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Overview
Florence is the capital of the
region of Tuscany and briefly
(1865-1871) the capital of the
kingdom of Italy. Certainly not just
a run-of-the-mill type of city,
Florence stands out because this is
where the surge of Renaissance first
made itself known and flourished.
The product of that great movement
has blessed the modern Florence (or
Firenze, if you're so inclined to go
by the native tongue) with a wealth
of dazzling artistic treasures such
as the Uffici Gallery and the
Bargello Museum to explore. However,
the true Florence is not all about
history, and the current of its a la
mode lifestyles as well as its
classy neighborhoods bubbling with
internationally renowned designers'
boutiques are reputed to be on par
with that of Milan and Paris.
Although being much pigeonholed as a
touristy town, Florence is no doubt
one of the most gorgeous and most
deserving of a visit destinations in
the world.
History
Florence was founded around 200 BC
as an Etruscan colony before the
Roman transformed it into a garrison
town. Owing to the feud between
powerful families in the 13th
century, Florence had become
increasingly democratized and
eventually became a commercial
republic run by the merchant class.
In the latter half of the 14th
century, the Medici family began to
emerge and it was their
patronization of arts that
contributed tremendously to the
widespread of Renaissance. Following
the unification of the Kingdom of
Italy in 1860, Florence was
designated the capital of the
Kingdom until Rome took over in
1871. During WWII, the city suffered
greatly at the hand of the Germans.
Then the floods of 1966 had caused
severe damage to many galleries and
museums, but such incident had
contributed to the development of
restoration techniques which have
since saved artworks throughtout the
world. Today Florence leads a
dignified life of a regional capital
and continues to attract art lovers
and world trampers
alike.
Geography & Climate
The city of Florence is the capital
of the Tuscan region in the north of
Italy. Florence is surrounded by the
Apennines to the north and the
Chianti mountains to the south. The
flow of the River Arno washes its
bank in the west. The city is 200 km
north of Rome and 50 km south of
Bologna. The seasons here are
clearly divided, and winters are
cold and windy. Summers are warm and
the hottest period runs from July to
August, but at nighttime the
temperature cools down and make for
a great alfresco dining or night
strolling weather.
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