November 18th 1865 marks a historic date for the city of Florence and for Italy.

On this day, for the first time, the Parliament of the Kingdom of Italy met in the Salone dei Cinquecento, inside Palazzo Vecchio, a symbol of Florentine power and culture.

Thus began the period of Florence as the Capital, and although it lasted only six years, from February 3rd 1865 to June 30th 1871, it was a brief chapter in a much broader story. The story of Florence as the capital is intertwined with the birth of the Kingdom of Italy and its growing presence in the international relations of Europe at the time.

The city was, in many ways, shaken—just as its inhabitants were: around 30,000 people moved to Florence within the span of a year (bureaucrats, court staff, and others whose work followed the political center of the State), along with merchants and shops connected to these activities. This change, welcomed without enthusiasm by many Florentines, brought major transformations to the city’s urban fabric, inaugurating what became known as the “Risanamento of Florence” (urban renewal).

The Chamber of Deputies was installed in Palazzo Vecchio, as was the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; the Senate, instead, was placed inside the Uffizi. The Prime Minister’s office and the Ministry of the Interior were set up in Palazzo Medici Riccardi. The Ministry of Public Works occupied the convent of Santa Maria Novella, while the Ministry of Education moved into the former convent of San Firenze.

New housing was built for state employees, the Campo di Marte was created for military activities, and hydraulic works were started to contain the Arno River. Le Cascine, which at the time were used for livestock and military training, were transformed into a park.

Following the urban example of major European capitals, the need arose to give a new face to the medieval city, through the work of the Florentine architect and urban planner Giuseppe Poggi.

His most significant intervention was the demolition of the ancient city walls, inspired by Paris and Vienna, with the construction of ring boulevards, and the development of the Viale dei Colli, which led to San Miniato and Piazzale Michelangelo, conceived as a true terrace overlooking the city.