Florence, the Jewel of the Renaissance

We left Assisi, with Maricio at the wheel of our grand Mercedes touring bus. Talk about comfort. Enroute, Ricardo did another wonderful lecture, this time on the history of Florence (Firenza). Today the population is about 400,000 people.

Firenza (the city of the flower or lily) began in about the 1st century B.C. At that time, soldiers were given the land that previously was inhabited by the Etruscans. Much later, Florence became famous for its cloth and leather. The very famous Medici family, famous for their cloth manufacturing, invented check writing and banking. They became the first bankers. In time, they became officially dukes and heads of the government, ruling for 150 years after they first made their millions.

Lorenzo Medici, head of the family and therefore head of the country, loved art. He called on the great artists and poets and sculptures of the day to entertain him. In the early 1400s, the Renaissance began in Florence and began as a result of incredible wealth of the Medici family. RAPHAEL, MICHELANGELO, LEONARDO DI VINCE all were called by the Medici family, starting with Lorenzo the Magnificent.