Capital of Tuscany, northern Italy, on the River Arno, 88 km/55 mi from the river's mouth; population (1992) 397,400. It has printing, engineering, and optical industries; many crafts, including leather, gold and silver work, and embroidery; and its art and architecture attract large numbers of tourists.

Notable medieval and Renaissance citizens included the writers Dante and Boccaccio, and the artists Giotto, Leonardo da Vinci, and Michelangelo.

Florence's architectural treasures include

• the Ponte Vecchio (1345);
• the Pitti and Vecchio palaces;
• the churches of Sta Croce and Sta Maria Novella;
• the cathedral of Sta Maria del Fiore (1314);
• the Uffizi Gallery, which has one of Europe's finest art collections, based on that of the Medicis.