The historic center of Florence, the ancient Florentia, originated as a Roman city in the Arno Valley. The first settlements in the area date back to the Copper Age. Later, the Etruscans settled on the nearby hills and founded the city of Vipsul (known today as Fiesole).
The Etruscans also created a crossing point over the Arno to connect their territories. They chose the narrowest point of the river, where Ponte Vecchio stands today.
In 59 BC, Julius Caesar officially founded a colony for his veterans called Florentia. The name means “city that flourishes” and was intended as an omen of prosperity.
The city of Florentia was built following the model of the Castrum, a fortified military camp. Its layout was square and surrounded by walls, with four gates, one on each side.
Two main streets crossed the city and intersected perpendicularly: the Cardo (north-south) and the Decumanus (east-west). Today, these streets correspond to Via Roma and Via del Corso.
The meeting point of these two streets was the Forum, the center of civic life. Today, this location corresponds to Piazza della Repubblica. At the exact center of the square stands the Column of Abundance (Colonna dell’Abbondanza), which marks the ancient center of the city.
