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WIKIMAG n. 8 - Luglio 2013
Florence
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Florence (Italian:
Firenze
[fiˈrɛntse] (
listen), alternative obsolete form: Fiorenza;
Latin:
Florentia) 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
approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the
metropolitan area.[2]
Florence is famous for its history. A centre of
medieval
European
trade and finance and one of the wealthiest cities of the time,[3]
Florence is considered the birthplace of the
Renaissance, and has been called the
Athens
of the
Middle Ages.[4]
A turbulent political history includes periods of rule by the powerful
Medici family, and numerous religious and republican revolutions.[5]
From 1865 to 1871 the city was also the capital of the recently
established
Kingdom of Italy.
The
historic centre of Florence attracts millions of tourists each year,
and
Euromonitor International ranked the city as the world's 72nd most
visited in 2009, with 1,685,000 visitors.[6]
It was declared a
World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1982. Due to Florence's artistic
and architectural heritage, it has been ranked by
Forbes
as one of the most beautiful cities in the world,[7]
and the city is noted for its history, culture,
Renaissance art and architecture and monuments.[8]
The city also contains numerous museums and art galleries, such as the
Uffizi Gallery and the
Pitti Palace, amongst others, and still exerts an influence in the
fields of art, culture and politics.[9]
Florence is also an important city in
Italian fashion,[9]
being ranked within the top fifty
fashion capitals of the world;[10]
furthermore, it is also a major national economic centre,[9]
being a tourist and industrial hub. In 2008, the city had the 17th
highest average income in Italy.[11]
History
The façade of the Cathedral
Florence originated as a Roman city, and later, after a period as a
flourishing trading and banking
medieval commune, it was the birthplace of the Italian Renaissance
(or the "Florentine Renaissance"). According to the
Encyclopædia Britannica, it was politically, economically, and
culturally one of the most important cities in Europe and the world from
the 14th century to the 16th century.[12]
The language spoken in the city there during the 14th century was,
and still is, accepted as the
Italian language. Almost all the writers and poets in Italian
literature of the golden age are in some way connected with
Florence, leading ultimately to the adoption of the Florentine dialect,
above all the local dialects, as a literary language of choice.[13]
Starting from the late Middle Ages, Florentine money—in the form of
the gold
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, as well as the papacy, including the construction
of their provisional capital of
Avignon
and, after their return to Rome, the reconstruction and Renaissance
embellishment of the latter.
Florence was home to the Medici, one of history's most important
noble families.
Lorenzo de' Medici was considered a political and cultural
mastermind of Italy in the late 15th century. Two members of the family,
were popes as
Leo X and
Clement VII in the early 16th century.
Catherine de Medici, married king Henry II of France and, after his
death in 1559, reigned as regent in France. The Medici reigned
Grand Dukes of Tuscany starting with
Cosimo I de' Medici in 1569, until the death of
Gian Gastone de' Medici in 1737.
Roman origins
A wooden model of Florence as it would have probably looked
during Roman times, showing the ancient amphitheatre
Florence was established by
Lucius Cornelius Sulla in 80 BC as a settlement for his veteran
soldiers and was named originally Fluentia, owing to the fact
that it was built between two rivers, which was later corrupted to
Florentia.[14]
It was built in the style of an
army camp with the main streets, the
cardo
and the
decumanus, intersecting at the present
Piazza della Repubblica. Situated at 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.
In centuries to come, the city experienced turbulent periods of
Ostrogothic rule, during which the city was often troubled by
warfare between the
Ostrogoths and the
Byzantines, which may have caused the population to fall to as few
as 1,000 people. Peace returned under
Lombard
rule in the 6th century. Florence was conquered by
Charlemagne in 774 and became part of the Duchy of Tuscany, with
Lucca as
capital. The population began to grow again and commerce prospered. In
854, Florence and
Fiesole
were united in one county.[citation
needed]
Second millennium
Margrave Hugo chose Florence as his residency instead of
Lucca at
about 1000 AD. The
Golden Age of Florentine art began around this time. In 1013,
construction began on the Basilica di San Miniato al Monte. The exterior
of the
baptistery was reworked in
Romanesque style between 1059, and 1128. This period also saw the
eclipse of Florence's formerly powerful rival
Pisa
(defeated by
Genoa in 1284 and subjugated by Florence in 1406), and the exercise
of power by the
mercantile elite following an anti-aristocratic movement, led by
Giano della Bella, that resulted in a set of laws called the
Ordinances of Justice (1293).[citation
needed]
Middle
Ages and Renaissance
Rise of the Medici
Of a population estimated at 94,000 before the
Black Death of 1348,[15]
about 25,000 are said to have been supported by the city's wool
industry: in 1345 Florence was the scene of an attempted strike by wool
combers (ciompi), who in 1378 rose up in a brief revolt against
oligarchic rule in the
Revolt of
the Ciompi. After their suppression, Florence came under the sway
(1382–1434) of the
Albizzi family, bitter rivals of the Medici.
In the 15th century, Florence was among the largest cities in Europe,
considered rich and economically successful. Life was not idyllic for
all residents though, among whom there were great disparities in wealth.[16]
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 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 the death of Lorenzo de' Medici in 1492, he was succeeded
by his son Piero II. When the French king
Charles VIII invaded
northern Italy, Piero II chose to resist his army. But when he
realized the size of the
French army at the gates of Pisa, he had to accept the humiliating
conditions of the French king. These made the Florentines rebel and they
expelled Piero II. With his exile in 1494, the first period of Medici
rule ended with the restoration of a republican government.
Savonarola
and Machiavelli
Girolamo Savonarola being burnt at the stake in 1498
During this period, the
Dominican monk
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 blamed the exile of the Medicis 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 extreme teachings, turned against him and
arrested him. He was convicted as a heretic and
burned at the stake on the
Piazza della Signoria on 23 May 1498.
A second individual of unusually acute insight 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. In other words, Machiavelli
was a sort of political thinker, perhaps most renowned for his political
handbook, titled
The
Prince, which is about ruling and the exercise of power.
Commissioned by the Medici, Machiavelli also wrote the
Florentine Histories, the history of the city. Florentines drove out
the Medici for a second time and re-established a republic on 16 May
1527. Restored twice with the support of both Emperor and Pope, the
Medici in 1537 became hereditary dukes of Florence, and in 1569
Grand Dukes of Tuscany, ruling for two centuries. In all Tuscany,
only the
Republic of Lucca (later a
Duchy) and the Principality of
Piombino were independent from Florence.
18th and 19th
centuries
The extinction of the Medici dynasty and the accession in 1737 of
Francis Stephen,
duke of Lorraine and husband of
Maria Theresa of Austria, led to Tuscany's temporary inclusion in
the territories of the Austrian crown. It became a
secundogeniture of the
Habsburg-Lorraine dynasty, who were deposed for the
Bourbon-Parma in 1801, themselves deposed in December 1807 when
Tuscany was annexed by France. Florence was the
prefecture of the French département of
Arno from 1808 to the fall of
Napoleon in 1814. The Habsburg-Lorraine dynasty was restored on the
throne of Tuscany at the
Congress of Vienna but finally deposed in 1859. Tuscany became a
province of the United Kingdom of Italy in 1861.
Florence replaced
Turin as
Italy's capital in 1865 and, in an effort to modernise the city, the old
market in the Piazza del Mercato Vecchio and many medieval houses were
pulled down and replaced by a more formal street plan with newer houses.
The Piazza (first renamed Piazza
Vittorio Emmanuele II, then
Piazza della Repubblica, the present name) was significantly widened
and a large triumphal arch was constructed at the west end. This
development was unpopular and was prevented from continuing by the
efforts of several British and American people living in the city.[citation
needed] A museum recording the destruction stands
nearby today.
The country's second capital city was superseded by Rome six years
later, after the withdrawal of the French troops made its addition to
the kingdom possible.
20th century
Porte Sante cemetery, burial place of notable figures
of Florentine history.
After doubling during the 19th century, Florence's population was to
triple in the 20th, resulting from growth in tourism, trade,
financial services and industry.
During World War II the city experienced a year-long German
occupation (1943–1944) and was declared an
open
city. The
Allied soldiers who died driving the Germans from Tuscany are buried
in cemeteries outside the city (Americans about nine kilometres south of
the city, British and Commonwealth soldiers a few kilometres east of the
centre on the right bank of the Arno). In 1944, the retreating Germans
blew up the bridges along the
Arno
linking the district of Oltrarno to the rest of the city, making it
difficult for the
British troops to cross. However, at the last moment Charle
Steinhauslin, at the time consulate of 26 countries in Florence,
convinced the German general in Italy that the
Ponte Vecchio was not to be blown up due to its historical value.[citation
needed]
Instead, an equally historic area of streets directly to the south of
the bridge, including part of the
Corridoio Vasariano, was destroyed using mines. Since then the
bridges have been restored to their original forms using as many of the
remaining materials as possible, but the buildings surrounding the Ponte
Vecchio have been rebuilt in a style combining the old with modern
design. Shortly before leaving Florence, as they knew that they would
soon have to retreat, the Germans murdered many
freedom fighters and political opponents publicly, in streets and
squares including the Piazza Santo Spirito.[citation
needed]
At the end of World War II in Europe, in May 1945, the U.S. Army's
Information and Educational Branch was ordered to establish an overseas
university campus for demobilized American service men and women in
Florence, Italy. The first American University for service personnel was
established in June 1945 at the School of Aeronautics in Florence,
Italy. Some 7,500 soldier-students were to pass through the University
during its four one-month sessions (see
G. I. American Universities).[17]
In November 1966, the
Arno flooded parts of the centre, damaging many art treasures.
Around the city there are tiny placards on the walls noting where the
flood waters reached at their highest point.
Geography
City geography visible on aerial view
Florence lies in a basin among the Senese Clavey Hills, particularly
the hills of
Careggi,
Fiesole,
Settignano,
Arcetri,
Poggio Imperiale and Bellosguardo (Florence). The
Arno river
and three other minor rivers flow through it.
Climate
Florence has a borderline
humid subtropical (Cfa) and
Mediterranean climate (Csa).[18]
It has hot, humid summers with moderate rainfall and cool, damp winters.
Surrounded by hills in a river valley, Florence can be hot and humid
from June to August. As Florence lacks a prevailing wind, summer
temperatures are higher than along the coast. Rainfall in summer is
convectional, while relief rainfall dominates in the winter, with
some snow. The highest officially recorded temperature was
42.6 °C
(108.7 °F) on 26 July 1983 and
the lowest was −23.2 °C
(−9.8 °F) on 12 January 1985.[19]
[hide]Climate
data for Florence |
Month |
Jan |
Feb |
Mar |
Apr |
May |
Jun |
Jul |
Aug |
Sep |
Oct |
Nov |
Dec |
Year |
Record high °C (°F) |
21.6
(70.9) |
23.4
(74.1) |
28.5
(83.3) |
28.7
(83.7) |
33.8
(92.8) |
40.0
(104) |
42.6
(108.7) |
39.5
(103.1) |
36.4
(97.5) |
30.8
(87.4) |
25.2
(77.4) |
20.4
(68.7) |
42.6
(108.7) |
Average high °C (°F) |
10.9
(51.6) |
12.5
(54.5) |
15.7
(60.3) |
18.5
(65.3) |
23.7
(74.7) |
27.7
(81.9) |
31.4
(88.5) |
31.5
(88.7) |
26.7
(80.1) |
20.9
(69.6) |
14.7
(58.5) |
11.1
(52) |
20.44
(68.81) |
Daily mean °C (°F) |
6.5
(43.7) |
7.5
(45.5) |
10.3
(50.5) |
13.0
(55.4) |
17.7
(63.9) |
21.4
(70.5) |
24.6
(76.3) |
24.6
(76.3) |
20.5
(68.9) |
15.5
(59.9) |
9.9
(49.8) |
6.8
(44.2) |
14.86
(58.74) |
Average low °C (°F) |
2.0
(35.6) |
2.5
(36.5) |
4.9
(40.8) |
7.5
(45.5) |
11.6
(52.9) |
15.0
(59) |
17.7
(63.9) |
17.7
(63.9) |
14.4
(57.9) |
10.1
(50.2) |
5.1
(41.2) |
2.6
(36.7) |
9.26
(48.67) |
Record low °C (°F) |
−23.0
(−9.4) |
−9.9
(14.2) |
−8.0
(17.6) |
−2.2
(28) |
3.6
(38.5) |
5.6
(42.1) |
10.2
(50.4) |
9.6
(49.3) |
3.6
(38.5) |
−1.4
(29.5) |
−6.0
(21.2) |
−8.6
(16.5) |
−23
(−9.4) |
Precipitation mm (inches) |
60.5
(2.382) |
63.7
(2.508) |
63.5
(2.5) |
86.4
(3.402) |
70.0
(2.756) |
57.1
(2.248) |
36.7
(1.445) |
56.0
(2.205) |
79.6
(3.134) |
104.2
(4.102) |
113.6
(4.472) |
81.3
(3.201) |
872.6
(34.355) |
Avg. precipitation
days (≥ 1.0 mm) |
8.3 |
7.1 |
7.5 |
9.7 |
8.4 |
6.3 |
3.5 |
5.4 |
6.2 |
8.5 |
9.0 |
8.3 |
88.2 |
Source #1: Servizio Meteorologico
[20] |
Source #2:
World Meteorological Organisation (United
Nations)
[21] |
Subdivisions
The traditional subdivision of Florence into four quarters dates from
the 14th century (that today compose the old town):
- Santa Maria Novella
- San Giovanni
- Santa Croce
- Santo Spirito
Subdivision of Florence: The traditional quarters and wards
(Quartiere)
The modern administrative subdivision into five wards follows the
boundaries of the traditional quarters in the outer areas.
The five
administrative divisions with their neighbourhoods are:
Quartiere 1
Historic Centre |
11.396 |
67,170 |
5,894 |
San Jacopino ·
Il Prato ·
La Fortezza ·
Viali ·
Duomo–Oltrarno ·
Collina sud ·
San Gaggio |
Quartiere 2
Campo di Marte |
23.406 |
88,588 |
3,784 |
Campo di Marte–Le
Cure ·
Viali ·
La Rondinella ·
Settignano ·
Collina nord ·
Bellariva–Gavinana |
Quartiere 3
Gavinana/Galluzzo |
22.312 |
40,907 |
1,833 |
Collina sud ·
Galluzzo ·
San Gaggio ·
Bellariva–Gavinana ·
Sorgane ·
Ponte a Ema |
Quartiere 4
Isolotto/Legnaia |
16.991 |
66,636 |
3,921 |
Argingrosso ·
Cintoia ·
I Bassi ·
Il Casone ·
Isolotto ·
La Casella ·
Legnaia ·
Le Torri ·
Mantignano ·
Monticelli ·
Pignone ·
San Lorenzo a Greve ·
Soffiano ·
San Quirico ·
Torcicoda ·
Ugnano |
Quartiere 5
Rifredi |
28.171 |
103,761 |
3,683 |
Castello–Le
Panche ·
Piana di Castello ·
Pistoiese ·
Brozzi ·
Peretola ·
Il Lippi–Barsanti
(Florence) ·
Firenze Nova ·
Novoli ·
Parco delle Cascine–Argingrosso ·
San Jacopino ·
La Fortezza ·
Careggi ·
Leopoldo–Rifredi ·
Collina nord ·
Viali |
Florence |
102.276 |
367,062 |
3,589 |
|
Main sights
Florence is known as the "cradle of the
Renaissance" (la culla del Rinascimento) for its monuments,
churches and buildings. The best-known site of Florence is the domed
cathedral of the city,
Santa Maria del Fiore, known as The
Duomo, whose dome was built by
Filippo Brunelleschi. The nearby
Campanile (partly designed by
Giotto) and the
Baptistery buildings are also highlights. The dome, 600 years after
its completion, is still the largest dome built in brick and mortar in
the world.[22]
In 1982, the historic centre of Florence (Italian: centro storico di
Firenze) was declared a
World Heritage Site by the
UNESCO.
The centre of the city is contained in medieval walls that were built in
the 14th century to defend the city. At the heart of the city, in
Piazza della Signoria, is
Bartolomeo Ammanati's
Fountain of Neptune (1563–1565), which is a masterpiece of
marble sculpture at the terminus of a still-functioning Roman
aqueduct.
The layout and structure of Florence in many ways harkens back to the
Roman era, where it was designed as a
garrison settlement.[23]
Nevertheless, the majority of the city was built during the
Renaissance.[23]
Despite the strong presence of Renaissance architecture within the city,
traces of
medieval,
Baroque,
Neoclassical and
modern architecture can be found. The
Palazzo Vecchio as well as the Duomo, or the city's Cathedral, are
the two buildings which dominate Florence's skyline.[23]
The River
Arno, which cuts through the old part of the city, is as much a
character in Florentine history as many of the people who lived there.
Historically, the locals have had a love-hate relationship with the Arno
– which alternated between nourishing the city with commerce, and
destroying it by flood.
One of the bridges in particular stands out – the
Ponte Vecchio (Old Bridge), whose most striking feature is
the multitude of shops built upon its edges, held up by stilts. The
bridge also carries
Vasari's elevated corridor linking the Uffizi to the Medici
residence (Palazzo
Pitti). Although the original bridge was constructed by the
Etruscans, the current bridge was rebuilt in the 14th century. It is
the only bridge in the city to have survived World War II intact. It is
the first example in the western world of a bridge built using segmental
arches,
that is, arches less than a semicircle, to reduce both span-to-rise
ratio and the numbers of pillars to allow lesser encumbrance in the
riverbed (being in this much more successful than the Roman
Alconétar Bridge).
The church of
San Lorenzo contains the
Medici Chapel, the
mausoleum of the
Medici family—the most powerful family in Florence from the 15th to
the 18th century. Nearby is the
Uffizi
Gallery, one of the finest art museums in the world – founded on a large
bequest from the last member of the Medici family.
The Uffizi is located at the corner of
Piazza della Signoria, a site important for being the centre of
Florence's civil life and government for centuries. The
Palazzo della Signoria facing it is still home of the municipal
government. The
Loggia dei Lanzi provided the setting for all the public ceremonies
of the republican government. Many significant episodes in the
history of art and political changes were staged here, such as:
- In 1301, Dante was sent into exile from here (commemorated by a
plaque on one of the walls of the Uffizi).
- On 26 April 1478, Jacopo de' Pazzi and his retainers tried to
raise the city against the Medici after the plot known as The
congiura dei Pazzi (The Pazzi conspiracy), murdering
Giuliano di Piero de' Medici and wounding his brother
Lorenzo. All the members of the plot who could be apprehended
were seized by the Florentines and hanged from the windows of the
palace.
- In 1497, it was the location of the
Bonfire of the Vanities instigated by the Dominican friar and
preacher
Girolamo Savonarola
- On 23 May 1498, the same Savonarola and two followers were
hanged and burnt at the stake. (A round plate in the ground marks
the spot where he was hanged)
- In 1504,
Michelangelo's David (now replaced by a replica, since the
original was moved in 1873 to the
Galleria dell'Accademia) was installed in front of the
Palazzo della Signoria (also known as Palazzo Vecchio).
The Piazza della Signoria is the location of a number of statues by
other sculptors such as
Donatello,
Giambologna, Ammannati and
Cellini, although some have been replaced with copies to preserve
the originals.
Monuments, museums and religious buildings
Florence contains several palaces and buildings from various eras.
The
Palazzo Vecchio is the
town hall of Florence and also an art museum. This large
Romanesque
crenellated fortress-palace overlooks the
Piazza della Signoria with its copy of Michelangelo's David statue
as well the gallery of statues in the adjacent
Loggia dei Lanzi. Originally called the Palazzo della Signoria,
after the
Signoria of Florence, the ruling body of the
Republic of Florence, it was also given several other names:
Palazzo del Popolo, Palazzo dei Priori, and Palazzo Ducale,
in accordance with the varying use of the palace during its long
history. The building acquired its current name when the Medici duke's
residence was moved across the Arno to the
Palazzo Pitti. It is linked to the Uffizi and the Palazzo Pitti
through the
Corridoio Vasariano.
Palazzo Medici Riccardi, designed by
Michelozzo di Bartolomeo for
Cosimo il Vecchio, of the Medici family, is another major edifice,
and was built between 1445 and 1460. It was well known for its stone
masonry that includes rustication and ashlar. Today it is the head
office of the Florence province and hosts museums and the
Riccardiana Library. The
Palazzo Strozzi, an example of civil architecture with its
rusticated stone, inspired by the
Palazzo Medici, but with more harmonious proportions. Today the
palace is used for international expositions like the annual antique
show (founded as the Biennale del'Antiquariato in 1959), fashion shows
and other cultural and artistic events. Here also is the seat of the
Istituto Nazionale del Rinascimento and the noted
Gabinetto Vieusseux, with the library and reading room. Aside from
these palaces and buildings, there are several others, including the
Palazzo Rucellai, designed by Leon Battista Alberti between 1446 and
1451 and executed, at least in part, by
Bernardo Rossellino; the
Palazzo Davanzati, which houses the museum of the Old Florentine
House; the
Palazzo delle Assicurazioni Generali, designed in the
Neo-Renaissance style in 1871; the
Palazzo Spini Feroni, in
Piazza Santa Trinita, a historic 13th-century private palace, owned
since the 1920s by shoe-designer
Salvatore Ferragamo; as well as various others, including the
Palazzo Borghese, the Palazzo di Bianca Cappello, the
Palazzo Antinori, and the Royal building of Santa Maria Novella.
Florence contains numerous museums and art galleries where some of
the world's most important works of art are held. The city is one of the
best preserved Renaissance centres of art and architecture in the world
and has a high concentration of art, architecture and culture.[24]
In the ranking list of the 15 most visited Italian art museums, 2/3 are
represented by Florentine museums.[25]
The Uffizi
is one of these; one of the most famous and important art galleries in
the world, it has a very large collection of international and
Florentine art. The gallery is articulated in many halls, cataloged by
schools and chronological order. Engendered by the Medici family's
artistic collections through the centuries, it houses works of art by
various painters and artists. The
Vasari Corridor is another gallery, built connecting the
Palazzo Vecchio with the
Pitti Palace passing by the
Uffizi
and over the
Ponte Vecchio. The Galleria dell' Accademia houses a
Michelangelo collection, including the
David. It has a collection of Russian icons and works by various
artists and painters. Furthermore, other museums and galleries include
the
Bargello, which concentrates on sculpture works by artists including
Donatello,
Giambologna and
Michelangelo; the Palazzo Pitti, containing part of the Medici
family's former private collection. In addition to the Medici
collection, the palace's galleries contain many Renaissance works,
including several by
Raphael
and Titian,
large collections of costumes, ceremonial carriages, silver, porcelain
and a
gallery of modern art dating from the 18th century. Adjoining the
palace are the
Boboli Gardens, elaborately landscaped and with numerous sculptures.
There are several different churches and religious buildings in
Florence. The Cathedral is the
Santa Maria del Fiore. It is the fourth largest church in Europe,
its length being 153 metres (502 ft) and its height 116 metres (381 ft).
The
San Giovanni Baptistery is located in front of the Florence
Cathedral, and it is decorated by numerous artists, notably by
Lorenzo Ghiberti with the Gates of Paradise. Other churches
in Florence include the
Basilica of Santa Maria Novella, located in Santa Maria Novella
square (near the
Firenze Santa Maria Novella railway station) which contains works by
Masaccio,
Paolo Uccello,
Filippino Lippi and
Domenico Ghirlandaio; the
Basilica of Santa Croce, the principal Franciscan church in the
city, which is situated on the Piazza di Santa Croce, about 800 metres
south east of the Duomo, and is the burial place of some of the most
illustrious Italians, such as Michelangelo, Galileo, Machiavelli,
Foscolo, Gentile, Rossini, and Marconi, thus it is known also as the
Temple of the Italian Glories (Tempio dell'Itale Glorie); the
Basilica of San Lorenzo, which is one of the largest churches in the
city, situated at the centre of Florence's main market district, and the
burial place of all the principal members of the Medici family from
Cosimo il Vecchio to Cosimo III;
Santo Spirito, in the Oltrarno quarter, facing the square with the
same name;
Orsanmichele, whose building was constructed on the site of the
kitchen garden of the monastery of San Michele, now demolished;
Santissima Annunziata, a Roman Catholic basilica and the mother
church of the
Servite order;
Ognissanti, which was founded by the lay order of the Umiliati, and
is among the first examples of
Baroque architecture built in the city; the
Santa Maria del Carmine, in the Oltrarno district of Florence, which
is the location of the
Brancacci Chapel, housing outstanding Renaissance frescoes by
Masaccio and
Masolino da Panicale, later finished by
Filippino Lippi; the
Medici Chapel, in the
San Lorenzo; as well as several others, including
Santa Trinita,
San Marco,
Santa Felicita,
Badia Fiorentina,
San Gaetano,
San Miniato al Monte,
Florence Charterhouse, and
Santa Maria del Carmine. The city additionally contains the Orthodox
Russian church of Nativity, and the
Great Synagogue of Florence, built in the 19th century.
Additionally, Florence contains various theatres and cinemas. The
Odeon Cinema of the Palazzo dello Strozzino is one of the oldest
movie theatres in the city. Established from 1920 to 1922[26]
in a wing of the Palazzo dello Strozzino, it used to be called the
Cinema Teatro Savoia (Savoy Cinema-Theatre), yet was later called
Odeon. The
Teatro della Pergola, located in the centre of the city on the
eponymous street, is an
opera house built in the 17th century. Another theatreis the
Teatro Comunale (or Teatro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino),
originally built as the open-air amphitheatre, the Politeama
Fiorentino Vittorio Emanuele, which was inaugurated on 17 May 1862
with a production of
Donizetti's
Lucia di Lammermoor and which seated 6,000 people. There are
several other theatres, such as the Saloncino Castinelli, the Teatro
Puccini, the Teatro Verdi, the Teatro Goldoni and the Teatro Niccolini.
Squares,
streets and parks
Aside from such monuments, Florence contains numerous major squares (piazze)
and streets. The
Piazza della Repubblica is a square in the city centre, location of
the cultural cafes and bourgeois palaces. Among the square's cafes (like
Caffè Gilli, Paszkowski or the Hard Rock Cafè), the
Giubbe Rosse cafe has long been a meeting place for artists and
writers, notably those of
Futurism. The
Piazza Santa Croce is another; dominated by the
Basilica of Santa Croce, it is a rectangular square in the centre of
the city where the
Calcio Fiorentino is played every year. Furthermore, there is the
Piazza Santa Trinita, a square near the Arno that mark the end of
the
Via de' Tornabuoni street. Other squares include the Piazza San
Marco, the Piazza Santa Maria Novella, the
Piazza Beccaria and the
Piazza della Libertà. The centre additionally contains several
streets. Such include the
Via Camillo Cavour, one of the main roads of the northern area of
the historic centre; the Via Ghibellina, one of central Florence's
longest streets; the Via dei Calzaiuoli, one of most central streets of
the historic centre of the which links Piazza del Duomo to
Piazza della Signoria, winding parallel to via Roma and Piazza
della Repubblica; the
Via de' Tornabuoni, a luxurious street in the city centre that goes
from Antinori square to
ponte Santa Trinita, across
Piazza Santa Trinita, characterised by the presence of fashion
boutiques; the
Viali di Circonvallazione, 6-lane
boulevards surrounding the northern part of the historic centre; as
well as others, such as Via Roma, Via degli Speziali, Via de' Cerretani,
and the Viale dei Colli.
Florence also contains various parks and gardens. Such include the
Boboli Gardens, the Parco delle Cascine, the
Giardino Bardini and the
Giardino dei Semplici, amongst others.
Demographics
Historical population |
Year |
Pop. |
±% |
1861 |
150,864 |
— |
1871 |
201,138 |
+33.3% |
1881 |
196,072 |
−2.5% |
1901 |
236,635 |
+20.7% |
1911 |
258,056 |
+9.1% |
1921 |
280,133 |
+8.6% |
1931 |
304,160 |
+8.6% |
1936 |
321,176 |
+5.6% |
1951 |
374,625 |
+16.6% |
1961 |
436,516 |
+16.5% |
1971 |
457,803 |
+4.9% |
1981 |
448,331 |
−2.1% |
1991 |
403,294 |
−10.0% |
2001 |
356,118 |
−11.7% |
2008 |
367,569 |
+3.2% |
Source:
ISTAT 2001 |
As of 31 October 2010, the population of the city proper is 370,702,
while
Eurostat estimates that 696,767 people live in the
urban area of Florence. The Metropolitan Area of Florence, Prato and
Pistoia, constituted in 2000 over an area of roughly 4,800 square
kilometres, is home to 1.5 million people. Within Florence proper, 46.8%
of the population was male in 2007 and 53.2% were
female.
Minors (children aged 18 and less) totalled 14.10 percent of the
population compared to pensioners, who numbered 25.95 percent. This
compares with the Italian average of 18.06 percent (minors) and 19.94
percent (pensioners). The average age of Florence resident is 49
compared to the Italian average of 42. In the five years between 2002
and 2007, the population of Florence grew by 3.22 percent, while Italy
as a whole grew by 3.56 percent.[27]
The
birth rate of Florence is 7.66 births per 1,000 inhabitants compared
to the Italian average of 9.45 births.
As of 2009, 87.46% of the population was Italian. An estimated 6,000
Chinese live in the city.[28]
The largest immigrant group came from other European countries (mostly
Romanians and
Albanians): 3.52%, East Asia (mostly
Chinese and
Filipino): 2.17%, the Americas (mostly
Peruvians): 1.41%, and North Africa (mostly
Moroccan):
0.9%.[29]
Economy
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.[30]
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
that of €6,531,204,473), coming after
Mantua,
yet surpassing
Bolzano.[31]
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.[30]
However, traditional and local products, such as antiques, handicrafts,
glassware, leatherwork, art reproductions, jewelry, souvenirs, elaborate
metal and iron-work, shoes, accessories and high fashion clothes also
dominate a fair sector of Florence's economy.[30]
The city's income relies partially on services and commercial and
cultural interests, such as annual fairs, theatrical and lyrical
productions, art exhibitions, festivals and fashion shows, such as the
Calcio Fiorentino. Heavy industry and machinery also take their part
in providing an income. In Nuovo Pignone, numerous factories are still
present, and small-to medium industrial businesses are dominant. The
Florence-Prato-Pistoia industrial districts and areas were known as the
'Third Italy' in the 1990s, due to the exports of high-quality goods and
automobile (especially the
Vespa)
and the prosperity and productivity of the Florentine entrepreneurs.
Some of these industries even rivaled the traditional industrial
districts in
Emilia-Romagna and
Veneto
due to high profits and productivity.[30]
Tourism
Tourists flock to the Fontana del Porcellino.
Tourism is the most significant industry in central Florence. From
April to October, tourists outnumber local population. Tickets to the
Uffizi
and Accademia museums are regularly sold out and large groups regularly
fill the basilicas of
Santa Croce and
Santa Maria Novella, both of which charge for entry. In 2010,
readers of
Travel + Leisure magazine ranked the city as their third
favourite tourist destination.[32]
Studies by Euromonitor International have concluded that cultural and
history-oriented tourism is generating significantly increased spending
throughout Europe.[33]
Florence is believed to have the greatest concentration of art (in
proportion to its size) in the world.[34]
Thus, cultural tourism is particularly strong, with world-renowned
museums such as the
Uffizi
selling over 1.6 million tickets[35]
a year. The city's convention centre facilities were restructured during
the 1990s and host exhibitions, conferences, meetings, social forums,
concerts and other events all year.
Florence has approximately 35,000 hotel beds and 23,000 other
accommodation facilities (campsites, guesthouses, youth hostels and
farmhouses), giving potential for overall stays to exceed 10 million
visitor/nights a year. Visitors also include thousands of day-trippers
brought in by cruise ships (to
Livorno)
and by road and rail. In 2007, the city ranked as the world's 59th most
visited city, with over 1.729 million arrivals for the year.[36]
It has been estimated that just under one-third of tourists are
Italians, the remainder comprising Americans (20%), Germans (13%),
Japanese (8%), Britons (7.8%), French (5.7%) and Spaniards (5%).
Food and
wine production
Food and wine have long been an important staple of the economy.
Florence is the most important city in Tuscany, one of the great
wine-growing regions in the world. The
Chianti
region is just south of the city, and its
Sangiovese grapes figure prominently not only in its
Chianti
Classico wines but also in many of the more recently developed
Supertuscan blends. Within twenty miles (32 km) to the west is the
Carmignano area, also home to flavorful sangiovese-based reds. The
celebrated Chianti Rufina district, geographically and historically
separated from the main Chianti region, is also few miles east of
Florence. More recently, the Bolgheri region (about 150 km southwest of
Florence) has become celebrated for its "Super
Tuscan" reds such as
Sassicaia and
Ornellaia.[37]
Culture
Art
Florence has a legendary artistic heritage.
Cimabue
and
Giotto, the fathers of Italian painting, lived in Florence as well
as Arnolfo and
Andrea Pisano, renewers of architecture and sculpture;
Brunelleschi,
Donatello and
Masaccio, forefathers of the Renaissance, Ghiberti and the Della
Robbias,
Filippo Lippi and Angelico; Botticelli, Paolo Uccello and the
universal genius of
Leonardo da Vinci and
Michelangelo.[38][39]
Their works, together with those of many other generations of
artists, are gathered in the several museums of the town: the
Uffizi
Gallery, the Palatina gallery with the paintings of the "Golden Ages",[40]
the
Bargello with the sculptures of the Renaissance, the museum of San
Marco with
Fra Angelico's works, the Academy, the chapels of the
Medicis[41]
Buonarroti's house with the sculptures of Michelangelo, the following
museums: Bardini, Horne, Stibbert, Romano, Corsini, The Gallery of
Modern Art, the
Museo dell'Opera del Duomo, the museum of Silverware and the museum
of
Precious Stones.[42]
Great monuments are the landmarks of Florentine artistic culture: the
Florence Baptistery with its mosaics; the Cathedral with its
sculptures, the medieval churches with bands of frescoes; public as well
as private palaces:
Palazzo Vecchio,
Palazzo Pitti,
Palazzo Medici Riccardi,
Palazzo Davanzati; monasteries, cloisters, refectories; the
"Certosa". In the archeological museum includes documents of Etruscan
civilization.[43]
In fact the city is so rich in art that some first time visitors
experience the
Stendhal syndrome as they encounter its art for the first time.[44]
Florentine architects such as Filippo Brunelleschi (1377–1466) and
Leon Battista Alberti (1404–1472) were among the fathers of both
Renaissance and
Neoclassical architecture.[45]
The cathedral, topped by Brunelleschi's dome, dominates the
Florentine skyline. The Florentines decided to start building it – late
in the 13th century, without a design for the dome. The project proposed
by Brunelleschi in the 14th century was the largest ever built at the
time, and the first major dome built in Europe since the two great domes
of Roman times – the
Pantheon in Rome, and
Hagia Sophia in
Constantinople. The dome of Santa Maria del Fiore remains the
largest brick construction of its kind in the world.[46][47]
In front of it is the medieval Baptistery. The two buildings incorporate
in their decoration the transition from the Middle Ages to the
Renaissance. In recent years, most of the important works of art from
the two buildings – and from the nearby
Giotto's Campanile, have been removed and replaced by copies. The
originals are now housed in the Museum dell'Opera del Duomo, just to the
east of the Cathedral.
Florence has large numbers of art-filled churches,[12]
such as San Miniato al Monte, San Lorenzo, Santa Maria Novella, Santa
Trinita, Santa Maria del Carmine, Santa Croce, Santo Spirito, the
Annunziata, Ognissanti and numerous others.
The Palazzo della Signoria, better known as the Palazzo
Vecchio (English:The Old Palace)
Artists associated with Florence range from
Arnolfo di Cambio and Cimabue to Giotto, Nanni di Banco, and Paolo
Uccello; through Lorenzo Ghiberti, and Donatello and Massaccio and the
della Robbia family; through Fra Angelico and Botticelli and Piero della
Francesca, and on to Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci. Others include
Benvenuto Cellini, Andrea del Sarto, Benozzo Gozzoli, Domenico
Ghirlandaio, Filippo Lippi, Bernardo Buontalenti, Orcagna, Pollaiuolo,
Filippino Lippi, Verrocchio, Bronzino, Desiderio da Settignano,
Michelozzo, the Rossellis, the Sangallos, and Pontormo. Artists from
other regions who worked in Florence include Raphael, Andrea Pisano,
Giambologna, Il Sodoma and Peter Paul Rubens.
The Uffizi and the Pitti Palace are two of the most famous picture
galleries in the world.[48]
Two superb collections of sculpture are in the Bargello and the Museum
of the Works of the Duomo. They are filled with the creations of
Donatello, Verrochio, Desiderio da Settignano, Michelangelo and others.
The Galleria dell'Accademia has Michelangelo's David – perhaps the most
well-known work of art anywhere, plus the unfinished statues of the
slaves Michelangelo created for the tomb of
Pope Julius II.[49][50]
Other sights include the medieval city hall, the Palazzo della Signoria
(also known as the Palazzo Vecchio), the
Archeological Museum, the
Museum of the History of Science, the Palazzo Davanzatti, the
Stibbert Museum, St. Marks, the Medici Chapels, the Museum of the Works
of Santa Croce, the Museum of the Cloister of Santa Maria Novella, the
Zoological Museum ("La
Specola"), the Bardini, and the Museo Horne. There is also a
collection of works by the modern sculptor,
Marino Marini, in a museum named after him. The Strozzi Palace is
the site of special exhibits.[51]
Language
Florentine (fiorentino), spoken by inhabitants of Florence
and its environs, is a
Tuscan dialect and the immediate
parent language to modern Italian.
Its vocabulary and pronunciation are largely identical to standard
Italian, though the hard c
[k] between two vowels (as in ducato) is pronounced as a
fricative
[h], similar to an English h. This gives Florentines a
highly recognizable accent (the so-called
gorgia toscana). Other traits include using a form of the
subjunctive mood last commonly used in
medieval times,[citation
needed] a frequent usage in everyday speech of the
modern subjunctive, and a shortened pronunciation of the
definite article,
[i] instead of "il".
Dante, Petrarch, and Boccaccio pioneered the use of the vernacular[52]
instead of the Latin used for most literary works at the time.
Literature
Despite Latin being the main language of the courts and the Church,
writers such as Dante Alighieri[52]
and many others used their own language, the Florentine dialect, in
composing their works. The oldest literary pieces written in vernacular
language go as far back as the 13th century. Florence's literature fully
blossomed in the 14th century, when not only Dante with his
Divine Comedy (1306–1321) and Petrarch, but also poets such as
Guido Cavalcanti and
Lapo Gianni composed their most important works.[52]
Dante's masterpiece is the Divine Comedy, which mainly deals with
the poet himself taking an allegoric and moral tour of Hell, Purgatory
and finally Heaven, during which he meets numerous mythological or real
characters of his age or before. He is first guided by the Roman poet
Virgil,
whose non-Christian beliefs damned him to Hell. Later on he is joined by
Beatrice, who guides him through Heaven.[52]
In the 14th century,
Petrarch[53]
and
Giovanni Boccaccio[53]
led the literary scene in Florence after Dante's death in 1321. Petrarch
was an all-rounder writer, author and poet, but was particularly known
for his
Canzoniere, or the Book of Songs, where he conveyed his
unremitting love for Laura.[53]
His style of writing has since become known as Petrarchism.[53]
Boccaccio was better known for his
Decameron, a slightly grim story of Florence during the 1350s
bubonic plague, known as the
Black Death, when some people fled the ravaged city to an isolated
country mansion, and spent their time there recounting stories and
novellas taken from the medieval and contemporary tradition. All of this
is written in a series of 100 distinct novellas.[53]
In the 16th century, during the Renaissance, Florence was the
hometown of political writer and philosopher
Niccolò Machiavelli, whose ideas on how rulers should govern the
land, detailed in
The
Prince, spread across European courts and enjoyed enduring
popularity for centuries. These principles became known as
Machiavellianism.
Music
Florence became a musical centre during the
Middle Ages and music and the performing arts remain an important
part of its culture. During the
Renaissance there were four kinds of musical patronage in the city
with respect to both sacred and secular music: state, corporate, church,
and private.[54]
and it was here that the
Florentine Camerata convened in the mid-16th century and
experimented with setting tales of Greek mythology to music and staging
the result—in other words, the first operas, setting the wheels in
motion not just for the further development of the operatic form, but
for later developments of separate "classical" forms such as the
symphony.
Opera was invented in Florence in the late 16th century.[55]
Composers and musicians who have lived in Florence include
Piero Strozzi (1550 – after 1608),
Giulio Caccini (1551–1618) and
Mike Francis (1961–2009).
Cinema
Florence has been a setting for numerous works of fiction and movies,
including the novels and associated films, such as
Light in the Piazza,
Calmi Cuori Appassionati,
Hannibal,
A Room with a View,
Tea with Mussolini and
Virgin Territory. The city is home to renowned Italian actors
and actresses, such as
Roberto Benigni,
Leonardo Pieraccioni and
Vittoria Puccini.
Cuisine
Florentine food grows out of a tradition of peasant eating rather
than rarefied high cooking. The majority of dishes are based on meat.
The whole animal was traditionally eaten;
tripe, (trippa)
and (lampredotto)
were once regularly on the menu and still are sold at the food carts
stationed throughout the city.
Antipasti include crostini toscani, sliced bread rounds
topped with a chicken liver-based
pâté, and
sliced meats (mainly
prosciutto and
salame, often served with melon when in season). The typically
saltless Tuscan bread, obtained with natural
levain frequently features in Florentine courses, especially in its
soups,
ribollita and pappa al pomodoro, or in the salad of bread
and fresh vegetables called
panzanella that is served in summer. The
bistecca alla fiorentina is a large (the customary size should
weigh around 1200 grams – "40 oz.") – the "date" steak –
T-bone steak of
Chianina beef cooked over hot charcoal and served very rare with its
more recently derived version, the tagliata, sliced rare beef
served on a bed of
arugula, often with slices of
Parmesan cheese on top. Most of these courses are generally served
with local
olive
oil, also a prime product enjoying a worldwide reputation.[56]
Research activity
Research institutes and university departments are located within the
Florence area and within two campuses at Polo di Novoli and Polo
Scientifico di Sesto Fiorentino[57]
as well as in the Research Area of
Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche.[58]
Science and
discovery
Florence has been an important scientific centre for centuries,
notably during the Renaissance with scientists such as
Leonardo da Vinci.
Florentines were one of the driving forces behind the
Age of Discovery. Florentine bankers financed Henry the Navigator
and the Portuguese explorers who pioneered the route around Africa to
India and the Far East. It was a map drawn by the Florentine Paulo del
Pozzo Toscanelli, a student of Brunelleschi, that Columbus used to sell
his "enterprise" to the Spanish monarchs, and which he used on his first
voyage. Mercator's "Projection" is a refined version of Toscanelli's –
taking into account the Americas, of which the Florentine was,
obviously, ignorant.
Gallileo and other scientists pioneered the study of optics,
ballistics, astronomy, anatomy, and so on. Pico della Mirandola,
Leonardo Bruni, Machiavelli, and many others laid the groundwork for our
understanding of political science.
Fashion
Luxury boutiques along Florence's prestigious Via de'
Tornabuoni.
By the year 1300 Florence had become a center of textile production
in Europe. Many of the wealthy families in Renaissance Florence were
major purchasers of locally produced fine clothing, and the importance
of fashion in the economy and culture of Florence during that period is
often underestimated.[59]
Florence is regarded by some as the birthplace and earliest center of
the modern (post World War Two) fashion industry in Italy. The
Florentine "soirées" of the early 1950s organized by Giovanni Battista
Giorgini were events where several now-famous Italian designers
participated in group shows and first garnered international attention.[60]
Florence has served as the home of the Italian fashion company
Salvatore Ferragamo since 1928.
Gucci,
Roberto Cavalli, and
Emilio Pucci are also headquartered in Florence. Other major players
in the fashion industry such as
Prada and
Chanel
have large offices and stores in Florence or its outskirts. Florence's
main upscale shopping street is
Via de' Tornabuoni, where major luxury fashion houses and jewelry
labels, such as
Armani
and
Bulgari, have their elegant boutiques. Via del Parione and Via Roma
are other streets that are also well known for their high-end fashion
stores.[61]
Historical
evocations
Scoppio del
Carro
The Scoppio del Carro ("Explosion of the Cart") is a
celebration of the
First Crusade. During the day of Easter, a cart, which the
Florentines call the Brindellone and which is led by four white
oxen, is taken to the
Piazza del Duomo between the Baptistery of
St. John the Baptist (Battistero
di San Giovanni) and the
Florence Cathedral (Santa Maria del Fiore). The cart is
connected by a rope to the interior of the church. Near the cart there
is a model of a dove, which, according to legend, is a symbol of good
luck for the city: at the end of the Easter mass, the dove emerges from
the nave of the Duomo and ignites the fireworks on the cart.
Calcio Storico
Calcio Storico Fiorentino ("Historic Florentine
Football"), sometimes called Calcio in costume, is a
traditional sport, regarded as a forerunner of soccer, though the actual
gameplay most closely resembles rugby. The event originates from the
Middle Ages, when the most important Florentine nobles amused
themselves playing while wearing bright costumes. The most important
match was played on 17 February 1530, during the
siege of Florence. That day
Papal troops besiged the city while the Florentines, with contempt
of the enemies, decided to play the game notwithstanding the situation.
The game is played in the Piazza di
Santa Croce. A temporary arena is constructed, with bleachers and a
sand-covered playing field. A series of matches are held between four
teams representing each quartiere (quarter) of Florence during
late June and early July.[62]
There are four teams: Azzurri (light blue), Bianchi (white), Rossi (red)
and Verdi (green). The Azzurri are from the quarter of Santa Croce,
Bianchi from the quarter of Santo Spirito, Verdi are from San Giovanni
and Rossi from Santa Maria Novella.
Transport
|
This
article is outdated.
Please update this section to reflect recent events or newly
available information. (April 2013)
|
The principal public transport network within the city is run by the
ATAF and Li-nea bus company, with tickets available at local
tobacconists, bars and newspaper stalls. Individual tickets, or a pass
called the Carta Agile with multiple rides (10 or 21), may be used on
buses. Once on the bus, tickets must be stamped (or swiped for the Carta
Agile) using the machines on board, unlike train tickets which must be
validated before boarding. The main bus station is next to Santa Maria
Novella
railway station.
Trenitalia runs trains between the railway stations within the city,
and to other destinations around Italy and Europe. The central railway
station,
Santa Maria Novella railway station, is located about 500 metres
(1,600 ft) northwest of the Piazza del Duomo. There are two other
important stations: Campo Di Marte and Rifredi. Most bundled routes are
Firenze-Pisa, Firenze-Viareggio and Firenze-Arezzo (along the main line
to Rome). Other local railways connect Florence with
Borgo San Lorenzo and
Siena.
Long distance 10 km (6.21 mi) buses are run by the SITA, Copit, CAP
and Lazzi companies. The transit companies also accommodate travellers
from the
Amerigo Vespucci Airport, which is five kilometres (3.1 mi) west of
the city centre, and which has scheduled services run by major European
carriers such as
Air
France and
Lufthansa.
The centre of the city is closed to through-traffic, although buses,
taxis and residents with appropriate permits are allowed in. This area
is commonly referred to as the ZTL (Zona Traffico Limitato),
which is divided into five subsections.[citation
needed] Residents of one section, therefore, will
only be able to drive in their district and perhaps some surrounding
ones. Cars without permits are allowed to enter after 7.30 pm, or before
7.30 am. The rules shift during the tourist-filled summers, putting more
restrictions on where one can get in and out.
In an effort to reduce air pollution and car traffic in the city, a
multi-line tram network called Tramvia is under construction. The first
line began operation on 14 February 2010 and connects Florence's primary
intercity railway station (Santa
Maria Novella) with the southwestern suburb of
Scandicci. This line is 7.4 kilometres long and has 14 stops. The
construction of a second line began on 5 November 2011 with an
anticipated completion in 2014. This second line will connect Florence's
airport with the city centre. A third line has gained governmental
approval, but has yet to begin construction.[63][64][65]
Railway station
Firenze Santa Maria Novella railway station is the main national and
international railway station in Florence and is used by 59 million
people every year.[66]
The building, designed by Giovanni Michelucci, was built in the
Italian Rationalism style and it is one of the major rationalist
buildings in Italy. It is located in Piazza della Stazione, near
the Fortezza da Basso and the
Viali di Circonvallazione, and in front of the
Basilica of Santa Maria Novella's apse, from which it takes its
name.
A new high-speed rail station is under construction and is contracted
to be operational by 2015.[67]
It is planned to be connected to Vespucci airport, Santa Maria Novella
railway station, and to the city centre by a line of Florence's tram
system, Tramvia, which is currently being constructed.[68]
The architectural firms
Foster + Partners and Lancietti Passaleva Giordo and Associates
designed this new rail station.[69]
Airport
Florence's
"Amerigo Vespucci" is one of two main airports in the Tuscany
region, the other being
Galileo Galilei International Airport in Pisa.
Sport
Florence is represented by
ACF Fiorentina, who play in
Serie A,
the top league of
Italian football. They play their games at the
Stadio Artemio Franchi. The city is home of
Coverciano, the main training ground of the
Italian national team, and the technical department of the
Italian Football Federation.
Florence has been selected to host the 2013 UCI World Road Cycling
Championships.
Administration
The Mayor of Florence is Matteo Renzi (Democratic
Party, elected in June 2009).[70]
International
relations
Twin
towns and sister cities
Florence is
twinned with:
-
Asmara,
Eritrea
-
Arequipa,
Peru[71][72]
-
Bethlehem,
West Bank[73]
-
Budapest,
Hungary
-
Cambridge, Massachusetts,
USA[74][75]
-
Dresden,
Germany[76]
-
Edinburgh,
Scotland,
UK[77]
-
Fes,
Morocco
-
Gaziantep,
Turkey
-
Isfahan,
Iran
-
Istanbul,
Turkey
|
-
Kassel,
Germany
-
Kiev,
Ukraine
-
Kuwait City,
Kuwait
-
Kyoto,
Japan[78]
-
Malmö,
Sweden[79]
-
Nablus,
West Bank
-
Nanjing,
China
-
Nazareth,
Israel
-
Pekanbaru,
Indonesia
-
Philadelphia, United States[80]
-
Providence,
United States
|
|
Partnerships
Notable residents
- Sir
Harold Acton, author and aesthete.
-
Leone Battista Alberti, polymath.
-
Dante Alighieri, poet.
-
Giovanni Boccaccio, poet.
-
Baldassarre Bonaiuti, 14th century chronicler
-
Sandro Botticelli, painter.
-
Aureliano Brandolini, agronomist and development cooperation
scholar.
-
Robert Browning and
Elizabeth Barrett Browning, 19th-century English poets.
-
Filippo Brunelleschi, architect.
-
Michelangelo Buonarroti, sculptor, painter, author of the
ceiling of the
Sistine Chapel and
David.
-
Francesco Casagrande, Cyclist.
-
Roberto Cavalli, fashion designer.
-
Enrico Coveri, fashion designer.
-
Virginia Oldoini, Countess of Castiglione. Early photographic
artist, Secret agent and Courtesan.
-
Leonardo da Vinci,
polymath
-
Giotto di Bondone, early 14th century painter, sculptor and
architect.
-
Donatello,
sculptor.
-
Oriana Fallaci, journalist and author.
-
Salvatore Ferragamo, fashion designer and shoemaker.
-
Frescobaldi Family, notable bankers and wine producers.
-
Galileo Galilei, Italian physicist, astronomer, and philosopher.
-
Lorenzo Ghiberti,
sculptor.
-
Guccio Gucci, founder of the
Gucci
label.
-
Pietro Pacciani, farmer, starring of the case of the
Monster of Florence.
-
Robert Lowell, poet.
-
Niccolò Machiavelli, poet, philosopher and political thinker,
author of
The Prince and
The Discourses.
-
Masaccio, painter.
-
Medici family.
-
Antonio Meucci,
inventor of the telephone.
-
Florence Nightingale, pioneer of modern nursing, and a
statistician.
-
Mike Francis (musician) born Francesco Puccioni, singer and
composer.
-
Valerio Profondavalle,
Flemish painter
-
Raphael, painter.
-
Girolamo Savonarola
-
Giorgio Vasari, painter, architect, and historian.
-
Amerigo Vespucci, explorer and cartographer, namesake of the
Americas.
See also
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Florentine Histories
- Brucker, Gene A. (1983).
Renaissance Florence.
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Society of Renaissance Florence: A Documentary Study.
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The Building of Renaissance Florence: An Economic and Social History.
- Hibbert, Christopher (1999). The
House of Medici: Its Rise and Fall.
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Florence: Historical Vistas and Personal Sightings.
- Najemy, John (2006). A History of
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Public Life in Renaissance Florence.
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the City Through the Renaissance (Frederick Ungar, 1936) is the
standard overall history of Florence.
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