As many of you probably know Rome was not the first capital city of Italy, and even not the second. When the Reign of Italy was formed, in 1861, the first city to be proclamed capital was Turin (the birth town of the Savoy royal family). Then, after 5 years, the governants decided to move the central political power from Turin (that was to close to the French boundary) to Florence.

In those years the city was architecturally and urbanistically revolutionized, in order to give the city a more modern configuration. The wide boulevards, or viali di circonvallazione, were created with the aim of creating a most appropriate web of roads for a capital and even today, obviously with the difficulties caused by the contemporary traffic, they allow citizens and tourists to reach the different parts of the city center, but without crossing it (something that would be impossible to do…). It was an intervention that caused the demolition of a large part of the fourteenth century walls of Arnolfo (now visible only in small portions).

Whole districts of the old town were dismantled and replaced by new ones. The Jewish ghetto was completely demolished, because it was considered not appropriate to the historical centre, and the market square transformed into the modern and elegant Piazza della Repubblica, one of the few examples of nineteenth-century architecture in the city.

At the time, as often happens in case of heavy renovation and radical changes, many intellectuals complained. In their opinion these actions were designed and implemented without any respect for the historical and artistic heritage of the city. The entire conservative Commission of Fine Arts and Monuments of the city resigned, but at the end most part of the works were realized.

All those changes are now an integral part of the history of Florence and also of its rich artistic heritage. This year marks the 150th anniversary, and to celebrate the event, many organizations and institutions will realize exhibitions, meetings and other special events that will take place throughout the year.