Florence is one of Italy's major cities and is 30 miles south of Bologna and 125 miles north of Rome. Florence, the capital of Tuscany, is located on the banks of the River Arno and is surrounded by the Chianti and Apennine mountains. Because of its rocky surroundings, the city has little room to expand, so Florence experiences dense population and raised levels of traffic and pollution.
Tourism started in Florence in the 1700s during the times of the Grand Tour, when young aristocrats would travel to European cities such as Paris, Venice, Rome and Florence to complete their classical education. Florentine tourism has experienced low periods, especially during times of military conflict and natural disasters, including Bonaparte's invasion in the late 1700s, the World Wars and the great floods of the 1960s. Florence continues to welcome more than 5 million tourists a year.
High tourist season in Florence is from April to June, when the weather is mild and comfortable. It gets crowded in July and August, when Italians generally take their summer holidays. Tourists who are willing to brave the cold weather and short days of winter will avoid the crowds and elevated hotel prices of high tourist season. Additionally, ski season in the mountains around Florence is basically when there is enough snow and this will change from year to year.
Tourism is one of Florence's major source of revenue. Ten per cent of Italy's GDP is from tourism alone. American tourists provide the most business for the major Italian cities. Depending on the economy, this can be beneficial or disastrous for Italy. For example, the economic downturn of 2009 saw a 25-percent decrease in tourism in Italy, resulting in a loss of 150,000 tourism-related jobs. Price cuts were initiated to try to attract tourists.
Florence is famous for its art galleries, which contain treasured Italian and international pieces. The Uffizi Gallery houses paintings by Caravaggio, Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo and Rembrandt; the Accademia Gallery is home to Michelangelo's famous sculpture of David; and the Pitti Palace is comprised of the Palatine Gallery, which contains works by Giorgione, Fra Bartolomeo, Caravaggio and Titian, and the Gallery of Modern Art.
