The Renaissance Art, History and Wine Conference

Florence Italy is the seat of the Renaissance. From Michelangelo's David to the Uffizi to the Duomo, the city of Florence will captivate your soul for a lifetime of memories. 

The great city of Florence was founded by the Romans in 59 BC. It was a colonia, a settlement for retired soldiers and it was called Florentia. The new town flourished and grew under Roman rule.  However, in the 4th century, the Roman Empire split into two, East and West. In the 5th century, Germanic peoples overthrew the Western Roman Empire. The Eastern Roman Empire survived as the Byzantine Empire. In the 6th century, the Byzantine Emperor attempted to reconquer Italy and there was a struggle between the Byzantines and a Germanic people called the Goths. During the fighting, Florence changed hands several times. 

Late in the 6th century, a people called the Lombards captured Florence and there was a long period of peace. Then in 774, Charlemagne captured Florence. By the 11th century Florence was once again a flourishing town and in 1115 the Count of Tuscany made it a self-governing commune. Florence became a large and rich city and in 1252 a gold coin called the florin was minted. 

From 1434 until 1737 the Medicis were the leading family in Florence and in the 15th century, Florence became a center of the arts. 

More information about optional excursions can be found by visiting our partner, Viator here:

When making your hotel reservations, please do so directly with Hotel Silla. It is important that when you make your hotel room reservations, that you specify that you are with Dr. Fanelli's group, as I was able to negotiate reduced room rates for our meeting. Please contact Laura at hotelsilla@hotelsilla.it to reserve your room and be certain to put in the notes "Dr. Fanelli Meeting."  

Space is limited for registered doctors and their guests at this hotel, so be sure to register with me for the meeting and with Laura for the room ASAP. 

THIS MEETING ALWAYS FILLS, SO MAKE YOUR RESERVATIONS AND REGISTER FOR THE MEETING EARLY!

⭐A welcome reception will be held on the evening of May 21, 2025 at 6 pm on the terrace overlooking the Florentine skyline.  Continuing education will be held in the conference from 6:30 am to 12:30 pm on both May 22 and May 23 for a total of 12 hours of COPE approved CE. This will leave the afternoons and evenings to explore the area with colleagues, family and friends.  We start CE early in the morning so that we can finish early. 

 All of our CME is COPE accredited, co-sponsored by the Illinois College of Optometry and approved for Florida re-licensure by CE Broker.