ALL ROADS LEAD TO ROME OR SO THE SAYING GOES, BUT DID YOU KNOW THAT FLORENCE WAS THE FIRST CITY IN ALL OF EUROPE TO HAVE PAVED STREETS? FLORENCE, THE HEART OF TUSCANY, IS SITUATED 175 MILES NORTH OF ROME. THE CITY HAS A POPULATION OF APPROXIMATELY 370,000 AND IS SURROUNDED BY LITTLE TOWNS AND VILLAS IN THE MIDDLE OF OLIVE GROVES AND VINEYARDS.
Florence is a city that abounds in history. It is an ancient city built by the Romans in 59 BC along the Arno River and became the symbol of change from the Middle Ages to the new world.
Florence is the birthplace of the Renaissance, and for 200 years from 1400 to 1600, under the Medici family, would become the home to writers, poets, painters, sculptors, and architects like Dante, Leonardo Da Vinci and Michelangelo with his famous David.
The whole city is a city museum and art can be found everywhere; each meter is a meter of art, sculpture and architecture to be admired by the visitor; places like Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore, Ponte Vecchio over the River Arno, il Duomo, Piazalle Michelangelo, Piazza della Signoria, Museo dei Pitti and Museo degli Uffizi and Renaissance palaces everywere.
In every square there are marble fountains, statutes, and Renaissance Plazas. It is the most beautiful city in Italy with cobblestone streets and one of the most beautiful in the world. Rome is to be admired because it is monumental; Florence is to be admired because it is like a jewel.
Florence is a small, friendly, lively city. It is a warm, hospitable, intimate and safe city also. You can walk anywhere. Getting around is easy. Biking or motorcycling is one of the most popular way to get around, or you can walk wherever you want, stop off in cafes frequented by Florentines and enjoy the typical Tuscan cuisine like polenta, smoked cured ham, and cheeses in the best restaurants, pubs, cafes or visit the open markets.
Florence offers modern thriving music, theater along with its squares and museums. Today it is the center for contemporary art, fashion design, graphics, and famous designers as well.
It is also the place for thousands of students who come to Florence from all over the world to study the language and culture. It is also conveniently close to cities like Pisa, Rome, Perugia, Arrezo Sienna, Assisi, Venice, Milan, and to the Italian Riviera, Capri.