Florence (in Italian Firenze), the old capital of Tuscany,
called "la Bella", and now a provincial capital, a university
town and the see of an archbishop, is picturesquely situated on
both sides of the River Arno, surrounded by foothills of the
Apennines. While in ancient times the life of Italy was centered
on Rome, from the Middle Ages to our own day Florence has been
its intellectual center. Here the Italian language and Italian
literature were created, and here Italian art attained its
finest form. With its astonishing abundance of art treasures,
its historical associations and its beautiful surroundings,
Florence is one of the world's greatest tourist centers. The
Etruscan and Roman town of Florentina played no great part in
history. At the beginning of the 13th century the fortunes of
war and the industry of its people (wool, silk) made it the
leading town in Central Italy, but the ruling noble families
were weakened by continual internecine strife between Guelfs
(followers of the Pope) and Ghibelines