Florence is the capital of Firenze province and Tuscany region in central Italy. It is about 145 miles northwest of Rome. It’s a city beautiful with art, architecture, and statues everywhere. The colorful rolling landscape has vineyards, orchards, farms, and villas.

History early period

According to Britannica, Florence was discovered as a Roman Military colony in the 1st 59 BCE for soldiers. By the 3rd century CE, Florence became a province of the Roman empire and developed into a prosperous civilization of the arts, commerce, finance, and education.

In medieval times, Florence was occupied first by Ostrogoths in the 5th century, then by Byzantines in the 6th century, and by Langobards, or Lombards. In the 10th century, Florence prospered under the rule of Countess Matilda of Tuscany between 1069–1115, becoming a major city in Tuscany.

Florence’s constitution was written and called Ordinary Justice in 1293, and by the 12th and 13th centuries, Florence expanded economically and politically. Its industry of woolen cloth grew, and banking provided capital.

From 1285 to 1349, Florence was vulnerable to attacks between Bologna and Rome. Its rolling hill protected them from invasion, so citizens built walls and were torn down when its city grew in 1860. The city preserved some of the walls.

By the middle of the 14th century, Florence developed into a metropolis with a population of 90,000, becoming a famous city like Paris, Venice, Milan, and Naples.

It was a republic of Tuscany and the capital of Italy between 1865 and 1870.

Today scholars wonder how this small city in Europe with significant influence gain power without any political or military power for centuries with invasions. Florence’s Italian language is a native dialect of its region.

Architecture and art

When visiting Florence, architecture is a work of art with reliefs of sculptures on buildings and sculptures by famous artists such as Dante, Machiavelli, Galileo, Leonardo da Vinci, and Michelangelo, with well-known rulers and generations of the Medici family. It’s a city of wealth, power, and religion.

The Florentine artist was influential with the law of perspective. The Florentine artists, painters, writers, architects, and craftspeople developed the Renaissance period. Amerigo Vespucci is a famous navigator with name recognition on several continents.

Florence had developed as a significant cultural, economic, political, and artistic power in the modern world. During the 1950s and 60s, Mayor Giorgio La Pira was influential with the innovation of the modernist train station designed by Giovanni Michelucci and its football stadium designed by Pier Luigi. In the 1960s and 70s, the movement Archizoom radical designed around the region’s landscape.

With waves of migrations in the 20th century, its city expanded. Housing project development was constructed in 1954 and 1955 and grew the city into a sprawling urban system along with other towns northwest to Prato and Southwest to Arezzo.

The Renaissance era was the development of unique architecture with remains of a Roman garrison town. Its landscape is built on a rectilinear grid pivoting with Via Calimala and its center is Piazza Della Repubblica, a market.

Like any city, Florence’s dominant structure identifies the city skyline. One structure of Florence is the Austere of the Palazzo Vecchio, built in 1299 in the Piazza della Signoria.

It houses the local civic government, legislative and executive branches, and Florence’s town hall. The second building is the skyline dome of the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, located north of Piazza della Signoria built in 1296.

With its small industrial production, the region’s tourism and technology are economically strong. In addition, Florence influenced the developing transport lines connecting northern and southern Italy.

Many Florentines work in industrial suburbs, developing the production of furniture, rubber goods, chemicals, and food. Tourism primarily supports the city with money from foreigners.
Florence’s traditional craftsmanships are glassware and ceramics, wrought iron, leatherwork, wares of precious metals, and art reproductions. The leather is so soft- it feels like butter.

Also, Florence has a reputation for high-fashion clothing and shoe production. Major fashion companies operating in Florence include Gucci and Ferragamo. Throughout the years, Florence has entertained numerous events with international antique fairs, international fashion shows, and many crafts and art exhibits.

Getting around Florence

Touring the central area of Florence is close to vehicles, so walking is the best way to see everything from markets, stores, and great restaurants. Buses and taxis are available, as well as bicycle rentals. Florence has an efficient rail system to see the country’s landscape. The Eurostar travels from Florence to Milan in less than three hours and Rome in less than two.

Florence’s summer climate is hot and humid, and winter is wet and cold. The average monthly temperature for July and August is about 73 to 75 degrees, with an average daytime high of about 95 degrees, and the average monthly temperature for January is 41 degrees.

Must-sees

1. If you are into wine, take a wine-tasting day tour to Tuscany from Florence to Siena, San Gimignano, and Pisa.
2. Take a Cinque Terre Day trip from Florence for adventurous hiking along cliffs. Walk along scenic paths of national parks and tour five fishing villages.
3. Take a Florence Vespa tour through the Tuscan hills stopping at a restaurant to try eating Italian cuisine and drinking great wine.
4. See the Uffizi Gallery in Florence with works by Michelangelo, Da Vinci, Giotto, and Botticelli.
5. Brunelleschi dome and Cathedral of Santa Maria have stunning works of art and a panoramic view from the top.
6. Visit Florence’s top attraction, the famous David by Michelangelo, at the Academia Gallery.
7. Take a tour of Florence’s historical and religious landmark, the Cathedral Duomo museum and baptistery, and climb Giotto’s Bell tower.