The River, the Wool, and the Money

Before the Medici. Before the Dome. Before the David.There was a small city on the banks of a river that processed wool, lent money, and survived its own internal wars. A city that lost half its population in a spring of plague and remained standing. That forged a republican identity in the fires of adversity and accumulated—without yet knowing what it was accumulating—everything it would need to change the world.This is episode one — the world before it all began.-Florence: The City That Changed the World is a series about the city that invented the Renaissance, financed Europe, and left a legacy still present in everything you see, think, and use every day.Don't forget to subscribe, thank you for listening, and if you'd like to support or contribute to the project, ⁠reach out through Instagram⁠.