Florence
Florence, capital of the region of Tuscany, has a population of around half a million inhabitants, spreads on the banks of the Arno, between the Adriatic and the Tyrrhenian seas, almost in the middle of the Italian peninsula. I
t is a city which bustles with industry and craft, commerce and culture, art and science. Being on the main national railway lines, it is easily accessible from most important places both in Italy and abroad. The Florence "Vespucci" airport, where both national and international airlines stop, is located 5 Km. from the city centre. The main motorway, A1, connects Florence with Bologna and Milano in the North and Rome and Naples in the South. The motorway A11 to the sea joins it to Prato, Pistoia, Montecatini, Lucca, Pisa and all the resorts on the Tyrrhenian sea. There is also motorway which connects Florence to Siena. The climate is temperate but rather variable, with breezy winters and hot summers.
Florence attracts a high proportion of international travelers to Italy. The city is an active centre of art and culture, and organizes periodical exhibitions and art festivals. Take for example the summer, when music, cinema, dance and theatre pour out onto the streets and into the squares. There are several outdoor cinemas to be found in Florence, one in the grounds of an old villa where the film is projected onto a screen on the facade of the villa. Nearly all the squares are open in the summer months providing entertainment every evening along with refreshment and spectacular views of the surrounding buildings. The other seasons areno exception however as Florence's theatres draw in the crowds with the operas, ballets and special guests, the many venues that Florence is blessed with host exhibitions, concerts, shows and rare collections of paintings. Florence's blends its art and culture in such a way that you'll find there's always something new to see, do or experience, as it offers endless opportunities to become intimately acquainted with the artistic, architectural, literary, and cultural achievements of Italy's past.
The Chianti area, between Florence and Siena, is one of the most beautiful countrysides in Italy and a famous wine production area.