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The city lies
on both the banks of the
Arno river, split into
unequal parts; the larger
section lies on the right
bank, and spreads out across
the plain, touching the base
of the hills of Fiesole; the
other half climbs up the
gentle slopes that adorn the
Arno. Florence is a small
city (403,000 inhabitants),
and regional capitol of
Tuscany. From the fifteenth
century onwards it became a
centre of learning in the
arts and sciences
unparalleled since the time
of Athens. Florence
preserves some of the
greatest works of art and
most beautiful buildings in
the world; if we wish to sum
up Italy’s (and world’s)
debt toward Florence,we tend
to mention Dante Alighieri,
the perfection of the
Italian language, artists
from Giotto to Michelangelo,
and in so doing we are
guilty of a terrible
simplification.
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