Sign in Using FacebookFlorence Guide » More About Florence: Interesting Facts
Interesting Facts
- According to historians, the city of Florence was originally founded as a colony in the first century BC by Julius Caesar. Caesar named the new colony Florentia and stationed guards in the area to protect the route linking Rome to Northern Italy and Gaul.
- Beginning in the fifteenth century under the rule of the Medici family, Florence led one of the greatest artistic and cultural revolutions the world has ever witnessed – the Italian Renaissance. Characterized by a humanistic revival of classical Greek influences, the Renaissance marked the transition of medieval and modern times.
- When to visit? Although Florence draws in tourists year-round, the summer months, particularly July and August, should be avoided. Because of its location in a valley, Florence is oppressively hot and humid during these months. Also avoid the holidays, when crowds are known to swell out of proportion. All things considered, spring and fall are the best times to visit.
- Over the course of the centuries, Florence has attracted some of the greatest artists in history – a collection of painters, writers, and architects whose inspiration continues to move people to this day. This esteemed group includes Michelangelo, Leonardo de Vinci, Raphael, Dante, Giotto, Brunelleschi, Fra Filippo Lippi, and Botticelli, to name but a few.
- One of Florence's more enigmatic figures was the Dominican monk, Savonarola. A contemporary of Lorenzo de Medici, Savonarola was a stern, ascetic monk at odds with the wealth and excess that characterized Florence during the Medici reign. He even went so far as to burn books, musical instruments, and paintings. Eventually, his fanaticism led to his fall from grace – he was burned at the stake.
- Even though the Medici family led Florence to glorious cultural heights, they nevertheless attracted their share of enemies. One such man was Francisco de Pazzi, an envious priest who conceived a plan to murder the Medici brothers, Lorenzo and Giuliano, during Mass. Although Lorenzo escaped unharmed, Giuliano was killed. The incident became known as the Pazzi Conspiracy.
- One of the city's more famous citizens was the controversial Niccolo Machiavelli. His widely influential treatise on the nature and power of government, The Prince, drew as many detractors as adherents. The book unabashedly championed pragmatic ethics, in which the end, no matter how seemingly ruthless, always justified the means.
- In a city known for its abundance of artistic treasures, nothing outshines the Palazzo degi Uffizi, which is Italy's premier art gallery. Housed in the former Medici palace, the Uffizi contains the finest collection of Italian and Florentine paintings in the world. In 1993, however, tragedy struck the renowned Uffizi, as the Italian Mafia detonated a car bomb outside the gallery's west wing. No one was killed but several works of art were destroyed.
- One of Florence's main attractions is the Piazza del Duomo and, in particular, its magnificent dome designed and constructed by Brunelleschi. The dome, which, incredibly, was built without the aid of scaffolding or exterior support, is a true marvel of design and engineering.
- On November 4, 1966, Florence was engulfed in a colossal natural disaster known simply as The Flood. After days of heavy rains, the Arno River rose high above its banks and went cascading through the city streets. The destruction was widespread; buildings were destroyed and many were left homeless. A number of priceless art works were also ruined.
