FLORENCE, ITALY

Florence, the capital of Tuscany and of Firenze province, is one of the world’s great historic cities. It is a commercial, industrial, and tourist centre. Florence was the site of an Etruscan settlement and later became a Roman town on the Cassian Way. Florence became a city-state in the 15^th century and came under control of the Medici family. Under the Medicis, Florence witnessed an incredible flowering of intellectual and artistic life: Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, and Donatello lived and worked in Florence during this period. Savonarola held power from 1494-98, and Machiavelli was a diplomatic representative of the republic. Florence’s spectacular churches, cathedrals, and palaces, contain work by the greatest of the Renaissance masters. The Gothic cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore (begun 1296) has a dome by Brunelleschi, and the Franciscan Church of Santa Croce has frescoes by Giotto, a crucifix by Donatello, and works by Della Robbia, Rossellino, and others. The church of San Lorenzo contains Michelangelo’s tombs of the Medici, many works by Donatello, and the Laurentian Library. Also in Florence are the Uffizi Museum, the Pitti Palace, and the Academy. The university of Florence is an international cultural centre, and the National Library is in Florence.