Florence (/ˈflɒrəns/ FLOR-əns; Italian: Firenze [fiˈrɛntse]) is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the Metropolitan City of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 382,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1,520,000 in the metropolitan area.

Florence is famous for its history: a centre of medieval European trade and finance and one of the wealthiest cities of the time, it is considered the birthplace of the Renaissance, and has been called "the Athens of the Middle Ages". A turbulent political history includes periods of rule by the powerful Medici family, and numerous religious and republican revolutions. From 1865 to 1871 the city was the capital of the recently established Kingdom of Italy.

The Historic Centre of Florence attracts millions of tourists each year, and Euromonitor International ranked the city as the world's 89th most visited in 2012, with 1.8 million visitors. It was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1982. The city is noted for its culture, Renaissance art and architecture and monuments. The city also contains numerous museums and art galleries, such as the Uffizi Gallery and the Palazzo Pitti, and still exerts an influence in the fields of art, culture and politics. Due to Florence's artistic and architectural heritage, it has been ranked by Forbes as one of the most beautiful cities in the world.

Florence Foster Jenkins is an upcoming American–British biographical comedy-drama film directed by Stephen Frears and written by Nicholas Martin. The film stars Meryl Streep as Florence Foster Jenkins, a New York heiress who became an opera singer notorious for her bad singing skills. Other cast members include Hugh Grant, Simon Helberg, Nina Arianda, and Rebecca Ferguson. Filming began in May 2015 in London.

Cast

Production

On October 21, 2014, it was announced that Stephen Frears would next direct a biopic Florence, scripted by Nicholas Martin, about Florence Foster Jenkins, a famous opera singer.Meryl Streep was set to play Jenkins while Hugh Grant was set to play stage actor St. Clair Bayfield, Jenkins' partner and manager.Michael Kuhn and Tracey Seaward would produce the film, which Pathé would finance and handle the sales at American Film Market. In November 2014, the film was sold to international distributors, and Pathé would distribute the film in the UK, France and Switzerland.Simon Helberg was set on March 27, 2015 to play Cosmé McMoon, pianist and the accompanist to Jenkins.Rebecca Ferguson was added to the cast on April 1, 2015 to play Bayfield's suffering wife. On April 13, 2015, Nina Arianda joined the film to play Agnes Stark, a showgirl struggling to step-up in the social life with the help of her husband.

Florence Township is a township in Burlington County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township's population was 12,109, reflecting an increase of 1,363 (+12.7%) from the 10,746 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in turn increased by 480 (+4.7%) from the 10,266 counted in the 1990 Census.

Florence was incorporated as a township by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 7, 1872, from portions of Mansfield Township. The township was named for Florence, Italy.

History

The Florence City Company, formed in 1849, organized the original layout of lots and streets in Florence. It also oversaw construction of the Florence Hotel and wharf. The Florence Iron Works was established in 1857 along the Delaware River by Richard Jones. It continued as a major force in the economy of the community, especially after ownership was transferred to Richard D. Wood in 1867. The 1900 United States Census reported that a good portion of the workforce was dependent on the foundry.