About Florence

Florence is one of the largest cities in Italy. Situated at the heart of an urban area boasting approximately 1.5 million inhabitants, the municipality of Florence currently counts around 380,000 residents and serves as the capital of the Tuscany Region.

The Roman city of Florentia was established during the Republican era, near the Etruscan city of Fiesole, and gained significant demographic importance during the Empire. Following the early Middle Ages, “Fiorenza” underwent substantial economic and demographic expansion, propelling it to become one of Europe’s major cities and a global financial powerhouse of its time. It was during this period that the Florentine Dante Alighieri laid the groundwork for the prestige of the city’s dialect, which would later evolve into a literary language across various Italian states and serve as the foundation for the modern Italian language.

During the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, Florence ascended to prominence as the capital of a regional state, transitioning from a Republic to a Duchy and eventually a Grand Duchy, with the rise of the Medici banking dynasty. This period marked Florence as a hub of both architectural and financial innovations. Most notably, it emerged as a focal point of a vast artistic network, serving as the epicenter of the Renaissance.

Florence’s legacy intertwines with renowned artists such as Giotto, Cimabue, Leonardo da Vinci, and Michelangelo, alongside figures of science like Galileo, poets including Dante and Boccaccio, and explorers such as Amerigo Vespucci.

The museums of Florence, primarily the Uffizi and the Accademia, house artworks of international renown, including masterpieces such as Michelangelo’s David and Botticelli’s Venus.

Florence stands as an open-air museum, brimming with wonders at every turn.