Florence played a significant role during the Renaissance era as a cultural, artistic, and intellectual hub. It was home to influential figures such as Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Botticelli, who contributed immensely to art and science. The city's wealth, largely derived from banking and trade, allowed it to patronize artists and thinkers, fostering innovations in perspective, anatomy, and humanism. The Medicis, a powerful family, were prominent patrons who sponsored various artists and commissioned works that advanced Renaissance ideals. Florence's impact extended beyond art; it also shaped philosophy and literature, emphasizing the value of human experience and inquiry, which continues to resonate today.