Florence is a city in central Italy, located on the Arno River at the foot of the Apennines Mountains. Among all Italian cities, Florence is considered the seat of the Renaissance. Leonardo went to Florence as a boy to study in Verrocchio's workshop. The city was ruled by the Medici family, who were great patrons of the arts. Other Renaissance figures associated with Florence include the architect Brunelleschi, who created the great dome for the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore; the artist Michelangelo, whose famous sculpture David resides in the Academia in Florence; and the statesman and political theorist Niccolo Machiavelli, who wrote The Prince.
