Firenze

Firenze is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Firenze. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants.
It is famous for its history. A centre of medieval European trade and finance and one of the wealthiest cities of the time, Firenze is considered the birthplace of the Renaissance, and has been called the Athens of the Middle Ages.
The historic centre of Firenze 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. It was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1982. Firenze’s artistic and architectural heritage have led Forbes to rank it as one of the most beautiful cities in the world, and the city is noted for its history, culture, Renaissance art and architecture and monuments. The city also contains numerous museums and art galleries, such as the Uffizi Gallery and the Pitti Palace.
Firenze is also an important city in Italian fashion, being ranked within the top fifty fashion capitals of the world; furthermore, it is also a major national economic centre, being a tourist and industrial hub. In 2008, the city had the 17th highest average income in Italy.
Firenze is known as the “cradle of the Renaissance” (la culla del Rinascimento) for its monuments, churches and buildings.
The centre of the city is contained in medieval walls that were built in the 14th century to defend the city.
The layout and structure of Firenze in many ways harkens back to the Roman era, where it was designed as a garrison settlement. Nevertheless, the majority of the city was built during the Renaissance. Despite the strong presence of Renaissance architecture within the city, traces of medieval, Baroque, Neoclassical and modern architecture can be found.
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.