The history of the city started when the Etruscans settled in the area that is know today as Florence.

In 395, the Romans gained control over the Etruscans and founded the municipality of “Fiorentia” on the ruins of an Etruscan settlement.

The city’s importance grew as a centre of communication and commerce for the rich surrounding farmland. It was then made into a bishopric. It was only with the accession of Carlo Magno that the city reclaimed prestige and independence by becoming a county.

Florence gained independence from Countess Matilde di Canossa, and then endured turbulent times with battles between Guelfi and Ghibellini families. The famous Medici family held power between 1434 and 1743 and brought about developments in the cultural and artistic heritage of the city.

United with the Kingdom of Sardinia, five years later, Florence was made the capital of Italy. Only with the full unification of the peninsula in 1871 did Florence loose its role of capital to Rome.