It was during the reign of Julius Caesar that Florence came into existence, in the year 59 B.C. he established a colony along the narrowest stretch of the Arno, which is the point where the famous "ponte vecchio" crosses the Arno. After conquering the Etruscans, the Romans established Florence as an important trading center around the third century A.D.
In the fifth century, the peaceful and prosperous lives of these early Florentines came to an abrupt end as the Roman Empire of the West crumbled before the waves of Barbarian conquerors coming from northern Europe . The Dark Ages had begun, and with it was lost Italian unity for nearly 1400 years.
During these hard times, Charlemagne and his Frankish forces in the eighth century A.D. crushed the last of the Barbarian kings of Italy . But, this reprieve was short lived. In giving thanks, Pope Leo III made a terrible mistake that was to lead to another prolonged period of disharmony and conflict. To secure Charlemagne's loyalty, the Pope gave him the title of Holy Roman Emperor.
Most of Italy came under the rule of the Emperor, and this led to future conflicts between the Emperor and the Pope that was to drive the Italians into their own version of a civil war. The population of Florence was divided over their loyalty between the two factions. And so in Florence different factions formed, some Guelf who supported the Emperor, and some Ghibelline who followed the Pope.
Over the following centuries, control of Florence changed hands between these two groups. As blood flowed on the city streets, families built towers like the one's in San Gimignano, to provide protection from their enemies within the city. At the end of the 13th Century, with the Guelfs in control, their internal conflicts led to their demise and to the eventual end of the conflict.
Typical of the innovative skills and determination of the Tuscan's, throughout this turbulent history the region and Florence enjoyed a booming economy with a population of 100, 000. The mainstay of the local economy was the wool trade. At the end of the 14th Century, led by members of the wealthy merchant class, political life in Florence became the realm of artists and intellectuals that planted the seeds for the birth of the Renaissance.
During this period, the Medici family rose to power. As leaders of Florence , their dynasty lasted nearly 300 years. Cosimo de' Medici was a successful banker who endowed religious institutions with artworks. During the reign of his grandson Lorenzo il Magnifico, Florence was caught by an artistic and intellectual fervor that created the Renaissance movement.
After the Renaissance, a remarkably short period in time, over the following centuries Florence was ruled by a series of in-effective leaders that left Florence in the wake of the other great cities of Italy and Europe . During the re-unification of Italy in the 19th century it was made temporarily capital of Italy , until Rome finally joined the newly created Italy .
The city still relives those years when the likes of Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Dante, Botticelli, Donatello and many others helped change the world forever. Thankfully, the last of the Medici, Anna Maria who died in 1743, arguably gave the greatest gift to the city of Florence . In her will she bequeathed all the Medici property to the city on the agreement that they would never leave the city.
Enjoy the pictures, we are almost done, but not quite. Have a great weekend
First set of city walls
There are many nails in the doors of the city walls to prevent destruction by fire.
Santa Croce. Michangelo, Galileo, Machiavelli, and many other famous dudes are buried there
Bell tower of city hall
Ponte Vecchio. Means old bridge. Only bridge not blown up by Hitler
One of the towers
To the Tuscan mountains
Florence and the Arno river
Another church
Florence buildings
Another tower
Ponte Vecchio and the other bridges leading into town
Tuscany
Another view
Another set of walls
Looking down the street
National Library
Walkway from Medici palace to city hall
Medici palace
More Medici palace
Looking at Arno river from Ponte Vecchio
The other way
Snacks
Gelato
More snacks
Looking at city hall while crossing Ponte Vecchio
This is a fake statue of David. The people love the statue so much, they have 2 fakes out in the city.
Statue of some other dude.
This is how they do Parmesan in Italy
Pesto Lasagna
Spaghetti Bolognese
Front of Santa Croce
Christian bookstore
Art in the Accadamia Museum, where the real David by Michaelangelo is.
Unfinished works by Michaelangelo
More art
The real statue of David
They felt an urge to ride the carousel
Sweet chalk art
Us with our driver, Mafi
