Direzione Risorse tecnologiche
Servizio Statistica e toponomastica
ADDRESS SYSTEM and STREET
NUMBERS in FLORENCE
Direzione Risorse tecnologiche
Servizio Statistica e toponomastica
Both public and private streets open to the public, have to be
denominated.
Street signs, regulated by the Codice della Strada (Highway Code),
are marble (downtown) or metallic plaques.
They are usually placed after the corner of the street, at 2-3 meters
above street level.
Direzione Risorse tecnologiche
Servizio Statistica e toponomastica
2.330 place names
•
geographical places (e.g Piazza Francia)
•
famous people (e.g. artists, scientists, historians: Via Leonardo
da Vinci - Florentine men of the past: Via dei Medici)
•
historical events (e.g. Viale XI Agosto)
•
saints (Piazza San Marco)
•
various things (e.g. flowers: Piazza dei Tigli)
Direzione Risorse tecnologiche
Servizio Statistica e toponomastica
Place names follow some rules, the first part is fixed (the generic)
and gives the “kind” of the street (e.g. Via, Viale, Corso, Lungarno),
the second is variable and includes the object/person to be
remembered.
We can’t have homonym names.
People have to have died at least ten years ago, thought, there may
be a derogation of law, given by the state authority in special cases
e.g. for the well known poetry Mario Luzi
Local government chooses the name of the street with the advice of
a committee of experts.
Direzione Risorse tecnologiche
Servizio Statistica e toponomastica
Groups of streets
in one area are
sometimes named
using a particular
theme. They carry
the names of
artists, trees,
countries,
politicians and
more)
Direzione Risorse tecnologiche
Servizio Statistica e toponomastica
In Italy there are two different street numbering systems:
•
sequential numbering along both sides of the street
•
numbering in kilometers the distance from the beginning of the
street (for rural areas) using the metric system
In Florence the street numbering scheme is to number each plot or
building entrance on one side of the road with ascending odd numbers,
from 1, and those on the other with ascending even numbers, from 2,
except for churches and monuments (some including head offices may
have a numeration).
Number plates are fit up by the owner of building/plot or by the local
administration, according to its laws.
The odd numbers are on the left side of the road, while even numbers
are on the right side.
The numbering system for squares is consecutive, from 1.
Direzione Risorse tecnologiche
Servizio Statistica e toponomastica
Where additional buildings are inserted or subdivided, numbers are often
suffixed with letters a, b, (e.g. 19/B, 19/C).
Direzione Risorse tecnologiche
Servizio Statistica e toponomastica
Inner court entrances are usually
suffixed with numbers 1, 2, (e.g.
19/1 or 19/A/1).
Direzione Risorse tecnologiche
Servizio Statistica e toponomastica
Street numbers run parallel to the flow of River Arno (right shore)
Every Municipality gets its street numbers to start from a geographical
location (e.g. a river, a square), Florence has chosen River Arno.
Direzione Risorse tecnologiche
Servizio Statistica e toponomastica
(left shore)
Direzione Risorse tecnologiche
Servizio Statistica e toponomastica
Or run perpendicular to River Arno to the North (right shore)
Direzione Risorse tecnologiche
Servizio Statistica e toponomastica
And from the river Arno to the South (left shore)
Direzione Risorse tecnologiche
Servizio Statistica e toponomastica
About squares, street numbers run anticlockwise for right shore
Direzione Risorse tecnologiche
Servizio Statistica e toponomastica
and clockwise for left side (always from the closest point to the river)
Direzione Risorse tecnologiche
Servizio Statistica e toponomastica
In Florence -Genoa and Savona,
too- houses are marked with black
numbers, while businesses are
usually (but not always) given red
numbers, resulting in two distinct
series for every street. The street
numbers
of
businesses
are
denoted in writing by the addition
of the letter “R" (e.g. Piazza
Duomo, 1R).
Direzione Risorse tecnologiche
Servizio Statistica e toponomastica
In Florence:
5 neighborhoods
110.000 street numbers
40% residential
24.000 red numbers
374.000 residents
54.000 foreigners