Friday, January 15, 2010

Florence


Florence (ItalianFirenze About this sound listen pronounced [fiˈrɛntse]Old ItalianFiorenzaLatinFlorentia) is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with 367,569 inhabitants (1,500,000 in the metropolitan area).[2]
The city lies on the River Arno and is known for its history and its importance in the Middle Ages and in the Renaissance, especially for its art and architecture. A centre of medieval European trade and finance and one of the richest and wealthiest cities of the time,[3] Florence is often considered the birthplace of the Italian Renaissance; in fact, it has been called the Athens of the Middle Ages.[4] It was long under the de facto rule of the Medici family. From 1865 to 1870 the city was also the capital of the Kingdom of Italy.
The historic centre of Florence attracts millions of tourists each year and was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1982. Florence is widely regarded as one of the most beautiful cities in the world,[5][6] and its artistic,[7] historic and culturalheritage and impact in the world remains vast up to this day. The city has also a major European impact in musicarchitectureeducationcuisinefashionphilosophyscience and religion. The historic centre of Florence contains numerous elegantpiazzas, Renaissance palazziacademiesparksgardenschurchesmonasteriesmuseumsart galleries and ateliers.
The city boasts a wide range of collections of art, especially those held in the Pitti Palace and the Uffizi, (which receives about 1.6 million tourists a year).[8] Florence is arguably the last preserved Renaissance city in the world[9] and is regarded by many as the art capital of Italy. It has been the birthplace or chosen home of many notable historical figures, such as DanteBoccaccioBotticelliNiccolò MachiavelliBrunelleschiMichelangeloDonatelloGalileo GalileiCatherine de' Medici,Antonio MeucciGuccio GucciSalvatore FerragamoRoberto Cavalli ,Florence Nightingale, andEmilio Pucci.

Comune di Firenze
Panorama of Florence

Coat of arms
Florence is located in Italy
Florence
Location of Florence in Italy

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