Florence

City in Tuscany, Italy

"Firenze" redirects here. For other uses, see Florence (disambiguation), Florentin (disambiguation), Florentine (disambiguation), and Firenze (disambiguation).

Comune in Tuscany, Italy

Florence Firenze
A collage of Florence showing the Galleria degli Uffizi (top left), followed by the Palazzo Pitti, a sunset view of the city and the Fountain of Neptune in the Piazza della Signoria
Coat of arms
Location of Florence
Florence 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	ISTAT code	048017
Patron saint	John the Baptist[3]
Saint day	24 June
Website	Official website

Florence (/ˈflɒrəns/ FLORR-ənss; Italian: Firenze [fiˈrɛntse] (listen))^[a] is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is 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, Niccolò Machiavelli and Francesco Guicciardini.

The city attracts millions of tourists each year, and UNESCO declared 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 the most beautiful city 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

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There are a number of theories as to the origin of the Latin name Florentia from which the name of Florence and Firenze derived:

• Legend attributes the origin of the name Florentia to Florio (a soldier killed on the spot)
• It may be related to the Latin word for flowers found in the area
• It may be related to Flora, since it was founded during the Floralia festival
• There is a theory that Florentia is a name to convey good luck, "may you be florid"^[15]

History

Main article: History of Florence

For a chronological guide, see Timeline of Florence.

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

View of Florence by Hartmann Schedel, published in 1493

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, the Florentine dialect, above all the local dialects, was adopted as the basis for a national literary language.^{[citation needed]}

Starting from the late

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.

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

Main article: Florentia (Roman city)

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.^[16] 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

The Goth King Totila razes the walls of Florence during the Gothic War: illumination from the Chigi manuscript of Villani's Cronica

.

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.^[17] 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

The Basilica di San Miniato al Monte

double-entry bookkeeping system) to medieval fairs. This period also saw the eclipse of Florence's formerly powerful rival Pisa.^[19] The growing power of the merchant elite culminated in an anti-aristocratic uprising, led by Giano della Bella, resulting in the Ordinances of Justice^[20]

which entrenched the power of the elite guilds until the end of the Republic.

Middle Ages and Renaissance

Main articles: Republic of Florence and Italian Renaissance

Rise of the Medici

Uffizi Gallery

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.

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.^[24] 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

Girolamo Savonarola being hanged and burned in 1498. The brooding Palazzo Vecchio

is at centre right.

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 at the stake on the Piazza della Signoria on 23 May 1498. His ashes were dispersed in the Arno river.^[25]

Another Florentine of this period was Niccolò 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.

Leopold II, Holy Roman Emperor and his family. Leopold was, from 1765 to 1790, the Grand Duke

of Tuscany.

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

Porte Sante cemetery, burial place of notable figures of Florentine history

1/5 Mahratta Light Infantry, Florence, 28 August 1944

Florence with snow cover in December 2009

As of 31 October 2010[update], the population of the city proper is 370,702, while

As of 2009[update], 87.46% of the population was Italian. An estimated 6,000

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.^[51]

In 2013, Florence was listed as the second best world city by Condé Nast Traveler.^[52]

Manufacturing and commerce, however, still remain highly important. Florence is also 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.^[53]

Industry, commerce and services

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.

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.[51]

Tourism

Tourists flock to the Fontana del Porcellino

.

Studies by Euromonitor International have concluded that cultural and history-oriented tourism is generating significantly increased spending throughout Europe.[57]

Florence is believed to have the greatest concentration of art (in proportion to its size) in the world.^[58] Thus, cultural tourism is particularly strong, with world-renowned museums such as the Uffizi selling over 1.93 million tickets in 2014.^[59] The city's convention centre facilities were restructured during the 1990s and host exhibitions, conferences, meetings, social forums, concerts and other events all year.

Tourists and restaurant in the Piazza del Duomo

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.[60] In 2014, the city had 8.5 million overnight stays.^[61] 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.^[62]

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.^[63] The province of Florence receives roughly 13 million visitors per year^[64] and in peak seasons, popular locations may become overcrowded as a result.^[65] 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.^[66]

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.^[67] 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.^[68]

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.^[69]

Food and wine production

Fiaschi

of basic Chianti

• 

  The traditional boroughs of the whole comune of Florence

• 

  The 5 administrative boroughs of the whole comune of Florence

Seats in the Florence City Council
(2019–2024)

• 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

Art