Firenze

Firenze¹ lies in a basin along the Arno River that is surrounded by hills; the Appennini² Mountains can be seen. It is the center of its Metropolitan City (province-level), and the capital of the Toscana³ Region of Italia.⁴ The city has 358 thousand residents⁵ and the Metropolitan City 1.012 million.⁶ The historic center is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Among the buildings there are: the Duomo Santa Maria del Fiore (started 1296);⁷ the Palazzo Vecchio (completed 1314);⁸ the Campanile of Giotto (completed 1357); the basilica of San Croce;⁹ the Palazzo degli Uffizi;¹⁰ the Baptisterium San Giovanni;¹¹ and the Palazzo Pitti (Pitti Palace). Other famous structures are the Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana¹² and the Ponte Vecchio.¹³ Another World Heritage Site, partly in Firenze or its Metropolitan City, is the 'Medici Villas and Gardens of Tuscany,' which includes the Bobili Gardens next to the Palazzo Pitti.

External references

skyline of central Firenze, Toscana, Italia

Footnotes

1. Florence in English.
2. Apeninne in English.
3. Tuscany in English.
4. Italy in English.
5. 2011 figure from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_cities_in_Italy, accessed February 15, 2017.
6. 2015 figure from the side bar of https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metropolitan_City_of_Florence, accessed December 4, 2017.
7. It is currently the city's tallest building according to emporis.com, accessed December 4, 2017. The lanterna was added to the top by Brunelleschi in 1436 and a golden ball with a cross was added later (with the help of a crane built by Leonardo da Vinci). The name in English would be the Duomo Saint Mary of the Flower. A duomo is a present or former cathedral. It is an important tourist attraction according to http://www.touropia.com/tourist-attractions-in-italy/3/, accessed February 16, 2017.
8. Old Palace in English.
9. Hold Cross in English. Michelangelo, Machiavelli, Ghiberti, Galileo and Rossini were buried there. It is the world's largest Franciscan church according to emporis.com, accessed December 4, 2017l.
10. Uffizi Palace in English, though it is usually called the Uffizi Gallery since it is an art museum.
11. Saint John's Baptisery in English.
12. Medici Laurentian Library in English, although the patron family is usually omitted. It has many early printed manuscripts (before movable type reached Europe).
13. Old Bridge in English.