Florence [antikvár]

View of Florence Brief historical survey The river Arno cuts its way through the broad plain on which Florence lies, surrounded by the out-hills of the Tusco-Emilian Ap-pennines. Already occupied in prehistoric times, as early as the 8th century B.C. an Italic peoples with a Villanovan culture settled in the area between the Arno and Mugnone rivers, but little is known of these remote times. In 57 B.C. the Román city was founded with the square ground plan of the cas-trum. The decumanus was laid out along what are now the Via del Corso, the Via degli Speziali and the Via Strozzi, while the ancient cardus cor-responds to the line between Piazza San Giovanni, the Via Roma and the Via Caümala. Marcus Aurelius (or it may have been Diocletian) chose it as the seat of the Corrector Italiae, or governor responsible for Tuscany and Umbria. With the arrival of the barbarians, Florence was first besieged by the Os-trogoths (405) of Radagaisus, who plundered the surrounding countryside, HOW TO USE THIS GUIDE This guide is based on a new concept of úrban touring. From whatever their point of departure, visitors may choose the monuments of interest to them without obli-gation to follow a planned itinerary. For this purpose the city has been divided into 12 zones. Each of these is centered around one important monu-ment normally on the list of anyone anxious to know Florence. Other monuments included in the area may or may not be visited according to available time and personal interests. The 12 zones are adjoining to allow a continuous itinerary, if desired, throughout the city. But whatever order is chosen, this volume is simple to consult, allowing visitors freedom of choice and movement. The guide in-cludes a generál map as well as specific maps of each zone.