Everything about Florentine Republic totally explained
» Firenze, Florentin and Florentine redirect here. For other uses, see Florence (disambiguation) and Firenze (disambiguation). For the Tel Aviv neighborhood, see Florentin (Tel Aviv).
Florence (or Firenze, Florentia and Fiorenza) is the capital
city of the
Italian region of
Tuscany, and of the
province of Florence. It is the most populated city in Tuscany with 364,779 people.
From 1865 to 1870 the city was also the capital of the
Kingdom of Italy. Florence lies on the
Arno River and it's known for its history and its importance in the
Middle Ages and in the
Renaissance, especially for its
art and
architecture. A centre of medieval
European
trade and
finance, the city is often considered the birthplace of the
Italian Renaissance and was long ruled by the
Medici family. In fact, the city has been called the
Athens of the
Middle Ages.
The "Historic Centre of Florence" was declared a
World Heritage Site by the
UNESCO in 1982.
History
Florence was originally established by
Julius Caesar in 59 BC as a settlement for his veteran soldiers. It was named
Florentia (
Flourishing) and 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 center. Emperor
Diocletian made Florentia capital of the province of
Tuscia in the 3rd century AD.
Saint Minias was Florence’s first
martyr. He was beheaded at about 250 AD, during the anti-Christian persecutions of the Emperor
Decius. After being beheaded, it's said that he picked up his disembodied head and walked across the Arno River and up the hill Mons Fiorentinus to his hermitage, where the
Basilica di San Miniato al Monte now stands.
The seat of a
bishopric from around the beginning of the 4th century AD, the city experienced subsequent 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 living persons.
Peace returned under
Lombard rule in the 6th century. Conquered by
Charlemagne in 774, Florence became part of the duchy of Tuscany, with
Lucca as capital. Population began to grow again and commerce prospered. In 854, Florence and
Fiesole were united in one county.
Margrave Hugo chose Florence as his residency instead of Lucca at about 1000 AD. This initiated the Golden Age of Florentine art. In 1013, construction began on the Basilica di San Miniato al Monte. The exterior of the
baptistry 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).
Of a population estimated at 80,000 before the
Black Death of 1348, 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.
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. The fact that the Medici were bankers to the pope also contributed to their rise. Cosimo was succeeded by his son
Piero, who was shortly thereafter 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 also an accomplished musician and brought some of the most famous composers and singers of the day 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 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'd 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.
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 unusual insight was
Niccolò Machiavelli, whose prescriptions for Florence's regeneration under strong leadership have often been seen as a legitimisation of political expediency and even malpractice. 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
May 16,
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.
The extinction of the Medici line 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 1807), restored at the
Congress of Vienna; Tuscany became a province of the United Kingdom of
Italy in 1861.
Florence replaced Turin as Italy's capital in 1865, hosting the country's first parliament, but was superseded by
Rome six years later, after the withdrawal of the
French troops made its addition to the kingdom possible. After doubling during the 19th century, Florence's population tripled in the 20th with the growth of 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 south of the city
(External Link
), British and Commonwealth soldiers a few kilometers east of the center on the north bank of the Arno
(External Link))
A very important role is played in those years by the famous café of Florence
Giubbe Rosse from its foundation until the present day.
Piazza del Mercato Vecchio was destroyed (Old Market Square), and then was renamed
Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II. It is known today as
Piazza della Repubblica, and is the location of the Giubbe Rosse. In those years (the end of the l9th century) the city administration of Florence decided to raze the old neighborhood of Mercato Vecchio to the ground, in favour of a new square dedicated to
Victor Emmanuel II. "Non fu giammai così nobil giardino/ come a quel tempo egli è Mercato Vecchio / che l'occhio e il gusto pasce al fiorentino", claimed
Antonio Pucci (poet) in the fourteenth century, "Mercato Vecchio nel mondo è alimento./ A ogni altra piazza il prego serra". The area had decayed from its original medieval splendor".
Nowadays the literary café Giubbe Rosse is publishing books of famous Italian authors such:
Mario Luzi,
Manlio Sgalambro,
Giovanni Lista,
Menotti Lerro,
Leopoldo Paciscopi.
In November 1966, the
Arno flooded parts of the center, damaging many art treasures. There was no warning from the authorities who knew the flood was coming, except a phone call to the jewelers on the
Ponte Vecchio. Around the city there are tiny placards on the walls noting where the flood waters reached at their highest point.
Florence and the Renaissance
There was a surge in artistic, literary, and scientific activity in Florence from the 14th to 16th centuries. This was accompanied by significant economic growth and business activity. There was substantial private and public funding to sponsor artistic and scholarly endeavours.
There were crises in the
Roman Catholic church (especially the controversy over the French
Avignon Papacy and the
Great Schism). There were catastrophic results from the
Black Death and a some re-evaluation of
medieval values.
Historic centre of Florence
In 1982, the historic centre of Florence (ita.
il centro storico di Firenze) was declared a
World Heritage Site by the
UNESCO for the importance of its cultural heritages. The centre of the city is contained in medieval walls that were built in XIV century to defend the city after it began famous and important for its economic growth.
Landmarks
» For a complete list, see .
Florence is known as the “cradle of
Renaissance” (
la culla del Rinascimento) for its monuments, churces and buildings.
The best-known site and crowning architectural jewel of Florence is the domed cathedral of the city,
Santa Maria del Fiore, known as
The Duomo. The magnificent
dome was built by
Filippo Brunelleschi. The nearby
Campanile tower (partly designed by
Giotto) and the
Baptistery buildings are also highlights. Both the dome itself and the campanile are open to tourists and offer excellent views; The dome, 600 years after its completion, is still the largest dome built in brick and mortar in the world.
At the heart of the city in
Piazza della Signoria is
Bartolomeo Ammanati's
Fountain of Neptune, which is a masterpiece of marble sculpture at the terminus of a still functioning Roman
aqueduct.
The
Arno river, which cuts through the old part of the city, is as much a character in Florentine history as many of the men who lived there. Historically, the locals have had a love-hate relationship with the Arno — which alternated from nourishing the city with commerce, and destroying it by flood.
One of the bridges in particular stands out as being unique — 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 carried
Vasari's elevated corridor linking the Uffizi to the Medici residence (
Palazzo Pitti). First constructed by the
Etruscans in ancient times, this bridge is the only one in the city to have survived
World War II intact.
The
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 galleries in the world - founded on a large bequest from the last member of the Medici family.
The
Uffizi ("offices") itself is located at the corner of
Piazza della Signoria, a site important for being the centre of Florence civil life and government for centuries (Signoria Palace is still home of the community government): the Loggia dei lanzi was the set of all the public ceremonies of the republican government. Many well known episodes of history of art and political changes were staged here, such as:
- In 1301, Dante was sent into Exile from here (a plaque on one of the walls of the Uffizi commemorates the event).
- 26 April 1478 Jacopo de'Pazzi and his retainers try to raise the city against the Medici after the plot known as The congiura dei pazzi (The pazzi conspiracy) who murdered Giuliano dei Medici and wounded his brother Lorenzo; the florentines seized and hung all the members of the plot that could be apprehended 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
- the 23 May 1498 the same Savonarola and two followers were hanged and burnt at the stake (a round plate in the ground commemorates the very spot were he was hanged)
- In 1504, it was the original location of Michelangelo's David (now replaced by a reproduction as the original was moved indoors to the Accademia dell'Arte del Disegno), in front of the Palazzo della Signoria (also known as Palazzo Vecchio).
It is still the setting for a number of statues by other sculptors such as Donatello, Giambologna,Ammannati, Cellini, although some have been replaced with copies to preserve the priceless originals.
In addition to the Uffizi, Florence has other world-class museums:
The
Bargello concentrates on
sculpture, containing many priceless works of art created by such sculptors as
Donatello,
Giambologna, and
Michelangelo.
The
Accademia dell'Arte del Disegno (often simply called the
Accademia) collection's highlights are
Michelangelo's David and his unfinished
Slaves.
Across the Arno is the huge
Pitti Palace containing part of the Medici family's former private collection. In addition to the Medici collection the palace's galleries contain a large number of Renaissance works, including several by
Raphael and
Titian as well as a large collection of modern art, costumes, cattiages, and porcelain. Adjoining the Palace are the
Boboli Gardens, elaborately landscaped and with many interesting sculptures.
The
Santa Croce basilica, originally a Franciscan foundation, contains the monumental tombs of
Galileo, Michelangelo,
Machiavelli, Dante (actually a
cenotaph), and many other notables.
Other important
basilicas and churches in Florence include
Santa Maria Novella,
San Lorenzo,
Santo Spirito and the
Orsanmichele.
The city's principal football team is
AC Fiorentina.
Florence has been the setting for numerous works of
fiction and
movies, including the
novels and associated films
Hannibal,
Tea with Mussolini and
A Room with a View.
Today, 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.
Geography
Florence is in a beautiful geographic position, in a sort of basin between the Senese Clavey Hills, especially the hills of
Careggi,
Fiesole,
Settignano,
Arcetri,
Poggio Imperiale and
Bellosguardo. The city lies on
Arno river and others three minor rivers.
Climate
| Month |
Jan |
Feb |
Mar |
Apr |
May |
Jun |
Jul |
Aug |
Sep |
Oct |
Nov |
Dec |
Year |
| Avg high [°C](°F) | 10 (50) |
12 (54) |
15 (59) |
19 (66) |
23 (74) |
28 (82) |
31 (88) |
31 (87) |
27 (80) |
21 (70) |
15 (59) |
11 (51) |
20 (68)
|
| Avg low temperature [°C](°F) | 2 (35) |
3 (37) |
5 (41) |
8 (46) |
11 (52) |
15 (59) |
17 (63) |
17 (63) |
14 (58) |
10 (50) |
6 (42) |
2 (36) |
9 (49)
|
| Rainfall [inches](millimeters) | 2.90 (73.60) |
2.70 (68.58) |
3.20 (81.28) |
3.10 (78.74) |
2.90 (73.66) |
2.20 (55.88) |
1.60 (40.64) |
3.00 (76.20) |
3.10 (78.74) |
3.50 (88.90) |
4.40 (111.76) |
3.60 (91.44) |
36.20 (919.48)
|
Although usually perceived to have a
Mediterranean climate, under the
Köppen climate classification Florence is sometimes classified as having a
Humid subtropical climate (Cfa). It experiences hot, humid summers with little rainfall and cool, damp winters. Due to the geographical position of the city (surrounded by hills in a valley traversed by the
Arno river), Florence can be hot and humid from June to August. Summer temperatures are higher than those along coastlines, due to the lack of a prevailing wind. The small amount of rain which falls in the summer is
convectional in type. Relief rainfall dominates in the winter, with occasional snow.
Art and culture
Florence keeps an exceptional artistic heritage which is a marvelous evidence of its aged culture.
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.
Their works, together with those of many other generations of artists up to the artists of our century, are gathered in the several museums of the town: the
Uffizi, the most selected gallery in the world, the Palatina gallery with the paintings of the "Golden Ages".
The
Bargello Tower with the sculptures of the Renaissance, the museum of San Marco with Angelico's works, the Academy, the chapels of the
Medicis, Buonarroti' s house with the sculptures of Michelangelo, the following museums: Bardini, Horne, Stibbert, Romano, Corsini, The Gallery of Modern Art, The museum of the Opera del Duomo, the museum of Silverware and the museum of Precious Stones.
Great monuments are the landmarks of Florentine artistic culture: the Baptistry 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.
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. It will run from
Scandicci to the southwest through the western side of the city, cross the river Arno at the
Cascine Park and arrive to the main station of Santa Maria Novella. Two other lines are in the final design phase.
Economy and industry
Tourism is the most significant industry within the centre of Florence. On any given day between April and October, the local population is greatly outnumbered by tourists from all over the world. The
Uffizi and
Accademia museums are regularly sold out of tickets, and large groups regularly fill the basilicas of
Santa Croce and
Santa Maria Novella, both of which charge for entry.
Florence being historically the first home of Italian fashion (the 1951-1953 soirées held by Giovanni Battista Giorgini are generally regarded as the birth of the
Italian school as opposed to french
haute couture) is also home to the legendary
Italian fashion establishment
Salvatore Ferragamo, notable as one of the oldest and most famous Italian fashion houses. Many others, most of them now located in
Milan, were founded in Florence.
Gucci,
Prada,
Roberto Cavalli, and
Chanel have large offices and stores in Florence or its outskirts.
Certain textile industries employing largely immigrant populations can be found to the north and north-west of the city, continuing its long tradition as a centre of fine fabrics.
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 west of Florence. More recently, the Bolgheri region (about southwest of Florence) has become celebrated for its Supertuscan reds like Sassicaia.
Cuisine
Florentine food grows out of a tradition of peasant eating rather than rarefied high cooking. The vast majority of dishes are based on meat. The whole animal was traditionally eaten; various kinds of
tripe, (
trippa) and (
lampredotto) were once regularly on the menu and still are sold at the remaining 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
salami, often served with melon when in season). The typically saltless Tuscan bread, obtained with natural
levain frequently features in Florentine courses, especially in its famous soups,
ribollita and
pappa al pomodoro, or in the salad of bread and fresh vegetables called
panzanella that's served in summer. The most famous main course is the
bistecca alla fiorentina, a large (the customary size should weigh around 600 grams)
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
Notable residents
» See also
Leone Battista Alberti, polymath.
Dante Alighieri, poet.
Filippo Brunelleschi, architect.
Giovanni Boccaccio, poet.
Giotto di Bondone, early 14th century painter
Michelangelo Buonarroti, sculptor, painter, also famous for the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.
Robert Browning and Elizabeth Barrett Browning, 19th century English poets.
Medici family.
Girolamo Mei, historian and humanist.
Lorenzo Ghiberti, sculptor.
Donatello, sculptor.
Masaccio, painter.
Raphael, painter.
Leonardo da Vinci, polymath, famous for his Mona Lisa and other paintings, inventions, and scientific experiments.
Niccolò Machiavelli, poet, philosopher and political thinker.
Giorgio Vasari, painter, architect, and historian.
Galileo Galilei, Italian physicist, astronomer, and philosopher.
Vincenzo Galilei.
Frescobaldi Family, notable bankers and wine producers.
Oriana Fallaci, journalist and author.
Florence Nightingale, pioneer of modern nursing, and a noted statistician.
Salvatore Ferragamo, "shoemaker to the stars".
Angelo Acciaioli, bishop of Florence.
Administration
The current Mayor of Florence is Leonardo Domenici (elected in June 1999) who in February 2008 sued Wikipedia for reporting that his wife is on the board of directors of a company that manages parking in Florence
Twinning
Sister cities include:
| Beirut, Lebanon.
Gemlik, Turkey.
Voždovac, Serbia.
Kraków, Poland.
Athens, Greece.
Dresden, Germany.
Kassel, Germany.
Edinburgh, United Kingdom.
Saint Petersburg, Russia.
Granada, Spain.
Reims, France.
|
Riga, Latvia.
Turku, Finland.
Istanbul, Turkey.
El Aaiún, Morocco.
Asmara, Eritrea.
Malmö, Sweden.
Fes, Morocco.
Gaziantep, Turkey.
Isfahan, Iran.
Kiev, Ukraine.
Kuwait City, Kuwait.
|
Kyoto, Japan.
Nanjing, China.
Nazareth, Israel.
Philadelphia, United States.
Providence, United States.
Salvador, Bahia, Brazil.
Sydney, Australia.
Tirana, Albania.
Valladolid, Spain.
Yerevan, Armenia.
Nablus, Palestine.
|
Budapest, Hungary.
|
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