Florence through the Centuries - Notes on the City's History

Myriad myths and legends surround the origins of the city of Florence and the meaning of its name. Unlike the neighboring town of Fiesole, which was established as an Etruscan settlement in the 7th century BC, Florence was not founded until Roman times.

In the year 59 BC, Julius Caesar rewarded the loyal veterans of his army (Lex Julia) with plots of fertile land in the Arno valley. The first settlement was built on a chessboard-like plan in the form of a classical Roman castrum, or army camp, and originally incorporated only a small area extending from today's Via del Cerretani in the north to around the Piazza della Signoria in the south. The original plot distribution can still be traced in the modern cityscape.

The city was dissected by the main streets and trading routes of the Cardo (north–south) and the Decumanus (east–west), which intersected at what is now known as the Piazza della Repubblica.

The development of the Roman colony was facilitated by the convenient location of the site near the famous Via Cassia, the road which linked Rome to the north of Italy. The city had grown considerably by the 3rd century AC and had developed into an important trade center. The first indications of the nascent Christianization by Syrian traders also appear around this time. St. Miniato is reputed, to have t t'& martyred in Florence in the year 250 as part of the persecution of Christians. Construction of the first churches began shortly after this just outside the gates of the city wall.