Historical figures in Florence

The atlas holds 38 people and 82 moments here, from 1217 to 1963. The most recorded lives are Galileo Galilei, Michelangelo and Niccolò Machiavelli. Among them Writers, Political Leaders and Philosophers, across the Renaissance and the Age of Exploration.

Notable people

1. Adolf Hitler

   in 1940

   1 moment here

   Adolf Hitler (1889–1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who led the National Socialist German Workers’ Party (NSDAP), became German…

2. Arthur Schopenhauer

   in 1822

   1 moment here

   German philosopher and writer, born in Danzig and dead in Frankfurt am Main. His documented movements included childhood residences in Hamburg and Le…

3. Dante Alighieri

   from 1265 to 1300

   5 moments here

   Florentine poet, prose writer, philosopher, and statesman whose Divine Comedy became a foundational work of Italian and European literature.…

4. Enrico Fermi

   in 1925

   1 moment here

   Italian and naturalized-American physicist whose documented movements trace a path from Rome and Pisa through European study in Göttingen and Leiden,…

5. Federico Fellini

   in 1938

   1 moment here

   Italian film director and screenwriter whose career developed from caricature and comic writing in Rimini and Rome into internationally influential…

6. Florence Nightingale

   in 1820

   1 moment here

   English social reformer, statistician, and nursing pioneer. Nightingale’s documented movements span childhood homes in England; travel and nursing…

7. Francis of Assisi

   in 1217

   1 moment here

   Italian Catholic friar, deacon, preacher, and founder of the Order of Friars Minor. Born Giovanni di Pietro di Bernardone at Assisi, he renounced his…

8. Frank Lloyd Wright

   in 1910

   1 moment here

   American architect, designer, writer, and educator whose career spanned more than seven decades.…

9. Fyodor Dostoyevsky

   from 1862 to 1869

   2 moments here

   Russian novelist, journalist, essayist, and former military engineer whose life moved between Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Siberian imprisonment and…

10. Galileo Galilei

    from 1574 to 1642

    11 moments here

    Italian astronomer, physicist, engineer, mathematician, and natural philosopher. Born in Pisa, Galileo was educated in Tuscany, taught mathematics at…

11. Garrincha

    in 1958

    1 moment here

    Manuel Francisco dos Santos, known as Garrincha, was a Brazilian right winger. He spent most of his club career with Botafogo and won the FIFA World…

12. Geoffrey Chaucer

    in 1373

    1 moment here

    English poet, courtier, diplomat, and civil servant, best known for The Canterbury Tales. His documented career included military service in France,…

13. Giovanni Boccaccio

    from 1341 to 1373

    4 moments here

    Italian writer, poet, and humanist, best known for the Decameron. His documented life moved between Florence, Naples, Romagna, papal Avignon and…

14. Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz

    in 1689

    2 moments here

    German polymath, philosopher, mathematician, jurist, diplomat, court councillor, historian, and librarian.…

15. Heinrich Heine

    in 1828

    1 moment here

    German poet, essayist, journalist, and literary critic. Born in Düsseldorf, Heine studied in Bonn, Göttingen, and Berlin, traveled widely in Germany…

16. Hermann Hesse

    in 1901

    1 moment here

    German-Swiss poet, novelist, essayist, and painter. Hesse’s documented life moved between Württemberg, Switzerland, Italy, and Southeast Asia:…

17. Honoré de Balzac

    in 1837

    1 moment here

    French novelist and playwright, born in Tours and dead in Paris. Balzac created La Comédie humaine, an interlinked fictional panorama of…

18. Italo Calvino

    in 1943

    1 moment here

    Italian novelist, short-story writer, editor, journalist, and member of Oulipo. Born in Cuba, raised chiefly in Sanremo, and active across Italy,…

19. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

    in 1786

    1 moment here

    German poet, dramatist, novelist, scientist, theatre director, and statesman. Born in Frankfurt, Goethe studied in Leipzig and Strasbourg, practiced…

20. John Milton

    from 1638 to 1639

    3 moments here

    English poet, polemicist, and civil servant. This chronology follows documented residences, education, continental travel, marriages, public service,…

21. Juan Manuel Fangio

    in 1955

    1 moment here

    Argentine racing driver Juan Manuel Fangio was a five-time Formula One World Drivers’ Champion.…

22. Lars Onsager

    in 1948

    1 moment here

    Norwegian-American physical chemist and theoretical physicist whose career took him from Norway and Switzerland to major American universities.…

23. Le Corbusier

    from 1907 to 1963

    3 moments here

    Charles-Édouard Jeanneret-Gris, known as Le Corbusier, was a Swiss-born French architect, designer, painter, writer, and urban planner.…

24. Leonardo da Vinci

    from 1469 to 1503

    3 moments here

    Italian Renaissance painter, draftsman, engineer, architect, anatomist, and natural philosopher.…

Moments

1. 1217 Meeting with Cardinal Hugolin at Florence Francis of Assisi
2. 1265 Born in Florence Dante Alighieri
3. 1283 Exchanged greetings with Beatrice in Florence Dante Alighieri
4. 1290 Studied at Santa Maria Novella Dante Alighieri
5. 1294 Met Charles Martel in Florence Dante Alighieri
6. 1300 Resided in the Palazzo della Signoria as prior Dante Alighieri
7. 1305 Childhood at Incisa Petrarch
8. 1341 Return to Florence Giovanni Boccaccio
9. 1348 Black Death in Florence Giovanni Boccaccio
10. 1350 First meeting with Petrarch near Florence Giovanni Boccaccio
11. 1373 Diplomatic visit to Florence Geoffrey Chaucer
12. 1373 First Dante lecture at Santo Stefano Giovanni Boccaccio
13. 1469 Moves to Florence Leonardo da Vinci
14. 1469 Birth in Florence Niccolò Machiavelli
15. 1475 Brought to Florence as an infant Michelangelo
16. 1481 Lives with a stonecutter at Settignano Michelangelo
17. 1490 Lives in the Medici household Michelangelo
18. 1493 Hosted at Santo Spirito Michelangelo
19. 1500 Returns to Florence Leonardo da Vinci
20. 1501 Returns from Rome to Florence Michelangelo
21. 1503 Returns from Borgia's service Leonardo da Vinci
22. 1504 Works at the Palazzo della Signoria Michelangelo
23. 1504 Florentine period Raphael
24. 1504 Move to Florence Raphael
25. 1506 Takes refuge in Florence Michelangelo
26. 1512 Confinement in Florentine territory Niccolò Machiavelli
27. 1513 Orti Oricellari discussions Niccolò Machiavelli
28. 1513 Imprisonment after conspiracy accusation Niccolò Machiavelli
29. 1513 Retreat to the Albergaccio estate Niccolò Machiavelli
30. 1519 Recorded in Florence by his own letter Michelangelo
31. 1527 Remains in republican Florence Michelangelo
32. 1527 Death in Florence Niccolò Machiavelli
33. 1529 Returns to besieged Florence Michelangelo
34. 1530 Hides after Florence falls Michelangelo
35. 1574 Moved from Pisa to Florence Galileo Galilei
36. 1581 Visit to Florence Michel de Montaigne
37. 1588 Taught art and perspective in Florence Galileo Galilei
38. 1601 Journey through Florence to Rome Peter Paul Rubens
39. 1610 Moved permanently to Florence Galileo Galilei
40. 1611 Stayed at Villa Le Selve Galileo Galilei
41. 1611 Visited Villa Marignolle Galileo Galilei
42. 1617 Resided at Bellosguardo Galileo Galilei
43. 1631 Moved to Villa Il Gioiello Galileo Galilei
44. 1633 Departed Florence for his trial Galileo Galilei
45. 1633 Returned under arrest to Il Gioiello Galileo Galilei
46. 1634 Lived under house arrest at Arcetri Galileo Galilei
47. 1636 Visit to Galileo in Florence Thomas Hobbes
48. 1638 Meeting Galileo at Arcetri John Milton
49. 1638 First Florentine stay John Milton
50. 1639 Second Florentine stay John Milton

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