Empoli

Empoli is a town in Tuscany, Italy, about 30 km southwest of Florence. It is 30 m above sea-level, to the south of the Arno. The plain  of the town has been usable for agriculture since Roman times. Empoli is on the main railway line from Florence to Pisa and is well joined with the city of Siena. 
Empoli has a long tradition as an agricultural centre. It has given its name to a local kind of artichoke.

History
Empoli was already settled in the time of the early Roman Empire, and still existed in the 4th century AD. The river near the city was a good route for the trade of agricultural products, together with the local amphorae. 
Since the 8th century Empoli grew as a town around the castle, known as Emporium or Empolis. In 1119 it was controlled by Guidi. In 1182, it went under Florentine rule. In 1260, after the Battle of Montaperti, Empoli was the seat of a famous council in which Farinata degli Uberti opposed the destruction of Florence. Later Empoli became an important fortress.

Important places and monuments
The Piazza Farinata degli Uberti, also known as Piazza dei Leoni ("Lions Square"), in the middle there is a fountain by Luigi Pampaloni (1827). Here lies the Collegiata di Sant'Andrea, the main city's monument.
The Palazzo Ghibellino is the former palace of the Guidi counts. It was probably built in the 11th century.
The Palazzo Pretorio was the Town Hall in the Middle Ages.

In the frazione of Pontorme is the house of the painter Pontormo.

Important people from Empoli
Giovanni da Empoli (1483–1518), navigator
Jacopo Carrucci, better known as Pontormo (1494–1556), painter
Jacopo da Empoli (1551–1640), painter
Alessandro Marchetti (1633–1714), mathematician and writer
Giuseppe del Papa (1648–1735), doctor and philosopher
Ippolito Neri (1652–1708), doctor and poet
Renato Fucini (1843–1921), writer
Giuliano Vanghetti (1861–1940), orthopaedist
Ferruccio Busoni (1866–1924), musician
Alberto Castellani (1884–1932), Eastern countries scholar
Mentore Maggini (1890–1941), astronomer
Remo Scappini (1908–1994), politician and anti-Fascist militant
Carlo Rovini (1932–1988), poet and writer

Sport
Empoli's main football team is Empoli F.C., which is currently playing in Serie B.

Twin cities
 Sankt Georgen an der Gusen, Austria
 Aubervilliers, France
 Besançon, France
 Toledo, Spain
 Namur, Belgium

References

Empoli
Category:Province of Florence