenes. Although the city was technically a democracy of sorts, his power came from a vast
patronage
network along with his alliance to the new immigrants, the
gente nuova
(new people). The fact that the Medici were bankers to the pope also contributed to their ascendancy. Cosimo was succeeded by his son
Piero
, who was, soon after, succeeded by Cosimo's grandson,
Lorenzo
in 1469. Lorenzo was a great patron of the arts, commissioning works by
Michelangelo
,
Leonardo da Vinci
and
Botticelli
. Lorenzo was an accomplished poet and musician and brought composers and singers to Florence, including
Alexander Agricola
,
Johannes Ghiselin
, and
Heinrich Isaac
. By contemporary Florentines (and since), he was known as "Lorenzo the Magnificent" (Lorenzo il Magnifico).
Following Lorenzo de' Medici's death in 1492, he was succeeded by his son
Piero II
. When the French king
Charles VIII
invaded
northern Italy
, Piero II chose to resist his army. But when he realised the size of the
French army
at the gates of Pisa, he had to accept the humiliating conditions of the French king. These made the Florentines rebel, and they expelled Piero II. With his exile in 1494, the first period of Medici rule ended with the restoration of a republican government.
Savonarola, Machiavelli, and the Medici popes
[
edit
]
During this period, the
Dominican friar
Girolamo Savonarola
had become
prior
of the
San Marco
monastery in 1490. He was famed for his penitential sermons, lambasting what he viewed as widespread immorality and attachment to material riches. He praised the exile of the Medici as the work of God, punishing them for their decadence. He seized the opportunity to carry through political reforms leading to a more democratic rule. But when Savonarola publicly accused
Pope Alexander VI
of corruption, he was banned from speaking in public. When he broke this ban, he was excommunicated. The Florentines, tired of his teachings, turned against him and arrested him. He was convicted as a heretic, hanged and
burned
on the
Piazza della Signoria
on 23 May 1498. His ashes were dispersed in the Arno river.
[28]
Another Florentine of this period was
Niccolo Machiavelli
, whose prescriptions for Florence's regeneration under strong leadership have often been seen as a legitimization of political expediency and even malpractice. Machiavelli was a political thinker, renowned for his political handbook
The Prince
, which is about ruling and exercising power. Commissioned by the Medici, Machiavelli also wrote the
Florentine Histories
, the history of the city.
In 1512, the Medici retook control of Florence with the help of Spanish and Papal troops.
[29]
They were led by two cousins,
Giovanni
and
Giulio de' Medici
, both of whom would later become
Popes
of the Catholic Church, (Leo X and Clement VII, respectively). Both were generous patrons of the arts, commissioning works like
Michelangelo
's
Laurentian Library
and
Medici Chapel
in Florence, to name just two.
[30]
[31]
Their reigns coincided with political upheaval in Italy, and thus in 1527, Florentines drove out the Medici for a second time and re-established a theocratic republic on 16 May 1527, (Jesus Christ was named King of Florence).
[32]
The Medici returned to power in Florence in 1530, with the armies of
Holy Roman Emperor Charles V
and the blessings of
Pope Clement VII
(Giulio de' Medici).
Florence officially became a monarchy in 1531, when Emperor Charles and Pope Clement named
Alessandro de' Medici
as
Duke of the Florentine Republic
. The Medici's monarchy would last over two centuries. Alessandro's successor,
Cosimo I de' Medici
, was named
Grand Duke of Tuscany
in 1569; in all Tuscany, only the Republic of Lucca (later a
Duchy
) and the Principality of
Piombino
were independent from Florence.
18th and 19th centuries
[
edit
]
The extinction of the Medici dynasty and the accession in 1737 of
Francis Stephen
,
duke of Lorraine
and husband of
Maria Theresa of Austria
, led to Tuscany's temporary inclusion in the territories of the Austrian crown. It became a
secundogeniture
of the
Habsburg-Lorraine
dynasty, who were deposed for the
House of Bourbon-Parma
in 1801. From 1801 to 1807 Florence was the capital of the
Napoleonic
client state
Kingdom of Etruria
. The Bourbon-Parma were deposed in December 1807 when Tuscany was annexed by
France
. Florence was the
prefecture
of the French departement of
Arno
from 1808 to the fall of
Napoleon
in 1814. The Habsburg-Lorraine dynasty was restored on the throne of Tuscany at the
Congress of Vienna
but finally deposed in 1859. Tuscany became a region of the Kingdom of Italy in 1861.
Florence replaced
Turin
as Italy's capital in 1865 and, in an effort to modernise the city, the old market in the Piazza del Mercato Vecchio and many medieval houses were pulled down and replaced by a more formal street plan with newer houses. The Piazza (first renamed Piazza
Vittorio Emanuele II
, then
Piazza della Repubblica
, the present name) was significantly widened and a large triumphal arch was constructed at the west end. A museum recording the destruction stands nearby today.
The country's second capital city was superseded by Rome six years later, after the withdrawal of the French troops allowed the
capture of Rome
.
20th century
[
edit
]
During
World War II
the city experienced a year-long German occupation (1943?1944) being part of the
Italian Social Republic
. Hitler declared it an
open city
on 3 July 1944 as troops of the
British 8th Army
closed in.
[33]
Except for the
Ponte Vecchio
,
[34]
in early August, the retreating Germans decided to demolish all the bridges along the
Arno
linking the district of
Oltrarno
to the rest of the city, making it difficult for troops of the 8th Army to cross.
Florence was liberated by
New Zealand
,
South African
and British troops on 4 August 1944 alongside partisans from the
Tuscan Committee of National Liberation
(CTLN). The
Allied
soldiers who died driving the Germans from Tuscany are buried in cemeteries outside the city (Americans about
nine kilometres or
5
+
1
⁄
2
miles south of the city, British and Commonwealth soldiers a few kilometres east of the centre on the right bank of the Arno).
At the end of World War II in May 1945, the US Army's Information and Educational Branch was ordered to establish an overseas university campus for demobilised American service men and women in Florence. The first American university for service personnel was established in June 1945 at the School of Aeronautics. Some 7,500 soldier-students were to pass through the university during its four one-month sessions (see
G. I. American Universities
).
[35]
In November 1966, the
Arno flooded
parts of the centre, damaging many art treasures. Around the city there are tiny placards on the walls noting where the flood waters reached at their highest point.
Geography
[
edit
]
Florence lies in a basin formed by the hills of
Careggi
,
Fiesole
,
Settignano
,
Arcetri
,
Poggio Imperiale
and Bellosguardo (Florence). The
Arno river
, three other minor rivers (Mugnone,
[36]
Ema and Greve) and some streams flow through it.
[37]
Climate
[
edit
]
Florence has a
humid subtropical climate
(
Cfa
), tending to
Mediterranean
(
Csa
).
[38]
It has hot summers with moderate or light rainfall and cool, damp winters. As Florence lacks a prevailing wind, summer temperatures are higher than along the coast. Rainfall in summer is
convectional
, while relief rainfall dominates in the winter.
Snow
is rare.
[39]
The highest officially recorded temperature was 42.6 °C (108.7 °F) on 26 July 1983 and the lowest was ?23.2 °C (?9.8 °F) on 12 January 1985.
[40]
Climate data for Florence (
Florence Airport
, 1991?2020 normals)
|
Month
|
Jan
|
Feb
|
Mar
|
Apr
|
May
|
Jun
|
Jul
|
Aug
|
Sep
|
Oct
|
Nov
|
Dec
|
Year
|
Record high °C (°F)
|
21.6
(70.9)
|
23.4
(74.1)
|
28.5
(83.3)
|
28.7
(83.7)
|
33.8
(92.8)
|
41.8
(107.2)
|
42.6
(108.7)
|
39.5
(103.1)
|
36.4
(97.5)
|
30.8
(87.4)
|
25.2
(77.4)
|
20.4
(68.7)
|
42.6
(108.7)
|
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)
|
10.9
(51.6)
|
12.7
(54.9)
|
16.8
(62.2)
|
20.2
(68.4)
|
24.5
(76.1)
|
28.9
(84.0)
|
31.8
(89.2)
|
32.1
(89.8)
|
27.0
(80.6)
|
21.8
(71.2)
|
16.2
(61.2)
|
12.2
(54.0)
|
21.3
(70.3)
|
Daily mean °C (°F)
|
6.5
(43.7)
|
7.7
(45.9)
|
11.1
(52.0)
|
14.2
(57.6)
|
18.4
(65.1)
|
22.5
(72.5)
|
25.2
(77.4)
|
25.4
(77.7)
|
21.0
(69.8)
|
16.5
(61.7)
|
11.5
(52.7)
|
7.5
(45.5)
|
15.6
(60.1)
|
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)
|
2.2
(36.0)
|
2.6
(36.7)
|
5.4
(41.7)
|
8.1
(46.6)
|
12.3
(54.1)
|
16.2
(61.2)
|
18.5
(65.3)
|
18.7
(65.7)
|
15.0
(59.0)
|
11.2
(52.2)
|
6.8
(44.2)
|
2.8
(37.0)
|
10.0
(50.0)
|
Record low °C (°F)
|
?23.2
(?9.8)
|
?9.9
(14.2)
|
?8.0
(17.6)
|
?2.2
(28.0)
|
3.6
(38.5)
|
5.6
(42.1)
|
10.2
(50.4)
|
9.6
(49.3)
|
3.6
(38.5)
|
?1.4
(29.5)
|
?6.0
(21.2)
|
?8.6
(16.5)
|
?23.2
(?9.8)
|
Average
precipitation
mm (inches)
|
60.5
(2.38)
|
63.7
(2.51)
|
63.5
(2.50)
|
86.4
(3.40)
|
70.0
(2.76)
|
57.1
(2.25)
|
36.7
(1.44)
|
56.0
(2.20)
|
79.6
(3.13)
|
104.2
(4.10)
|
113.6
(4.47)
|
81.3
(3.20)
|
872.6
(34.34)
|
Average precipitation days
(≥ 1.0 mm)
|
8.3
|
7.1
|
7.5
|
9.7
|
8.4
|
6.3
|
3.5
|
5.4
|
6.2
|
8.5
|
9.0
|
8.3
|
88.2
|
Mean daily
sunshine hours
|
3.0
|
4.0
|
5.0
|
6.0
|
8.0
|
9.0
|
10.0
|
9.0
|
7.0
|
5.0
|
3.0
|
3.0
|
6.0
|
Percent
possible sunshine
|
33
|
40
|
42
|
46
|
53
|
60
|
67
|
64
|
58
|
45
|
30
|
33
|
48
|
Source 1: Istituto Superiore per la Protezione e la Ricerca Ambientale
[41]
|
Source 2: Servizio Meteorologico (precipitation 1971?2000)
[42]
World Meteorological Organization
(
United Nations
)
[43]
Weather Atlas
[44]
|
Climate data for Florence
|
Month
|
Jan
|
Feb
|
Mar
|
Apr
|
May
|
Jun
|
Jul
|
Aug
|
Sep
|
Oct
|
Nov
|
Dec
|
Year
|
Mean daily daylight hours
|
9.0
|
10.0
|
12.0
|
13.0
|
15.0
|
15.0
|
15.0
|
14.0
|
12.0
|
11.0
|
10.0
|
9.0
|
12.1
|
Average
Ultraviolet index
|
1
|
2
|
4
|
5
|
7
|
8
|
8
|
7
|
5
|
3
|
2
|
1
|
4.4
|
Source: Weather Atlas
[45]
|
Demographics
[
edit
]
Historical population
Year
| Pop.
| ±%
|
---|
1200
| 50,000
| ?
|
---|
1300
| 120,000
| +140.0%
|
---|
1500
| 70,000
| ?41.7%
|
---|
1650
| 70,000
| +0.0%
|
---|
1861
| 150,864
| +115.5%
|
---|
1871
| 201,138
| +33.3%
|
---|
1881
| 196,072
| ?2.5%
|
---|
1901
| 236,635
| +20.7%
|
---|
1911
| 258,056
| +9.1%
|
---|
1921
| 280,133
| +8.6%
|
---|
1931
| 304,160
| +8.6%
|
---|
1936
| 321,176
| +5.6%
|
---|
1951
| 374,625
| +16.6%
|
---|
1961
| 436,516
| +16.5%
|
---|
1971
| 457,803
| +4.9%
|
---|
1981
| 448,331
| ?2.1%
|
---|
1991
| 403,294
| ?10.0%
|
---|
2001
| 356,118
| ?11.7%
|
---|
2011
| 358,079
| +0.6%
|
---|
2021
| 361,619
| +1.0%
|
---|
Source:
ISTAT
2021
|
In 1200 the city was home to 50,000 people.
[46]
By 1300 the population of the city proper was 120,000, with an additional 300,000 living in the
Contado
.
[47]
Between 1500 and 1650 the population was around 70,000.
[48]
[49]
As of 31 October 2010
[update]
, the population of the city proper is 370,702, while
Eurostat
estimates that 696,767 people live in the
urban area
of Florence. The Metropolitan Area of Florence,
Prato
and
Pistoia
, constituted in 2000 over an area of roughly 4,800 square kilometres (1,850 sq mi), is home to 1.5 million people. Within Florence proper, 46.8% of the population was male in 2007 and 53.2% were female. Minors (children aged 18 and less) totalled 14.10% of the population compared to pensioners, who numbered 25.95 percent. This compares with the Italian average of 18.06 percent (minors) and 19.94 percent (pensioners). The average age of Florence resident is 49 compared to the Italian average of 42. In the five years between 2002 and 2007, the population of Florence grew by 3.22 percent, while Italy as a whole grew by 3.56 percent.
[50]
The
birth rate
of Florence is 7.66 births per 1,000 inhabitants compared to the Italian average of 9.45 births.
As of 2009
[update]
, 87.46% of the population was Italian. An estimated 6,000
Chinese
live in the city.
[51]
The largest immigrant group came from other European countries (mostly
Romanians
and
Albanians
): 3.52%, East Asia (mostly
Chinese
and
Filipino
): 2.17%, the Americas: 1.41%, and North Africa (mostly
Moroccan
): 0.9%.
[52]
Much like the rest of Italy most of the people in Florence are
Roman Catholic
, with more than 90% of the population belonging to the
Archdiocese of Florence
.
[53]
[54]
As of 2016, an estimated 30,000 people, or 8% of the population, identified as Muslim.
[55]
Economy
[
edit
]
Tourism is, by far, the most important of all industries and most of the Florentine economy relies on the money generated by international arrivals and students studying in the city.
[11]
The value tourism to the city totalled some €2.5 billion in 2015 and the number of visitors had increased by 5.5% from the previous year.
[56]
In 2013, Florence was listed as the second best world city by
Conde Nast Traveler
.
[57]
Manufacturing and commerce remain highly important. Florence is Italy's 17th richest city in terms of average workers' earnings, with the figure being €23,265 (the overall city's income is €6,531,204,473), coming after
Mantua
, yet surpassing
Bolzano
.
[58]
Industry, commerce and services
[
edit
]
Florence is a major production and commercial centre in Italy, where the Florentine industrial complexes in the suburbs produce all sorts of goods, from furniture, rubber goods, chemicals, and food.
[11]
Traditional and local products, such as antiques, handicrafts, glassware, leatherwork, art reproductions, jewellery, souvenirs, elaborate metal and iron-work, shoes, accessories and high
fashion clothes
also occupy a fair sector of Florence's economy.
[11]
The city's income relies partially on services and commercial and cultural interests, such as annual fairs, theatrical and lyrical productions, art exhibitions, festivals and fashion shows, such as the
Calcio Fiorentino
. Heavy industry and machinery also take their part in providing an income. In Nuovo Pignone, numerous factories are still present, and small-to medium industrial businesses are dominant. The Florence-Prato-Pistoia industrial districts and areas were known as the 'Third Italy' in the 1990s, due to the exports of high-quality goods and automobile (especially the
Vespa
) and the prosperity and productivity of the Florentine entrepreneurs. Some of these industries even rivalled the traditional industrial districts in
Emilia-Romagna
and
Veneto
due to high profits and productivity.
[11]
In the fourth quarter of 2015, manufacturing increased by 2.4% and exports increased by 7.2%. Leading sectors included mechanical engineering, fashion, pharmaceutics, food and wine. During 2015, permanent employment contracts increased by 48.8 percent, boosted by nationwide tax break.
[56]
Tourism
[
edit
]
Tourism is the most significant industry in central Florence. From April to October, tourists outnumber the local population. Tickets to the Uffizi and Accademia galleries are regularly sold out and large groups regularly fill the basilicas of
Santa Croce
and
Santa Maria Novella
, both of which charge for entry. Tickets for The Uffizi and Accademia can be purchased online prior to visiting.
[59]
In 2010, readers of
Travel + Leisure
magazine ranked the city as their third favourite tourist destination.
[60]
In 2015, Conde Nast Travel readers voted Florence as the best city in Europe.
[61]
Studies by Euromonitor International have concluded that cultural and history-oriented tourism is generating significantly increased spending throughout Europe.
[62]
Florence is believed to have the greatest concentration of art (in proportion to its size) in the world.
[63]
Thus, cultural tourism is particularly strong, with world-renowned museums such as the Uffizi selling over 1.93 million tickets in 2014.
[64]
The city's convention centre facilities were restructured during the 1990s and host exhibitions, conferences, meetings, social forums, concerts and other events.
In 2016, Florence had 20,588 hotel rooms in 570 facilities. International visitors use 75% of the rooms; some 18% of those were from the U.S.
[65]
In 2014, the city had 8.5 million overnight stays.
[66]
A Euromonitor report indicates that in 2015 the city ranked as the world's 36th most visited in the world, with over 4.95 million arrivals for the year.
[67]
Tourism brings revenue to Florence, but also creates certain problems. The Ponte Vecchio, The
San Lorenzo Market
and Santa Maria Novella are plagued by pickpockets.
[68]
The province of Florence receives roughly 13 million visitors per year
[69]
and in peak seasons, popular locations may become overcrowded as a result.
[70]
In 2015, Mayor Dario Nardella expressed concern over visitors who arrive on buses, stay only a few hours, spend little money but contribute significantly to overcrowding. "No museum visit, just a photo from the square, the bus back and then on to Venice ... We don't want tourists like that", he said.
[71]
Some tourists are less than respectful of the city's cultural heritage, according to Nardella. In June 2017, he instituted a programme of spraying church steps with water to prevent tourists from using such areas as picnic spots. While he values the benefits of tourism, he claims that there has been "an increase among those who sit down on church steps, eat their food and leave rubbish strewn on them", he explained.
[72]
To boost the sale of traditional foods, the mayor had introduced legislation (enacted in 2016) that requires restaurants to use typical Tuscan products and rejected McDonald's application to open a location in the Piazza del Duomo.
[73]
In October 2021, Florence was shortlisted for the
European Commission
's 2022 European Capital of Smart Tourism award along with
Bordeaux
,
Copenhagen
,
Dublin
,
Ljubljana
,
Palma de Mallorca
and
Valencia
.
[74]
Food and wine production
[
edit
]
Food and wine have long been an important staple of the economy. The
Chianti region
is just south of the city, and its
Sangiovese
grapes figure prominently not only in its
Chianti Classico
wines but also in many of the more recently developed Supertuscan blends. Within 32 km (20 mi) to the west is the Carmignano area, also home to flavourful sangiovese-based reds. The celebrated Chianti Rufina district, geographically and historically separated from the main Chianti region, is also few kilometres east of Florence. More recently, the Bolgheri region (about 150 km or 93 mi southwest of Florence) has become celebrated for its "
Super Tuscan
" reds such as
Sassicaia
and
Ornellaia
.
[75]
Government
[
edit
]
The legislative body of the
municipality
is the City Council (
Consiglio Comunale
), which is composed of 36 councillors elected every five years with a proportional system, at the same time as the mayoral elections. The executive body is the City Committee (
Giunta Comunale
), composed of 7
assessors
, nominated and presided over by a directly elected
Mayor
. The current mayor of Florence is
Dario Nardella
.
The municipality of Florence is subdivided into five administrative Boroughs (
Quartieri
). Each borough is governed by a Council (
Consiglio
) and a President, elected at the same time as the city mayor. The urban organisation is governed by the Italian Constitution (art. 114). The boroughs have the power to advise the Mayor with nonbinding opinions on a large spectrum of topics (environment, construction, public health, local markets) and exercise the functions delegated to them by the City Council; in addition they are supplied with an autonomous funding in order to finance local activities. The boroughs are:
- Q1 ?
Centro storico
(Historic Centre); population: 67,170;
- Q2 ?
Campo di Marte
; population: 88,588;
- Q3 ? Gavinana-
Galluzzo
; population: 40,907;
- Q4 ? Isolotto-
Legnaia
; population: 66,636;
- Q5 ? Rifredi; population: 103,761.
All of the five boroughs are governed by the
Democratic Party
.
The former Italian Prime Minister (2014?2016),
Matteo Renzi
, served as mayor from 2009 to 2014.
Culture
[
edit
]
Florence was the birthplace of High Renaissance art, which lasted from about 1500 to 1527. Renaissance art put a larger emphasis on naturalism and human emotion.
[76]
Medieval art
was often formulaic and symbolic; the surviving works are mostly religious, their subjects were chosen by clerics. By contrast, Renaissance art became more rational, mathematical, individualistic,
[76]
and was produced by known artists such as
Donatello
,
Michelangelo
, and
Raphael
, who started to sign their works. Religion was important, but with this new age came the humanization
[77]
[78]
of religious figures in art, such as in
Masaccio
's
Expulsion from the Garden of Eden
and Raphael's
Madonna della Seggiola
; people of this age began to understand themselves as human beings, which reflected in art.
[78]
The Renaissance marked the rebirth of classical values in art and society as people studied the ancient masters of the Greco-Roman world;
[77]
art became focused on realism as opposed to idealism.
[78]
Cimabue
and
Giotto
, the fathers of Italian painting, lived in Florence, as did
Arnolfo di Cambio
and
Andrea Pisano
, renewers of architecture and sculpture;
Filippo Brunelleschi
,
Donatello
and Masaccio, forefathers of the Renaissance,
Lorenzo Ghiberti
and the
Della Robbia
family,
Filippo Lippi
and
Fra Angelico
;
Sandro Botticelli
,
Paolo Uccello
and the universal genius of
Leonardo da Vinci
and Michelangelo.
[79]
[80]
Their works, together with those of many other generations of artists, are gathered in
the city's many museums
: the
Uffizi Gallery
, the
Galleria Palatina
with the paintings of the "Golden Ages",
[81]
the
Bargello
with the sculptures of the Renaissance, the
museum of San Marco
with
Fra Angelico
's works, the
Galleria dell'Accademia
, the
Medici Chapels
,
[82]
the museum of
Orsanmichele
, the
Casa Buonarroti
with sculptures by Michelangelo, the
Museo Bardini
, the
Museo Horne
, the
Museo Stibbert
, the
Palazzo Corsini
, the
Galleria d'Arte Moderna
, the
Museo dell'Opera del Duomo
, the
Tesoro dei Granduchi
and the
Museo dell'Opificio delle Pietre Dure
.
[83]
Several monuments are located in Florence: the
Baptistery
with
its mosaics
; the cathedral with its sculptures, the medieval churches with bands of frescoes; public as well as private palaces ? the
Palazzo Vecchio
, the Palazzo Pitti, the
Palazzo Medici Riccardi
, the
Palazzo Davanzati
and the
Casa Martelli
; monasteries, cloisters, refectories; the
Certosa
. The
Museo Archeologico Nazionale
documents
Etruscan civilization
.
[84]
The city is so rich in art that some visitors experience
Stendhal syndrome
as they encounter its art for the first time.
[85]
Florentine architects such as Filippo Brunelleschi (1377?1466) and
Leon Battista Alberti
(1404?1472) were among the fathers of Renaissance architecture.
[86]
The cathedral, topped by Brunelleschi's dome, dominates the Florentine skyline. The Florentines decided to start building it late in the 13th century, without a design for the dome. The project proposed by Brunelleschi in the 14th century was the largest ever built at the time, and the first major dome built in Europe since the two great domes of Roman times ? the
Pantheon
in Rome, and
Hagia Sophia
in
Constantinople
. The dome of Santa Maria del Fiore remains the largest brick construction of its kind in the world.
[87]
[88]
In front of it is the medieval Baptistery. The two buildings incorporate in their decoration the transition from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance. In recent years, most of the important works of art from the two buildings ? and from the nearby
Giotto's Campanile
, have been removed and replaced by copies. The originals are now housed in the Museo dell'Opera del Duomo, just to the east of the cathedral.
Florence has a large number of art-filled churches, such as
San Miniato al Monte
,
San Lorenzo
,
Santa Maria Novella
,
Santa Trinita
,
Santa Maria del Carmine
,
Santa Croce
,
Santo Spirito
,
Santissima Annunziata
,
Ognissanti
and numerous others.
[11]
Artists associated with Florence range from
Arnolfo di Cambio
and
Cimabue
to
Giotto
,
Nanni di Banco
, and
Paolo Uccello
; through
Lorenzo Ghiberti
, and
Donatello
and
Masaccio
and the
della Robbia
family; through
Fra Angelico
and
Sandro Botticelli
and
Piero della Francesca
, and on to
Leonardo da Vinci
and
Michelangelo
. Others include
Benvenuto Cellini
,
Andrea del Sarto
,
Benozzo Gozzoli
,
Domenico Ghirlandaio
,
Filippo Lippi
,
Bernardo Buontalenti
,
Orcagna
,
Antonio
and
Piero del Pollaiuolo
,
Filippino Lippi
,
Andrea del Verrocchio
,
Bronzino
,
Desiderio da Settignano
,
Michelozzo
,
Cosimo Rosselli
, the Sangallos, and
Pontormo
. Artists from other regions who worked in Florence include
Raphael
,
Andrea Pisano
,
Giambologna
,
Il Sodoma
and
Peter Paul Rubens
.
Picture galleries in Florence include the
Uffizi
and the
Palazzo Pitti
. Two superb collections of sculpture are in the
Bargello
and the
Museo dell'Opera del Duomo
. They are filled with the creations of Donatello, Verrocchio, Desiderio da Settignano, Michelangelo and others. The
Galleria dell'Accademia
has Michelangelo's
David
, which was created between 1501 and 1504 and is perhaps the best-known work of art anywhere, plus the unfinished statues of slaves Michelangelo created for the
tomb of Pope Julius II
.
[89]
[90]
Other sights include the medieval city hall, the Palazzo della Signoria (also known as the
Palazzo Vecchio
), the
National Archeological Museum
, the
Museo Galileo
, the
Palazzo Davanzati
, the
Museo Stibbert
, the
Museo Nazionale di San Marco
, the
Medici Chapels
, the Museo dell'Opera di Santa Croce, the Museum of the Cloister of Santa Maria Novella, the Zoological Museum ("
La Specola
"), the
Museo Bardini
, and the
Museo Horne
. There is also a collection of works by the modern sculptor,
Marino Marini
, in
a museum named after him
. The
Palazzo Strozzi
is the site of special exhibitions.
[91]
Language
[
edit
]
Florentine (
fiorentino
), spoken by inhabitants of Florence and its environs, is a
Tuscan dialect
and the immediate
parent language
to modern Italian.
Although its vocabulary and pronunciation are largely identical to standard Italian, differences do exist. The
Vocabolario del fiorentino contemporaneo
(Dictionary of Modern Florentine) reveals
lexical
distinctions from all walks of life.
[92]
Dante, Petrarch, and Boccaccio pioneered the use of the vernacular
[93]
instead of the Latin used for most literary works at the time.
Literature
[
edit
]
Despite Latin being the main language of the courts and the Church in the Middle Ages, writers such as Dante Alighieri
[93]
and many others used their own language, the Florentine vernacular descended from Latin, in composing their greatest works. The oldest literary pieces written in Florentine go as far back as the 13th century. Florence's literature fully blossomed in the 14th century, when not only Dante with his
Divine Comedy
(1306?1321) and Petrarch, but also poets such as
Guido Cavalcanti
and
Lapo Gianni
composed their most important works.
[93]
Dante's masterpiece is the
Divine Comedy
, which mainly deals with the poet himself taking an allegoric and moral tour of Hell, Purgatory and finally Heaven, during which he meets numerous mythological or real characters of his age or before. He is first guided by the Roman poet
Virgil
, whose non-Christian beliefs damned him to Hell. Later on he is joined by
Beatrice
, who guides him through Heaven.
[93]
In the 14th century,
Petrarch
[94]
and
Giovanni Boccaccio
[94]
led the literary scene in Florence after Dante's death in 1321. Petrarch was an all-rounder writer, author and poet, but was particularly known for his
Canzoniere
, or the Book of Songs, where he conveyed his unremitting love for Laura.
[94]
His style of writing has since become known as
Petrarchism
.
[94]
Boccaccio was better known for his
Decameron
, a slightly grim story of Florence during the 1350s bubonic plague, known as the
Black Death
, when some people fled the ravaged city to an isolated country mansion, and spent their time there recounting stories and novellas taken from the medieval and contemporary tradition. All of this is written in a series of 100 distinct novellas.
[94]
In the 16th century, during the Renaissance, Florence was the home town of political writer and philosopher Niccolo Machiavelli, whose ideas on how rulers should govern the land, detailed in
The Prince
, spread across European courts and enjoyed enduring popularity for centuries. These principles became known as
Machiavellianism
.
Music
[
edit
]
Florence became a musical centre during the Middle Ages and music and the performing arts remain an important part of its culture. The growth of Northern Italian Cities in the 1500s likely contributed to its increased prominence. During the Renaissance, there were four kinds of musical patronage in the city with respect to both sacred and secular music: state, corporate, church, and private. It was here that the
Florentine Camerata
convened in the mid-16th century and experimented with setting tales of Greek mythology to music and staging the result?in other words, the first operas, setting the wheels in motion not just for the further development of the operatic form, but for later developments of separate "classical" forms such as the symphony and concerto. After the year 1600, Italian trends prevailed across Europe, by 1750 it was the primary musical language. The genre of the
Madrigal
, born in Italy, gained popularity in Britain and elsewhere. Several Italian cities were "larger on the musical map than their real-size for power suggested. Florence, was once such city which experienced a fantastic period in the early seventeenth Century of musico-theatrical innovation, including the beginning and flourishing of opera.
[95]
Opera was invented in Florence in the late 16th century when
Jacopo Peri
's
Dafne
an opera in the style of
monody
, was premiered. Opera spread from Florence throughout Italy and eventually Europe. Vocal Music in the choir setting was also taking new identity at this time. At the beginning of the 17th century, two practices for writing music were devised, one the first practice or
Stile Antico
/Prima Prattica
the other the
Stile Moderno
/Seconda Prattica
. The Stile Antico was more prevalent in Northern Europe and Stile Moderno was practiced more by the Italian Composers of the time.
[96]
The piano was invented in Florence in 1709 by Bartolomeo Cristofori. Composers and musicians who have lived in Florence include Piero Strozzi (1550 ? after 1608), Giulio Caccini (1551?1618) and Mike Francis (1961?2009). Giulio Caccini's book
Le Nuove Musiche
was significant in performance practice technique instruction at the time.
[95]
The book specified a new term, in use by the 1630s, called
monody
which indicated the combination of voice and
basso continuo
and connoted a practice of stating text in a free, lyrical, yet speech-like manner. This would occur while an instrument, usually a keyboard type such as
harpsichord
, played and held chords while the singer sang/spoke the monodic line.
[97]
Cinema
[
edit
]
Florence has been a setting for numerous works of fiction and movies, including the novels and associated films, such as
Light in the Piazza
,
The Girl Who Couldn't Say No
,
Calmi Cuori Appassionati
,
Hannibal
,
A Room with a View
,
Tea with Mussolini
,
Virgin Territory
and
Inferno
. The city is home to renowned Italian actors and actresses, such as
Roberto Benigni
,
Leonardo Pieraccioni
and
Vittoria Puccini
.
Video games
[
edit
]
Florence has appeared as a location in video games such as
Assassin's Creed II
.
[98]
The
Republic of Florence
also appears as a playable nation in
Paradox Interactive's
grand strategy
game
Europa Universalis IV
.
Other media
[
edit
]
16th century Florence is the setting of the Japanese
manga
and
anime
series
Arte
.
Cuisine
[
edit
]
Florentine food grows out of a tradition of peasant fare rather than rarefied high cuisine. The majority of dishes are based on meat. The whole animal was traditionally eaten;
tripe
(
trippa
) and stomach (
lampredotto
) were once regularly on the menu at restaurants and still are sold at the food carts stationed throughout the city.
Antipasti
include
crostini toscani
, sliced bread rounds topped with a chicken liver-based
pate
, and sliced meats (mainly
prosciutto
and
salame
, often served with melon when in season). The typically saltless Tuscan bread, obtained with natural
levain
frequently features in Florentine courses, especially in its soups,
ribollita
and
pappa al pomodoro
, or in the salad of bread and fresh vegetables called
panzanella
that is served in summer. The
bistecca alla fiorentina
is a large (the customary size should weigh around 1.2 to 1.5 kg or 2 lb 10 oz to 3 lb 5 oz) ? the "date" steak ?
T-bone steak
of
Chianina
beef cooked over hot charcoal and served very rare with its more recently derived version, the
tagliata
, sliced rare beef served on a bed of
arugula
, often with slices of
Parmesan cheese
on top. Most of these courses are generally served with local
olive oil
, also a prime product enjoying a worldwide reputation.
[99]
Among the desserts,
schiacciata alla fiorentina
, a white flatbread cake, is one of the most popular; it is a very soft cake, prepared with extremely simple ingredients, typical of Florentine cuisine, and is especially eaten at
Carnival
.
Research activity
[
edit
]
Research institutes and university departments are located within the Florence area and within two campuses at Polo di Novoli and Polo Scientifico di Sesto Fiorentino
[100]
as well as in the Research Area of
Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche
.
[101]
Science and discovery
[
edit
]
Florence has been an important scientific centre for centuries, notably during the Renaissance with scientists such as Leonardo da Vinci.
Florentines were one of the driving forces behind the
Age of Discovery
. Florentine bankers financed Henry the Navigator and the Portuguese explorers who pioneered the route around Africa to India and the Far East. It was a map drawn by the Florentine
Paolo dal Pozzo Toscanelli
, a student of Brunelleschi, that
Christopher Columbus
used to sell his "enterprise" to the Spanish monarchs, and which he used on his first voyage. Mercator's "Projection" is a refined version of Toscanelli's, taking the Americas into account.
Galileo
and other scientists pioneered the study of optics, ballistics, astronomy, anatomy, and other scientific disciplines. Pico della Mirandola, Leonardo Bruni, Machiavelli, and many others laid the groundwork for modern scientific understanding.
Fashion
[
edit
]
By the year 1300 Florence had become a centre of textile production in Europe. Many of the rich families in Renaissance Florence were major purchasers of locally produced fine clothing, and the specialists of fashion in the economy and culture of Florence during that period is often underestimated.
[102]
Florence is regarded by some as the birthplace and earliest centre of the modern (post World War Two) fashion industry in Italy. The Florentine "soirees" of the early 1950s organised by Giovanni Battista Giorgini were events where several Italian designers participated in group shows and first garnered international attention.
[103]
Florence has served as the home of the Italian fashion company
Salvatore Ferragamo
since 1928.
Gucci
,
Roberto Cavalli
, and
Emilio Pucci
are also headquartered in Florence. Other major players in the fashion industry such as
Prada
and
Chanel
have large offices and stores in Florence or its outskirts. Florence's main upscale shopping street is
Via de' Tornabuoni
, where major luxury fashion houses and jewellery labels, such as
Armani
and
Bulgari
, have boutiques. Via del Parione and Via Roma are other streets that are also well known for their high-end fashion stores.
[104]
Historical evocations
[
edit
]
Scoppio del Carro
[
edit
]
The
Scoppio del Carro
("Explosion of the Cart") is a celebration of the
First Crusade
. During the day of Easter, a cart, which the Florentines call the
Brindellone
and which is led by four white oxen, is taken to the
Piazza del Duomo
between the Baptistery of
St. John the Baptist
(
Battistero di San Giovanni
) and the
Florence Cathedral
(
Santa Maria del Fiore
). The cart is connected by a rope to the interior of the church. Near the cart there is a model of a dove, which, according to legend, is a symbol of good luck for the city: at the end of the Easter mass, the dove emerges from the nave of the Duomo and ignites the fireworks on the cart.
Calcio Storico
[
edit
]
Calcio Storico Fiorentino
("Historic Florentine
Football
"), sometimes called
Calcio in costume
, is a traditional sport, regarded as a forerunner of soccer, though the actual gameplay most closely resembles rugby. The event originates from the
Middle Ages
, when the most important Florentine nobles amused themselves playing while wearing bright costumes. The most important match was played on 17 February 1530, during the
siege of Florence
. That day
Papal troops
besieged the city while the Florentines, with contempt of the enemies, decided to play the game notwithstanding the situation. The game is played in the Piazza di
Santa Croce
. A temporary arena is constructed, with bleachers and a sand-covered playing field. A series of matches are held between four teams representing each
quartiere
(quarter) of Florence during late June and early July.
[105]
There are four teams: Azzurri (light blue), Bianchi (white), Rossi (red) and Verdi (green). The Azzurri are from the quarter of Santa Croce, Bianchi from the quarter of Santo Spirito, Verdi are from San Giovanni and Rossi from Santa Maria Novella.
Main sights
[
edit
]
Florence is known as the "cradle of the Renaissance" (
la culla del Rinascimento
) for its monuments, churches, and buildings. The best-known site of Florence is the domed cathedral of the city,
Santa Maria del Fiore
, known as
The Duomo
, whose dome was built by
Filippo Brunelleschi
. The nearby
Campanile
(partly designed by
Giotto
) and the
Baptistery
buildings are also highlights. The dome, 600 years after its completion, is still the largest dome built in brick and mortar in the world.
[106]
In 1982, the
historic centre of Florence
(Italian:
centro storico di Firenze
) was declared a
World Heritage Site
by the
UNESCO
.
[107]
The centre of the city is contained in
medieval walls
that were built in the 14th century to defend the city. At the heart of the city, in
Piazza della Signoria
, is
Bartolomeo Ammannati
's
Fountain of Neptune
(1563?1565), which is a masterpiece of
marble sculpture
at the terminus of a still functioning Roman
aqueduct
.
The layout and structure of Florence in many ways harkens back to the Roman era, where it was designed as a
garrison
settlement.
[11]
Nevertheless, the majority of the city was built during the Renaissance.
[11]
Despite the strong presence of Renaissance architecture within the city, traces of
medieval
,
Baroque
,
Neoclassical
and
modern architecture
can be found. The
Palazzo Vecchio
as well as the Duomo, or the city's Cathedral, are the two buildings which dominate Florence's skyline.
[11]
The river (Arno), which cuts through the old part of the city, is as much a character in Florentine history as many of the people who lived there. Historically, the locals have had a love-hate relationship with the Arno ? which alternated between nourishing the city with commerce, and destroying it by flood.
One of the bridges in particular stands out ? the
Ponte Vecchio
('Old Bridge'), whose most striking feature is the multitude of shops built upon its edges, held up by stilts. The bridge also carries
Vasari's elevated corridor
linking the Uffizi to the Medici residence (
Palazzo Pitti
). Although the original bridge was constructed by the
Etruscans
, the current bridge was rebuilt in the 14th century. It is the only bridge in the city to have survived World War II intact. It is the first example in the western world of a bridge built using segmental
arches
, that is, arches less than a semicircle, to reduce both span-to-rise ratio and the numbers of pillars to allow lesser encumbrance in the riverbed (being in this much more successful than the Roman
Alconetar Bridge
).
The church of
San Lorenzo
contains the
Medici Chapels
, a complex of burial chapels of the
Medici family
?the most powerful family in Florence from the 15th to the 18th centuries.
The Uffizi Gallery, one of the finest art museums in the world, was founded on a large bequest from the last member of the Medici family. It is located at the corner of
Piazza della Signoria
, a site important for being the centre of Florence's civil life and government for centuries. The
Palazzo della Signoria
facing it is still home of the municipal government. Many significant episodes in the
history of art
and political changes were staged here, such as:
- In 1301,
Dante Alighieri
was sent into exile from here (commemorated by a plaque on one of the walls of the Uffizi).
- On 26 April 1478,
Jacopo de' Pazzi
and his retainers tried to raise the city against the Medici after the plot known as
La congiura dei Pazzi
(
The Pazzi conspiracy
), murdering
Giuliano di Piero de' Medici
and wounding his brother Lorenzo. All the members of the plot who could be apprehended were seized by the Florentines and hanged from the windows of the palace.
- In 1497, it was the location of the
Bonfire of the Vanities
instigated by the Dominican friar and preacher
Girolamo Savonarola
- On 23 May 1498, the same Savonarola and two followers were hanged and burnt at the stake. (A round plate in the ground marks the spot where he was hanged)
- In 1504,
Michelangelo's David
(now replaced by a replica, since the original was moved in 1873 to the
Galleria dell'Accademia
) was installed in front of the Palazzo della Signoria (also known as
Palazzo Vecchio
).
The
Loggia dei Lanzi
in Piazza della Signoria is the location of a number of statues by other sculptors such as
Donatello
,
Giambologna
,
Bartolomeo Ammannati
and
Benvenuto Cellini
, although some have been replaced with copies to preserve the originals.
-
-
-
1835 City Map of Florence, still largely in the confines of its medieval city centre
-
-
Florence at night from Piazzale Michelangelo
-
-
-
The city of Florence as seen from the hill of
Fiesole
-
Florence Duomo as seen from Michelangelo hill
Monuments, museums and religious buildings
[
edit
]
Florence contains several palaces and buildings from various eras. The
Palazzo Vecchio
is the
town hall
of Florence and also an art museum. This large
Romanesque
crenellated
fortress-palace overlooks the
Piazza della Signoria
with its copy of Michelangelo's David statue as well as the gallery of statues in the adjacent
Loggia dei Lanzi
. Originally called the
Palazzo della Signoria
, after the
Signoria of Florence
, the ruling body of the
Republic of Florence
, it was also given several other names:
Palazzo del Popolo
,
Palazzo dei Priori
, and
Palazzo Ducale
, in accordance with the varying use of the palace during its long history. The building acquired its current name when the Medici duke's residence was moved across the Arno to the Palazzo Pitti. It is linked to the Uffizi and the Palazzo Pitti through the
Corridoio Vasariano
.
Palazzo Medici Riccardi
, designed by
Michelozzo di Bartolomeo
for
Cosimo il Vecchio
, of the Medici family, is another major edifice, and was built between 1445 and 1460. It was well known for its stone masonry that includes rustication and ashlar. Today it is the head office of the Metropolitan City of Florence and hosts museums and the
Riccardiana Library
. The
Palazzo Strozzi
, an example of civil architecture with its rusticated stone, was inspired by the
Palazzo Medici
, but with more harmonious proportions. Today the palace is used for international expositions like the annual antique show (founded as the Biennale dell'Antiquariato in 1959), fashion shows and other cultural and artistic events. Here also is the seat of the Istituto Nazionale del Rinascimento and the noted
Gabinetto Vieusseux
, with the library and reading room.
There are several other notable places, including the
Palazzo Rucellai
, designed by Leon Battista Alberti between 1446 and 1451 and executed, at least in part, by
Bernardo Rossellino
; the
Palazzo Davanzati
, which houses the museum of the Old Florentine House; the
Palazzo delle Assicurazioni Generali
, designed in the
Neo-Renaissance
style in 1871; the
Palazzo Spini Feroni
, in
Piazza Santa Trinita
, a historic 13th-century private palace, owned since the 1920s by shoe-designer
Salvatore Ferragamo
; as well as various others, including the Palazzo Borghese, the Palazzo di Bianca Cappello, the
Palazzo Antinori
, and the Royal building of Santa Maria Novella.
[108]
Florence contains numerous museums and art galleries where some of the world's most important works of art are held. The city is one of the best preserved Renaissance centres of art and architecture in the world and has a high concentration of art, architecture and culture.
[109]
In the ranking list of the 15 most visited Italian art museums, ⅔ are represented by Florentine museums.
[110]
The Uffizi is one of these, having a very large collection of international and Florentine art. The gallery is articulated in many halls, catalogued by schools and chronological order. Engendered by the Medici family's artistic collections through the centuries, it houses works of art by various painters and artists. The
Vasari Corridor
is another gallery, built connecting the
Palazzo Vecchio
with the Pitti Palace passing by the Uffizi and over the Ponte Vecchio. The Galleria dell'Accademia houses a Michelangelo collection, including the
David
. It has a collection of Russian icons and works by various artists and painters. Other museums and galleries include the
Bargello
, which concentrates on sculpture works by artists including Donatello,
Giambologna
and
Michelangelo
; the Palazzo Pitti, containing part of the Medici family's former private collection. In addition to the Medici collection, the palace's galleries contain many Renaissance works, including several by
Raphael
and
Titian
, large collections of costumes, ceremonial carriages, silver, porcelain and a
gallery of modern art
dating from the 18th century. Adjoining the palace are the
Boboli Gardens
, elaborately landscaped and with numerous sculptures.
There are several different churches and religious buildings in Florence. The cathedral is
Santa Maria del Fiore
. The
San Giovanni Baptistery
located in front of the cathedral, is decorated by numerous artists, notably by
Lorenzo Ghiberti
with the
Gates of Paradise
. Other churches in Florence include the
Basilica of Santa Maria Novella
, located in Santa Maria Novella square (near the
Firenze Santa Maria Novella railway station
) which contains works by
Masaccio
,
Paolo Uccello
,
Filippino Lippi
and
Domenico Ghirlandaio
; the
Basilica of Santa Croce
, the principal Franciscan church in the city, which is situated on the Piazza di Santa Croce, about 800 metres (2,600 feet) southeast of the Duomo, and is the burial place of some of the most illustrious Italians, such as Michelangelo, Galileo, Machiavelli, Foscolo, Rossini, thus it is known also as the Temple of the Italian Glories (Tempio dell'Itale Glorie); the
Basilica of San Lorenzo
, which is one of the largest churches in the city, situated at the centre of Florence's main market district, and the burial place of all the principal members of the Medici family from Cosimo il Vecchio to Cosimo III;
Santo Spirito
, in the Oltrarno quarter, facing the square with the same name;
Orsanmichele
, whose building was constructed on the site of the kitchen garden of the monastery of San Michele, now demolished;
Santissima Annunziata
, a Roman Catholic basilica and the mother church of the
Servite order
;
Ognissanti
, which was founded by the lay order of the Umiliati, and is among the first examples of
Baroque architecture
built in the city; the
Santa Maria del Carmine
, in the Oltrarno district of Florence, which is the location of the
Brancacci Chapel
, housing outstanding Renaissance frescoes by
Masaccio
and
Masolino da Panicale
, later finished by
Filippino Lippi
; the
Medici Chapel
with statues by Michelangelo, in the
San Lorenzo
; as well as several others, including
Santa Trinita
,
San Marco
,
Santa Felicita
,
Badia Fiorentina
,
San Gaetano
,
San Miniato al Monte
,
Florence Charterhouse
, and
Santa Maria del Carmine
. The city additionally contains the Orthodox Russian church of Nativity, and the
Great Synagogue of Florence
, built in the 19th century.
Florence contains various theatres and cinemas. The Odeon Cinema of the Palazzo dello Strozzino is one of the oldest cinemas in the city. Established from 1920 to 1922
[111]
in a wing of the Palazzo dello Strozzino, it used to be called the
Cinema Teatro Savoia
(Savoy Cinema-Theatre), yet was later called
Odeon
. The
Teatro della Pergola
, located in the centre of the city on the eponymous street, is an
opera house
built in the 17th century. Another theatre is the
Teatro Comunale
(or
Teatro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino
), originally built as the open-air amphitheatre, the
Politeama Fiorentino Vittorio Emanuele
, which was inaugurated on 17 May 1862 with a production of
Donizetti
's
Lucia di Lammermoor
and which seated 6,000 people. There are several other theatres, such as the Saloncino Castinelli, the Teatro Puccini, the Teatro Verdi, the Teatro Goldoni and the Teatro Niccolini.
Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore
[
edit
]
Florence Cathedral
, formally the Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore, is the cathedral of Florence, Italy. It was begun in 1296 in the Gothic style to a design of Arnolfo di Cambio and was structurally completed by 1436, with the dome designed by Filippo Brunelleschi.
Squares, streets and parks
[
edit
]
Aside from such monuments, Florence contains numerous major squares (
piazze
) and streets. The
Piazza della Repubblica
is a square in the city centre, location of the cultural cafes and bourgeois palaces. Among the square's cafes (like Caffe Gilli, Paszkowski or the Hard Rock Cafe), the
Giubbe Rosse
cafe has long been a meeting place for artists and writers, notably those of
Futurism
. The
Piazza Santa Croce
is another; dominated by the
Basilica of Santa Croce
, it is a rectangular square in the centre of the city where the
Calcio Fiorentino
is played every year. Furthermore, there is the
Piazza Santa Trinita
, a square near the Arno that mark the end of the
Via de' Tornabuoni
street.
Other squares include the Piazza San Marco, the Piazza Santa Maria Novella, the
Piazza Beccaria
and the
Piazza della Liberta
. The centre additionally contains several streets. Such include the
Via Camillo Cavour
, one of the main roads of the northern area of the historic centre; the Via Ghibellina, one of central Florence's longest streets; the Via dei Calzaiuoli, one of the most central streets of the historic centre which links
Piazza del Duomo
to
Piazza della Signoria
, winding parallel to via Roma and
Piazza della Repubblica
; the
Via de' Tornabuoni
, a luxurious street in the city centre that goes from Antinori square to
ponte Santa Trinita
, across
Piazza Santa Trinita
, characterised by the presence of fashion boutiques; the
Viali di Circonvallazione
, 6-lane
boulevards
surrounding the northern part of the historic centre; as well as others, such as Via Roma, Via degli Speziali, Via de' Cerretani, and the Viale dei Colli.
Florence also contains various parks and gardens. Such include the Boboli Gardens, the
Parco delle Cascine
, the
Giardino Bardini
and the
Giardino dei Semplici
, amongst others.
Sport
[
edit
]
In
association football
, Florence is represented by
ACF Fiorentina
, which plays in
Serie A
, the top league of
Italian league system
. ACF Fiorentina has won two Italian Championships, in 1956 and 1969, and 6 Italian cups,
[112]
since their formation in 1926. They play their games at the
Stadio Artemio Franchi
, which holds 47,282. The women's team, ACF Fiorentina Femminile, have won the women's association football Italian Championship of the 2016?17 season.
The city is home of the
Centro Tecnico Federale di Coverciano
, in
Coverciano, Florence
, the main training ground of the
Italian national team
, and the technical department of the
Italian Football Federation
.
Florence was one of the host cities for cycling's
2013 UCI Road World Championships
.
[113]
[114]
The city has also hosted stages of the
Giro d'Italia
, most recently in 2017.
Since 2017 Florence is also represented in Eccellenza, the top tier of
rugby union
league system in Italy, by I Medicei, which is a club established in 2015 by the merging of the senior squads of I Cavalieri (of
Prato
) and Firenze Rugby 1931. I Medicei won the Serie A Championship in 2016?17 and were promoted to Eccellenza for the 2017?18 season.
Rari Nantes Florentia
is a successful
water polo
club based in Florence; both its male and female squads have won several Italian championships and the female squad has also European titles in their palmares.
Transportation
[
edit
]
Cars
[
edit
]
The centre of Florence is closed to through-traffic, although buses, taxis and residents with appropriate permits are allowed in. This area is commonly referred to as the ZTL (
Zona Traffico Limitato
), which is divided into several subsections.
[115]
Residents of one section, therefore, will only be able to drive in their district and perhaps some surrounding ones. Cars without permits are allowed to enter after 7.30 pm, or before 7.30 am. The rules shift during the tourist-filled summers, putting more restrictions on where one can get in and out.
[116]
Buses
[
edit
]
ATAF&Li-nea
was the bus company who run the principal public transit network in the city; it was one the companies of the consortium
ONE Scarl
[117]
to accomplish the contract stipulated with the
Regione Toscana
for the public transport in the 2018?2019 period. Individual tickets, or a pass called
Carta Agile
with multiple rides, are purchased in advance and must be validated once on board. These tickets may be used on ATAF&Li-nea buses, Tramvia and second-class local trains only within city railway stations. The bus fleet consisted of 446 urban, 5 suburban, 20 intercity and 15 tourism buses.
Intercity bus transit is run by the
SITA
,
COPIT
, and
CAP Autolinee
companies. The transit companies also accommodate travellers from the
Amerigo Vespucci Airport
, which is 5 km (3 mi) west of the city centre, and which has scheduled services run by major European carriers.
Since 1 November 2021, the public local transport is operated by
Autolinee Toscane
.
[118]
Trams
[
edit
]
In an effort to reduce air pollution and car traffic in the city, a multi-line tram network called
Tramvia
is under construction. The first line began operation on 14 February 2010 and connects Florence's primary intercity railway station (
Santa Maria Novella
) with the southwestern suburb of
Scandicci
. This line is
7.4 km (
4
+
5
⁄
8
mi) long and has 14 stops. The construction of a second line began on 5 November 2011, construction was stopped due to contractors' difficulties and restarted in 2014 with the new line opening on 11 February 2019. This second line connects Florence's airport with the city centre. A third line (from
Santa Maria Novella
to the Careggi area, where the most important hospitals of Florence are located) is also under construction.
[119]
[120]
[121]
[
circular reference
]
Florence public transport statistics
[
edit
]
The average amount of time people spend commuting with public transit in Florence, for example to and from work, on a weekday is 59 min. 13% of public transit riders ride for more than 2 hours every day. The average amount of time people wait at a stop or station for public transit is 14 min, while 22% of riders wait for over 20 minutes on average every day. The average distance people usually ride in a single trip with public transit is 4.1 km (2.5 mi), while 3% travel for over 12 km (7.5 mi) in a single direction.
[122]
Airport
[
edit
]
The
Florence Airport
, Peretola, is one of two main international airports in the Tuscany region. The other international airport in the Tuscany region is the
Galileo Galilei International Airport
in Pisa.
Railway station
[
edit
]
| Parts of this article (those related to the status of high-speed rail to Florence) need to be
updated
.
Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.
(
November 2023
)
|
Firenze Santa Maria Novella railway station
is the main national and international railway station in Florence and is used by 59 million people every year.
[123]
The building, designed by Giovanni Michelucci, was built in the
Italian Rationalism
style and it is one of the major rationalist buildings in Italy. It is located in
Piazza della Stazione
, near the
Fortezza da Basso
, a masterpiece of the military Renaissance architecture, and the
Viali di Circonvallazione
, and in front of the
Basilica of Santa Maria Novella
's apse from which it takes its name. As well as numerous high speed trains to major Italian cities Florence is served by international overnight sleeper services to Munich and Vienna operated by Austrian railways OBB.
Train tickets must be validated before boarding. The main bus station is next to Santa Maria Novella
railway station
.
Trenitalia
runs trains between the railway stations within the city, and to other destinations around Italy and Europe. The central railway station,
Santa Maria Novella
, is about 500 m (1,600 ft) northwest of the Piazza del Duomo. There are two other important stations:
Campo di Marte
and
Rifredi
. Most bundled routes are Firenze?Pisa, Firenze?Viareggio and Firenze?Arezzo (along the main line to Rome). Other local railways connect Florence with
Borgo San Lorenzo
in the
Mugello
area (Faentina railway) and
Siena
.
A new
high-speed rail
station is under construction and is contracted to be operational by 2015.
[124]
It is planned to be connected to Vespucci airport, Santa Maria Novella railway station, and to the city centre by the second line of Tramvia.
[125]
The architectural firms
Foster + Partners
and Lancietti Passaleva Giordo and Associates designed this new rail station.
[126]
Education
[
edit
]
The
University of Florence
was first founded in 1321, and was recognized by
Pope Clement VI
in 1349. In 2019, over 50,000 students were enrolled at the university. The
European University Institute
has been based in the suburb of
Fiesole
since 1976. Several American universities host a campus in Florence. Including
New York University
,
Marist College
,
Pepperdine
,
Stanford
,
Florida State
,
Kent State
, and
James Madison
. The
Harvard University
Center for Italian Renaissance Studies is based in
Villa I Tatti
. The center for arts and humanities advanced research has been located on the border of Florence, Fiesole and Settignano since 1961. Over 8,000 American students are enrolled for study in Florence, although mostly while studying in US based degree programs.
[127]
The private school,
Centro Machiavelli
which teaches Italian language and culture to foreigners, is located in Piazza Santo Spirito in Florence.
Notable residents
[
edit
]
- Antonia of Florence
,
saint
- Agnes of Montepulciano
, saint
- Harold Acton
, author and aesthete
- John Argyropoulos
, scholar
- Leone Battista Alberti
, polymath
- Dante Alighieri
(1265-1321), poet
- Giovanni Boccaccio
, poet
- Cesare Bomboni
, architect
- Sandro Botticelli
(1445-1510), painter
- Ezio Auditore
(1459-1524), assassin
- Egisto Bracci
(1830?1909), architect
- Aureliano Brandolini
, agronomist and development cooperation scholar
- Robert Browning
and
Elizabeth Barrett Browning
, 19th-century English poets
- Filippo Brunelleschi
(1377?1446), architect
- Michelangelo
Buonarroti, sculptor, painter, author of the
ceiling of the Sistine Chapel
and
David
- Francesco Casagrande
, cyclist
- Roberto Cavalli
, fashion designer
- Carlo Collodi
, writer
- Enrico Coveri
, fashion designer
- Donatello
,
sculptor
- Oriana Fallaci
, journalist and author
- Salvatore Ferragamo
, fashion designer and shoemaker
- Mike Francis
(born Francesco Puccioni), singer and composer
- Silpa Bhirasri
(born Corrado Feroci), sculptor, credited as the principal figure of modern art in Thailand
[128]
- Frescobaldi family
, notable bankers and wine producers
- Galileo Galilei
, Italian physicist, astronomer, and philosopher
- Giotto
(1267?1337), early 14th-century painter, sculptor and architect
- Lorenzo Ghiberti
(1378?1455),
sculptor
- Guccio Gucci
(1881?1953), founder of the
Gucci
label
- Pauline von Hugel
(1858?1901), baroness, writer, philanthropist
- Bruno Innocenti
(1906?1986), sculptor
- Robert Lowell
, poet
- Niccolo Machiavelli
(1469-1527), poet, philosopher and political thinker, author of
The Prince
and
The Discourses
- Masaccio
, painter
- Rose McGowan
, Florence-born actress
- Medici
family
- Girolamo Mei
, historian and humanist
- Antonio Meucci
(1808-1889),
inventor of the telephone
- Pirrho Musefili
, Florentine
cryptographer
and
cryptanalyst
- Florence Nightingale
, pioneer of modern nursing, and statistician
- Virginia Oldoini
(1837?1899), Countess of Castiglione, early photographic artist, secret agent and courtesan
- Valerio Profondavalle
,
Flemish
painter
- Giulio Racah
(1909?1965), Italian-Israeli mathematician and physicist; Acting President of the
Hebrew University of Jerusalem
- Raphael
, painter
- Anna Sarfatti
(born 1950), children's author
- Girolamo Savonarola
, reformist
- Adriana Seroni
, politician
- Giovanni Spadolini
(1925?1994), politician
- Antonio Squarcialupi
(1416?1480), organist and composer
- Andrei Tarkovsky
, film director. Lived in the city during his exile
[129]
- Evangelista Torricelli
, Italian physicist
- Anna Tonelli
(
c.
1763
?1846), Florence born portrait painter in the late 17th century and early 18th century
[130]
- Maria Giustina Turcotti
(c. 1700 ? after 1763), opera singer
[131]
- Giorgio Vasari
, painter, architect, and historian
- Amerigo Vespucci
(1451-1512), explorer and cartographer, namesake of
the Americas
- Coriolano Vighi
, (1846-1905), landscape painter
- Leonardo da Vinci
,
polymath
- Lisa del Giocondo
, model of the
Mona Lisa
- Giorgio Antonucci
, physician, psychoanalyst and an international reference on the questioning of the basis of psychiatry
International relations
[
edit
]
Twin towns ? sister cities
[
edit
]
Florence is
twinned
with:
[132]
- Bethlehem
, Palestine
- Budapest
, Hungary
- Dresden
, Germany
- Edinburgh
,
Scotland
, United Kingdom
- Fez, Morocco
- Isfahan
, Iran
- Kassel
, Germany
- Kyiv
, Ukraine
- Kuwait City
, Kuwait
- Kyoto
, Japan
- Nanjing
, China
- Nazareth
, Israel
- Philadelphia
, United States
- Puebla
, Mexico
- Reims
, France
- Riga
, Latvia
- Salvador
, Brazil
- Sydney
, Australia
- Tirana
, Albania
- Turku
, Finland
- Valladolid
, Spain
Other partnerships
[
edit
]
Florence has friendly relations with:
[132]
- Arequipa
, Peru
- Cannes
, France
- Gifu
, Japan
- Jeonju
, South Korea
- Krakow
, Poland
- Malmo Municipality
, Sweden
- Ningbo
, China
- Porto-Vecchio
, France
- Providence, Rhode Island
, United States
- Tallinn
, Estonia
See also
[
edit
]
Notes
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
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16 March
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.
ISTAT
. Select: Italia Centrale/Toscana/Firenze/Firenze.
- ^
Paoletti, John T. and Radke, Gary M.,
Art in Renaissance Italy
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ISBN
1-85669-439-9
- ^
"Bilancio demografico mensile"
.
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25 April
2023
.
- ^
"Economy of Renaissance Florence, Richard A. Goldthwaite, Book ? Barnes & Noble"
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on 4 April 2010
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22 January
2010
.
- ^
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.
- ^
Spencer Baynes, L.L.D., and
W. Robertson Smith
, L.L.D.,
Encyclopædia Britannica
. Akron, Ohio: The Werner Company, 1907: p. 675
- ^
"Florence | History, Geography, & Culture"
.
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3 November
2021
.
- ^
Brucker, Gene A. (1969).
Renaissance Florence
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23
.
ISBN
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.
- ^
"storia della lingua in 'Enciclopedia dell'Italiano'
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28 October
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.
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b
c
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e
f
g
h
i
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"Florence (Italy)"
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.
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c
"Fashion: Italy's Renaissance"
.
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.
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Kiladze, Tim (22 January 2010).
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12 April
2011
.
- ^
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Dizionario di toponomastica: storia e significato dei nomi geografici italiani
(in Italian). Turin: UTET. pp. 322?323.
ISBN
88-02-07228-0
.
- ^
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.
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19 June
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