Learn About Florence: History and Society

The Important Location of Florence in Italy

Florence is centrally located in Italy, in one of the most important regions of the country, a region called Tuscany. Italian language courses have always been favored by this location and, on top of that, education and art in Florence have always been renowned all over Europe.

Students and cultural institutes are present in great number in Florence.

Population and Size of Florence

Florence has a population of about 400,000 people and its area is about 102 square kilometers, which corresponds to 39 sq miles. Its elevation is 50 me (164 feet) above see level.

Praton Saint of Florence

Its Patron Saint is San Giovanni (St John the Baptist) and he is celebrated on June 24rd .

Something About the Ancient History in Florence

Florence was settled  by Julius Caesar in 59 BC for his veteran soldiers. Its name Florentia derives from “flourish” because it was a very fertile land, covered in flowers.

Thanks to the Via Cassia, an important road that connected Rome with the North and within the fertile valley of the Arno, Florence became a relevant trade center. In the third century AD, the city became capital of an area called Tuscia. Charlemagne conquered Florentia in 774 and annexed it to his Tuscan territories, which had Lucca – another city Parola School visits for the its school activities - as capital. Commerce became bigger and bigger and Florence and Fiesole (location visited while schooling) were united  in the middle of ninth century AD.

The Medici Family and Their Role in Florence

In middle of the fourteenth century, the Medici Family starts ruling the city with trade, commerce and ideal political agreements. Medici were bank trader to popes and this also increasingly contributed to the family rise. In particular, Lorenzo de Medici, known as Lorenzo il Magnifico,  was a great patron of the arts paying for works by:

• Leonardo Da Vinci

• Michelangelo

• Botticelli and many other artists

Parola Italian language school organizes field trips with students, for extracurricular activities and for some courses such as the drawing course. Our school might visit the Uffizi Gallery where some of these outstanding art works are displayed and it visits the beautiful Museum of the "Opera del Duomo".

Girolamo Savonarola is another character of the great period of Florence. He became famous for his sermons and he harshly criticized the morality of those times. After criticizing and denying the pope, the Florentines grew tired of his severe statements. As a consequence, Savonarola was declared heretic and burned at the stake on the Piazza della Signoria in 1498. At the school, in our History of Florence included in the supplementary courses, we study the events that led to the accusations against Savonarola and students learn the reasons why he became popular in Florence.

Machiavelli was another great character of the golden years of Florence. Niccolò Machiavelli’s prescriptions, for a sort of rebirth of Florence during those years, were strong power and, whenever it was necessary, apply the rule that in politics everything was acceptable. Machiavelli’s thoughts are written in the outstanding book that some students at Parola School may want to read, which is called "Il Principe".

In our course, on Renaissance Florence, we discuss about “The Prince” (Il Principe), which is still a benchmark for today’s political issues all over the world.  Macchiavelli also wrote a book called "the Florentine Histories" and an important history of Florence.

Something About Modern Florentine History 

Between 1865 and 1870, Florence was the capital of the just unified Italy. The city is located on the Arno River and it is not that far from all the most important Tuscany cities. From Florence, you can reach Rome in less than 2 hours and Milan in about three hours.

Florence is renowned  for its culture and history during the Middle Ages, but in particular in the Renaissance, when arts had an outstanding flourishing. Florence was also a European trade and financial center during medieval times and in the fourteenth and fifteenth century. Florence gained so much power during that period that the ruling family invested much money on arts, as a matter of fact, Florence is considered the place of birth of the Italian Renaissance.

In 1982, the historic and celebrated historical center of Florence was admitted in the World Heritage Sites by the UNESCO.

Modern Times in Florence

Medici line extinguished in 1737 and after years of Austrian presence in the region, Tuscany became a province of the United Kingdom of Italy in 1861.

One of our courses cover Italian society and it deals with all the issues concerning Italian history and the Italian way of living. This lesson implies that students know already something about Italy.

Florence was capital of the United Kingdom of Italy in 1865. During World War II, there was a German occupation and after the war, Florence was declared an open city. During the sixties, Florence had a big expansion and became one the richest city in Italy: from commerce and agriculture to tourism and culture.

Nowadays, Florence is a trade capital of fashion, one of most visited cities in Italy and in the world and a great cultural center.

Florence is a city of art. This is the reason why we have art, culture and language courses and also a city of modern events such as concerts and contemporary exhibits. During its extra-curricular activities the school might visit some exhibits and to attend some nice shows in the city with the students.

Other Information on Florence

For further information about Florence and its culture, please, contact us or see the Tourist Promotion in Florence.