ITALY - Europe by Eurail 2015: Touring Europe by Train - page 367

Tourist Information Office: Via Cavour, 1 rosso, 50129 Firenze
Tel: [phone] or [phone]; Fax: [phone]
www.firenzeturismo.it
E-mail: [e-mail]
Hours: 0830-1830 Monday-Saturday, closed Sunday
Notes: Take a taxi there or board bus No. 1, 6, or 17. Tourist information also
available in Piazza Stazione (the rail-station plaza), near the church Santa Maria
Novella.
Florence (Firenze) as a day excursion is suggested for the traveler on a time-com-
pressed itinerary. It is impossible to see all the beauty of Florence in one day. A
week—or even a lifetime—could easily be devoted to such a pursuit. About 60 per-
cent of the world's most significant artworks are in Italy, and about half of them are
in Florence. No other city in the world pays better homage to human genius and
creativity and, in turn, beauty appreciation than does Florence.
Aside from its buildings, art galleries, museums, and parks, Florence has had
an interesting and rather hectic development as a municipality and seat of govern-
ment. It was ruled by the Medici family until 1737, when the family died out and its
leadership was assumed by Grand Duke Ferdinand III (1769-1824). Driven out by
the French in 1799, the duke made several abortive attempts to resume power. He
wasn't successful, however, until 1814.
Ferdinand's successor, Leopold II (1797-1870), held on until he was expelled in
1849. Florence was the capital of Italy under King Victor Emmanuel from 1865 to
1871, when the seat of government became Rome.
Although a part of Italian history since 200 B.C. , it wasn't until the turn of the 11th
century that Florence began to develop power and influence. Coincident with this
growth came the development of the city's powerful guilds.
Florence was established on those banks of the Arno River spanned by the
bridge of the Roman road Via Flaminia and where the Ponte Vecchio (old bridge)
still stands today. With the single exception of Ponte Vecchio, all of the city's
bridges were destroyed in 1944 during World War II. In 1966 a major flood dam-
aged numerous art treasures in Florence, but many have since been restored by
the use of sophisticated techniques.
Hotel reservations can also be arranged at the ITA tourist office in the railway
station. The one at Via Cavour cannot make hotel reservations but gives the book-
ing centers of Florence, which are Coopal, Tel: [phone] and Promohotels, Tel:
[phone]; www.promohotels.it . Maps are available at the tourist offices and at
the CIT office (the Gray Line office) outside the station, or purchase the illustrated