Florence, in the region of Tuscany, is the main city after which the province is named. It rises on the banks of the Arno in a vast plain surrounded by the Careggi, Fiesole, Settignano, Arcetri and Bellosguardo hills.
The river divides the city into two parts.
The local economy is based on tourism, industry (textiles and clothes, metalwork, optics, chemistry, pharmaceuticals, glass and ceramics) and on Florentine handicrafts (embroidery, jewellry, products made from straw).
The climate is temperate but rather variable, with humid and breezy winters characterized by periods of intense cold, and hot and muggy summers.

Founded by the Romans in the first century B.C., "Florentia" reached its highest point of civility between the eleventh and fifteenth centuries, as a free State, balancing the authority of the Emperors with that of the Popes, overcoming the problems of internal fighting between Guelphs and Ghibellines. In the fifteenth century Florence was ruled by the Signoria of the Medici.
They subsequently became the Granduchy of Tuscany. This was the city's most splendid period, for art, culture, politics and economics. The Granduchy of the Medici was followed by that of the Lorena in the eighteenth century, until in 1860 Tuscany joined the Kingdom of Italy, with Florence as the capital from 1865 to 1871.

By plane
Amerigo Vespucci Airport (Tel. 055/30615), 5 kilometers from the center, has both domestic and international lines. Daily flights regularly connect Florence to Milan's Linate Airport and Rome's Fiumicino Airport.

By train
The central station in Florence, at Santa Maria Novella, constitutes an important focal point for national and international traffic. The city is connected to the major train lines and thus to the most important locations in Italy and abroad. Connections to Milan, Bologna, Genoa, Rome and Pisa are especially convenient.

By road
Florence is easy to reach both from the north and the south on the A1 “del Sole” motorway which connects with the principal routes in Italy.

Public Transportation
The most convenient way to travel in Florence is without a doubt the buses, which allow one to reach the historical center, closed to private traffic. Tickets can be acquired at bars, tobacco stands, or the urban ATAF bus offices; prices are low and are valid throughout the urban transport system.

By Taxi
The radio-taxi service is convenient, but naturally much more expensive than public transportation, especially where traffic is intense. Authorized taxis are white with yellow signs and the fare is indicated only by the meter. There is a supplement for night travel and for baggage. The telephone numbers for calling radio-taxis are the following: 055/4798, 055/4242, 055/4390, 055/4499.

Tourist information
Azienda di promozione turistica (Tourist office) - Via Cavour, 1r Tel. 055 290832
Azienda di promozione turistica (Tourist office) – Via Manzoni 16 Tel. 055 23320

Informazioni turistiche (Information point) – Piazza Stazione, 4/a Tel. 055 212245
Informazioni turistiche (Information point) – Borgo Santa Croce, 29r Tel. 055 2340444
Apt –Peretola Airport via del Termine, 1 Tel. e Fax 055.315874

Useful numbers
Carabinieri: 112
Medical Emergency Services: 118
Police: 113
ACI Car breakdown services: 803116
Fire brigade: 115
Urban Police: 055 3283333

Florentine food is praised for its solid peasant traditions: It is based on a few fundamental genuine ingredients: olive oil, tomatoes, beans, herbs, ham and salami.
Among the first courses of the "poor style" cuisine worth mentioning are "ribollita" (a soup based on black cabbage, beans, and other vegetables), "bruschette" (toasted bread with garlic and olive oil, sometimes covered with liver patè , anchovy paste or olives), beans "Uccelletta" style, minestrone soup with boiled beans, cooked in oil with tomato sauce and sage.
Among the second courses, the most famous is surely the "beefsteakFlorentine style", cooked rare, without salt, flavored with herbs. Among the less noble second courses the most characteristic is "tripe Florentine style," covered with tomato sauce and an abundant sprinkling of grated parmesan cheese. Game dishes worth mentioning include boar and rabbit with their typical sauces.
The most common cheeses are pecorino and ricotta.
Desserts are simple; in Italian they are called "poor," the most characteristic being "cantucci" (cookies sweetened with almonds, for dunking in "Vin Santo") and "schiacciata Florentine style" (a pastry covered with vanilla sugar and flavored with lemon).
Tuscany is a region famous also for its wines, reds and whites ranging from table wines to wines of great prestige and universal fame. The most famous reds are "Brunello di Montalcino," "Nobile di Montepulciano" and Chianti produced in the hills and bottled by the Sangiovese vinyards. Most of the white wines come from Trebbiano vinyards, like the light and sparkling "Galestro" and the simple "Tuscan white." The "Vernaccia of San Gimignano," obtained from Vernaccia grapes, is very flavorful, as is the "Montecarlo," from the Lucca region. Among the characteristic sweet wines is the "Vin Santo" made with raisins from Trebbiano and Malvasia, aged for several years in small casks and then bottled.

Shops
The center of Florence is crowded with shops selling everything from stylish clothing to used books. Generally stores are open from 9 to 13 and from 15:30 to 19:30 in the winter; in summer afternoons they open at 16:00 and close at 20:00. Most larger stores accept credit cards and Eurochecks, while smaller shops prefer cash.
Big fashion names like Gucci and Coveri are found in via de' Tournabuoni, but also in via della Vigna Nuova, where Armani and Valentino have opened up shops.There are also many shops for shoes and leather goods, from the classy and always elegant Ferragamo, in via de' Tornabuoni 14r, to the more affordable Cresti, in via Roma 9r. Across the Arno, in via di Santo Spirito 62r, one finds the little shop Francesco, with hand-made shoes and sandals at low prices. The Piazza Santa Croce area is rich in shops for leather goods. Florence is famous for high-class handicrafts and elegant creations.
From straw, a typical Florentine product used for pretty and original clothes and decorative objects, to leatherwork renowned for its refinement and skilled workmanship, from ceramics to glass, from woodwork to metalwork, a large number of desirable objects offer the opportunity to make purchases adapted to all tastes, ages and interests.

Markets
The Market of San Lorenzo, situated at the center of the city, is the preferred destination of tourists. The New Market, where one can acquire leather goods and souvenirs, is sheltered under the sixteenth-century Loggia del Porcellino (pig) . At the Flea Market one can make good deals on small antique items. The last Sunday of every month except July, the market expands into the adjacent streets.

Besides being rich in art and history, Florence offers numerous opportunities for entertainment, with many clubs and discotheques where one can dance to any type of music, or listen to groups playing live late into the night.

To listen or dance to progressive, techno or underground, we recommend the Meccano in via degli Olmi 1, the Full Up in via della Vigna Vecchia 21-r, the Central Park in via Fosso Macinante and the Andromeda in via dei Cimatori 13; for popular music, Jackie'O in via dell'Erta Canina 24/A, Villa Kasar in Lungarno Colombo 23r and the Tenax in via Pratese 46 are all excellent; at The Mood in Corso Tintori 4 they play house music, soul and funky. There are also many places to listen and dance to Latin-American rhythms. At the Caracol in via Ginori 10-r and the Girasol in via del Romito 1r, one can hear Mexican music; at the Maracanà in via Faenza 4, Brazilian music.