Florence is art. Its city is strewn with statues, and cathedrals, and was the epitome of the Renaissance. The Renaissance was the resurrection of humanism, a Greek and Roman concept, and Florence was founded by Julius Caesar in 59 BC, so it’s no surprise that it would become the capital of the Renaissance. It currently has 1.5 million residents in the metropolitan area and has over 1.6 million tourists a year.
On this day May 16th, in 1527, the House of Medici is run out of Florence and Florence is established as a Republic. This occurred during the War of the League of Cognac, fought between the Hapsburgs and the Holy Roman Empire.
The amount of art this city houses is too much to describe; it’s a sight one must see for themselves. Leonardo Da Vinci lived there, along with Michelangelo, Donatello, and Raphael, which inspired the names for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. In 1531 the Medicis would regain control of the city after an almost year long siege. Florence is also famous for its fantastic wine-growing region, as it has a humid climate.