The Metropolitan City of Florence ( it, Città Metropolitana di Firenze) is an administrative division called

metropolitan city A metropolis () is a large city or conurbation which is a significant economic, political, and cultural center for a country or region, and an important hub for regional or international connections, commerce, and communications. A big ci ...

in the

Tuscany Tuscany ( ; it, Toscana ) is a Regions of Italy, region in central Italy with an area of about and a population of about 3.8 million inhabitants. The regional capital is Florence (''Firenze''). Tuscany is known for its landscapes, history, art ...

region,

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

. Its capital is the city of

Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico an ...

. It replaced the

Province of Florence The province of Florence ( it, provincia di Firenze) was a province in the northeast of Tuscany region of Italy. The city or ''comune'' of Florence was both the capital of the Province of Florence, and of the Region of Tuscany. It had an area of ...

. It was first created by the reform of local authorities (Law 142/1990) and then established by the Law 56/2014. It has been operative since 1 January 2015.

Geography

The Metropolitan City of Florence is bordered by the

Metropolitan City of Bologna The Metropolitan City of Bologna ( it, Città Metropolitana di Bologna) is a metropolitan city in the Emilia-Romagna region, Italy. Its capital is ''de facto'' the city of Bologna, though the body does not explicitly outline it. It was created by ...

in the north, the

province of Ravenna The province of Ravenna ( it, provincia di Ravenna; ) is a Provinces of Italy, province in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Ravenna. As of 2015, it has a population of 391,997 inhabitants over an area of , giving it ...

and Forlì-Cesena in the north-east, the

province of Prato The province of Prato ( it, provincia di Prato) is a province in the Tuscany region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Prato. It was formed from part of the province of Florence in 1992. The province has an area of and a total population of a ...

Pistoia Pistoia (, is a city and ''comune'' in the Italian region of Tuscany, the capital of a province of the same name, located about west and north of Florence and is crossed by the Ombrone Pistoiese, a tributary of the River Arno. It is a typi ...

and

Lucca Lucca ( , ) is a city and ''comune'' in Tuscany, Central Italy, on the Serchio River, in a fertile plain near the Ligurian Sea. The city has a population of about 89,000, while its province has a population of 383,957. Lucca is known as one o ...

in the north-west, the province of Pisa in the west, the

province of Siena The province of Siena ( it, provincia di Siena, link=no, ) is a province in Tuscany, Italy. Its capital is the city of Siena. Geography The province is divided into seven historical areas: * Alta Val d'Elsa * Chianti senese * The urban area o ...

in the south and the

province of Arezzo The province of Arezzo ( it, provincia di Arezzo) is the easternmost province in the Tuscany region of central Italy. Its capital is the city of Arezzo. The province is bordered by the regions of Marche, Emilia-Romagna, Umbria, and the provinces ...

in the east and southeast. Much of its territory lies in the plain of the

Arno river The Arno is a river in the Tuscany region of Italy. It is the most important river of central Italy after the Tiber. Source and route The river originates on Monte Falterona in the Casentino area of the Apennines, and initially takes a s ...

and has thus become an exurban sprawl around the city of Florence. The northeastern part of the metropolitan city, in the

Apennines The Apennines or Apennine Mountains (; grc-gre, links=no, Ἀπέννινα ὄρη or Ἀπέννινον ὄρος; la, Appenninus or – a singular with plural meaning;''Apenninus'' (Greek or ) has the form of an adjective, which wou ...

, remains less developed. Romagna Granducale is the name given to the region lying on the northern slopes of Apennines. Corn, wine and silk are the chief products in the valley regions. Silk manufacturing was an important industry in the medieval times. Renaissance

polymath A polymath ( el, πολυμαθής, , "having learned much"; la, homo universalis, "universal human") is an individual whose knowledge spans a substantial number of subjects, known to draw on complex bodies of knowledge to solve specific pro ...

Leonardo da Vinci Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci (15 April 14522 May 1519) was an Italian polymath of the High Renaissance who was active as a painter, Drawing, draughtsman, engineer, scientist, theorist, sculptor, and architect. While his fame initially res ...

was born in the village of

Anchiano Anchiano is a hamlet (''frazione'') in the comune of Vinci, Metropolitan City of Florence, Tuscany, central Italy. The village is known for the ancient Villa del Ferrale, with its chapel, Santi Antonio e Francesco. Notable residents * Leonardo d ...

, which is a part of the Metropolitan City of Florence. The capital Florence is a well known cultural and a large tourist centre.

Main sights

The Metropolitan City receives large number of tourists every year. The capital city Florence has been recognised as

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...

. Some major tourist attractions of the city are Piazza del Duomo, Duomo of Santa Maria del Fiore, the Baptistery of San Giovanni,

Giotto's Bell Tower Giotto's Campanile (, also , ) is a free-standing campanile that is part of the complex of buildings that make up Florence Cathedral on the Piazza del Duomo in Florence, Italy. Standing adjacent to the Basilica of Santa Maria del Fiore and the ...

, the

Loggia del Bigallo The Loggia del Bigallo is a late Gothic building in Florence, region of Tuscany, Italy. It stands at the corner of Piazza San Giovanni and via Calzaioli; tradition holds the site near the Baptistry of Florence was donated by a benefactor. Histo ...

and Museo dell'Opera di

Santa Maria del Fiore Santa Claus, also known as Father Christmas, Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Kris Kringle, or simply Santa, is a legendary figure originating in Western Christian culture who is said to bring children gifts during the late evening and overnight ...

Ponte Vecchio The Ponte Vecchio ("Old Bridge", ) is a Middle Ages, medieval stone closed-spandrel Circular segment, segmental arch bridge over the Arno River, in Florence, Italy, Florence, Italy. The only bridge in Florence spared from destruction during the ...

along with many others. Sights in

Barberino di Mugello 240px, Villa di Cafaggiolo. Barberino di Mugello is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Florence in the Italian region Tuscany, located about north of Florence. Barberino di Mugello borders the following municipalities: Ca ...

include Cattani Castle and Palazzo Pretorio. The

Certosa del Galluzzo Certosa is an Italian word meaning Carthusian monastery, or charterhouse. It may refer to: * Certosa di Bologna, a former monastery which was turned into a monumental cemetery * Certosa di Farneta, near Lucca in Tuscany * Certosa di Ferrara * Ce ...

houses artworks by

Pontormo Jacopo Carucci (May 24, 1494 – January 2, 1557), usually known as ''Jacopo da Pontormo'', ''Jacopo Pontormo'', or simply Pontormo, was an Italian Mannerist painter and portraitist from the Florentine School. His work represents a profound st ...

Giovanni Boccaccio Giovanni Boccaccio (, , ; 16 June 1313 – 21 December 1375) was an Italian writer, poet, correspondent of Petrarch, and an important Renaissance humanist. Born in the town of Certaldo, he became so well known as a writer that he was somet ...

's hometown

Certaldo Certaldo is a town and ''comune'' of Tuscany, Italy, in the Metropolitan City of Florence, in the middle of Valdelsa. It is about southwest of the Florence Duomo. It is 50 minutes by rail and 35 minutes by car southwest of Florence, and it is 40 m ...

is home to the Palazzo Pretorio and Boccaccio’s House, while Vinci, birthplace of

, houses a museum dedicated to the Italian polymath. Sesto Fiorentino is known for the Etruscan tomb “La Montagnola”.

Government

List of Metropolitan Mayors of Florence

Economy

Wholesale and retail is the largest sector in the Metropolitan City: , almost 29% of the firms in the former Province of Florence were involved in it. Manufacturing, construction, real estate and agriculture are the next important ones with a percentage share of about 19.5%, 14%, 13.6% and 8% respectively. Tourism is also an important industry.

Empoli Empoli () is a town and ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Florence, Tuscany, Italy, about southwest of Florence, to the south of the Arno in a plain formed by the river. The plain has been usable for agriculture since Roman times. The comm ...

is known for its ancient glass-making industry.

References

* *

External links

* {{Coord, 43.7714, N, 11.2542, E, type:adm2nd_region:IT-52_source:wikidata, display=title

F 2015 establishments in Italy