Florence (Firenze in Italian) is the capital
of the region of Tuscany, on Italy's northwest coast. Florence is a
small city, located in the Arno River valley, and surrounded by
olive-planted hills on the north and south. It extends west and
slightly east along the Arno valley with suburbs and light industry.
The centro storico (historic center), where visitors spend most of
their time, is a tight tangle of medieval streets and piazze
(squares). Most of Florence, and the majority of the tourist sites,
lie north of the river, within a vintage artisan's working-class
neighborhood wedged between the Arno and the hills on the south
side.
The center is encircled by a traffic ring of wide boulevards,
known as the Viali, that were created in the late 1800s by tearing
down the city's medieval walls. Since the 14th century the cultural
heart of the city has been the Piazza della Signoria with the
Palazzo Vecchio (Town Hall), the Uffizi Gallery and a large number
of publicly displayed world famous sculptures.
In the Renaissance
period, Florence was one of the most powerful and influential of the
city states. The wealthy and powerful de' Medici family ruled the
city almost continuously from 1434 to 1743 and had a great influence
on the architecture and arts. They built many palaces and
commissioned such artists as Michelangelo to design and decorate
them.
