Florence is the chief town of the homonymous province and of Tuscany. Important university centre and UNESCO World Heritage Site, it is considered the birthplace of the Renaissance and is universally recognized as one of the cradles of art and architecture, and known as one of the most beautiful cities in the world, thanks to its several monuments and museums – including the Cathedral, Santa Croce, the Uffizi Gallery, Ponte Vecchio, Piazza della Signoria and Palazzo Pitti. In the Middle Ages Pisa was an important cultural, commercial, economic and financial centre; in modern times it has been the capital of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany under the rule of the Medici and the Lorraine. It was the capital of Italy from 1865 to 1871, after the unification of the country (1861).
