Tuscan Wealth

The original inhabitants of Tuscany, along with Umbria and some other parts of Italy, were the Etruscans, about whom little is known. They inhabited the area from around 700BCE to 100BCE, when they succumbed to the Romans, who established many towns. Archaeological evidence shows it may have been the Etruscans who first enjoyed cooking and eating pasta.

The Middle Ages saw the cities of Pisa, Siena, Arezzo, Pistoia, Lucca, and especially Florence become wealthy thanks to textile manufacture, trade, banking and agriculture. By the 12th century, Florence was beginning to overshadow all its neighbouring cities. It was ruled by an oligarchy of wealthy aristocrats, most importantly the Medici family who became dominant in the 15th century. Under the patronage of these wealthy families, arts and literature flourished as nowhere else in Europe.