Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is one of the most important cities in the history of Western civilization. A center of medieval European trade and finance and one of the wealthiest cities of the time, Florence is considered the birthplace of the Renaissance, and has been called the Athens of the Middle Ages. Today millions of visitors enjoy its architecture and its stunning collection of Renaissance art. Not far away is the medieval town of San Gimignano, famous for its medieval architecture and its preservation of about a dozen of its tower houses, which, with its hilltop setting and encircling walls, form one of history's first "skylines."

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