Geography of Florence

Florence had a river, named the Arno River running through it,

and into the sea. This

means that it was in

a great geological

position for sea trade

to the Middle East.

This trade led to

the need for banking for

all the money they

made, including the

Florin, which is one of

the first gold coins in

Europe. Florence is

located in Tuscany which

in modern times is

beautiful, and resulted in tourism, but in the renaissance it wasn’t

as important. One thing that did hurt florence was it’s hilly

landscape, so men couldn’t farm on it, but it did lead to the

advantage of sheep farming because the sheep could live on the hilly

landscape just outside the crowded city. This is why the wool and

cloth industry had such a big impact on Florence. Florence had a warm

climate, because it is in central Italy so it allowed for sheep to be

farmed year round.

Ask Yourself

1.Why would the river increase trade, but hurt industry in

Florence?

A.It allowed for mass trading through the sea, from the river, but

this cut out a huge chunk of the city where they could have made

more businesses or homes

2. A family that owned most of the banks in the city was

the Medici family, but they didn’t live in Florence, how do you think

this would make the Florentines feel?

A.I personally would like the family that decided what happens to

me and my business to be in the city they were controlling