LDM MAIN OFFICE IN ITALY - FLORENCE
Lorenzo de' Medici - art, language and culture since 1973
| Student Guide >> Florence >> The City | ||
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The Etruscans were the first known settlers in the region. In about 59 BC, the Romans established a colony that they called Florentia. Byzantine and Germanic invaders came next. Because of its excellent location in the heart of Italy, Florence became a crossroads for trade. By the 1100's, the Florentines established a highly developed form of city government called the Commune. It provided rules for conducting trade and finance. All Florentine citizens had to belong to one of the trade guilds that dominated the growing economy. The decline of the Commune and centuries of political strife did not harm the Florentine talent for business. The first commercial banks in Western Europe began in Florence, and the gold florin became the standard coin accepted throughout Europe. This prosperity was halted for a time by the bubonic plague, the Black Death. The plague swept through Europe in the 1300's and killed over half the population of Florence. The Renaissance. The word “renaissance” means rebirth. In Italy, between the 1300's or 1400's and 1600's, Florence was the cradle for the rebirth of philosophy, literature, and art based on classical (Greek and Roman) ideals. During this period, the Florentine Dante Alighieri completed one of the world's literary masterpieces, the poem, “The Divine Comedy.” The poet Petrarch wrote his famous sonnets here. Niccolò Machiavelli set down rules on how to govern in his book, “The Prince.” Between the 1400's and 1700's, Florence was ruled chiefly by the Medici family. The Medicis gained their power and fortune from banking and used their wealth to donate art to the city. The most famous Medici was Lorenzo, called the Magnificent, who ruled from 1469 to 1492. This was the city's golden age. Lorenzo was both a poet and a tyrant. Florence took part in the struggle for the independence and re-unification of Italy in the 1800's. It was the capital of the kingdom of Italy from 1865 to 1870. During World War II, Florence was damaged by bombing, but most of the city's treasures survived. In 1966, the flooding of the Arno River damaged many works of art. Today, long after its period of greatness, millions of people visit Florence each year to experience its unique art, which reflects the greatness of the human spirit. |
Florence guide |
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:: Quick links |
:: Lorenzodemedici.org
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