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Home > Travel Italy > Italy Destinations > Firenze
Firenze
Italy, officially the Italian Republic or Repubblica Italiana, is a Southern European country comprising of the Po River valley, the Italian Peninsula and the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia. It is shaped like a boot and for this reason Italians commonly call it lo Stivale, the boot or, due to its prevalent peninsular geographical nature, la Penisola, the Peninsula.
Firenze is the Italian name for Florence. Florence's recorded history began with the establishment in 59 BC, before Christ of a settlement for Roman former soldiers, with the name Florentia. Florentia was situated at the Via Cassia, the main route between Rome and the North. Through this advantageous position, the settlement could rapidly expand into an important commercial center. Firenze is the capital city of the region of Tuscany, Italy. From 1865 to 1870 the city was also the capital of the Kingdom of Italy. Florence lies on the Arno River and has a population of around 400,000 people, plus a suburban population in excess of 200,000 persons.
Firenze 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 and in 1378 rose up in a brief revolt against oligarchic rule in the Revolt of the Ciompi. Florence has what is classified as a warm temperate continental climate. It consists of hot, dry summers and cool, damp winters. 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.
Presently, Firenze experiences a sharp social, economic and population growth derivative of the strategic position of the locality and the high level of well-being and quality of life that is enjoyed with respect to other places of Italy.
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