Florence Information Page
[click here to view a larger map] Florence Italy, 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 bet
ween 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, 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.
ByTrain * 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 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: 4798, 4242, 4390.