Florence

Florence is the capital of Tuscany, on the Arno River in central Italy. Standard Italian grew from the Florentine speech of Dante, Petrarch and Boccaccio. The Ponte Vecchio, a medieval stone bridge lined with the shops of goldsmiths and jewelers, crosses the Arno beside the Uffizi.

The Romans founded Florentia in 59 BC as a colony for retired soldiers on the north bank of the river. Its wool and banking guilds made it rich in the Middle Ages, and its gold florin was used across the continent. The Medici family led the city from the 15th century and paid for the work of Botticelli, Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci. Filippo Brunelleschi finished the brick dome of the cathedral in 1436, built without a wooden frame beneath it. Florence was the capital of the Kingdom of Italy for a few years in the 1860s.

Gucci, the fashion house that began as a leather workshop, has its headquarters in the city, and Salvatore Ferragamo makes shoes and bags from the Palazzo Spini Feroni on Via de' Tornabuoni. Marchesi Antinori, a wine family since the 14th century, runs its Chianti Classico estates from its palace in the center.

The Uffizi Gallery, built for the offices of the Medici, holds The Birth of Venus and Primavera by Botticelli. The Galleria dell'Accademia keeps the David of Michelangelo, carved from a single block of marble at the start of the 16th century. The Pitti Palace, across the river, was the residence of the grand dukes, and the Boboli Gardens rise behind it with statues, fountains and grottoes. The historic center of Florence is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.