Florence

Florence's Latin name was Florentia, meaning 'the Flourishing Town'.

Florence was the birthplace of the Italian Renaissance and was politically, economically, and culturally significant from the 14th to 16th centuries.

The Black Death of 1348 reduced Florence's population by over half.

Florence is believed to have the greatest concentration of art in proportion to its size in the world.

The dome of Santa Maria del Fiore remains the largest brick construction of its kind in the world.