Florence, Italy is the capital city of the region of Tuscany. From 1865 to 1870, the city was also the capital of the Kingdom of Italy. Florence lies on the Arno River and has a population of approximately 400,000 people. Florence was a center of medieval European trade and finance, and the city is considered the birthplace of the Italian Renaissance, long ruled by the Medici family. Florence is also famous for fine art and architecture. It has been estimated that, of the 1,000 most important European artists of the second millennium, 350 lived or worked in Florence. St. Minias was the first martyr in Florence; he was beheaded around 250 AD, during the anti-Christian persecutions of the Emperor Decius. The Basilica di San Miniato al Monte now stands near the historic spot. At the heart of the city is the Fountain of Neptune, a masterpiece of marble sculpture at the terminus of a still functioning Roman aqueduct. The city is steeped in culture, from monuments to ruins, art galleries to architecture.