Florence (Firenze)

Panoramas:

Florence stands 50 m. above sea level on the banks of the Arno River, in a hollow surrounded by the first Chianti hills to the south and the Fiesole hills to the north. Originally a Roman centre (Florentia), it began to acquire a certain importance under the Carolingians but its fortunes date from the time of its constitution as a Republic (1115). Florence gained its economic and political importance undertaking a policy of expansion directed at the largest Tuscan cities. In 1406, after the fall of Pisa, only Siena and Lucca remained free of Florentine rule. Shortly after (in 1434), the Republic became a Signoria under the Medici family. In 1530 Charles V created the Duchy of Florence, a title which, in 1569, was changed to Grandduchy of Tuscany. Under this Signoria, the town gained great masterpieces by the foremost artists of the time (Brunelleschi, Donatello, Botticelli, Masaccio, etc.) becoming the most important European centre of Renaissance culture.