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'''Florence''' (alternative obsolete spelling: '''''Fiorenza''''', [[Latin]]: '''''Florentia''''') is the capital city of the Italian region of [[Tuscany]] and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with 367,569 inhabitants (1,500,000 in the metropolitan area).<ref>Bilancio demografico anno 2008, dati [http://demo.istat.it/ ISTAT]</ref>

The city lies on the [[Arno|River Arno]] and is known for its history and its importance in the [[Middle Ages]] and in the [[Renaissance]], especially for its [[art]] and [[architecture]]. A centre of [[Middle Ages|medieval]] European [[trade]] and [[finance]] and one of the richest and wealthiest cities of the time,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Economy-of-Renaissance-Florence/Richard-A-Goldthwaite/e/9780801889820 |title=Economy of Renaissance Florence, Richard A. Goldthwaite, Book - Barnes & Noble |publisher=Search.barnesandnoble.com |date=23 April 2009 |accessdate=22 January 2010}}</ref> Florence is often considered the birthplace of the [[Italian Renaissance]]; in fact, it has been called the [[Athens]] of the [[Middle Ages]].<ref>Profs. Spencer Baynes, L.L.D., and [[William Robertson Smith|W. Robertson Smith]], L.L.D., ''Encyclopaedia Britannica''. Akron, Ohio: The Werner Company, 1907: p.675</ref> It was long under the ''[[de facto]]'' rule of the [[House of Medici|Medici]] family. From 1865 to 1870 the city was also the capital of the [[Italy|Kingdom of Italy]].