- Author, Emily Atkinson
- Role, BBC News
Florence has elected its first woman mayor, Sara Funaro, in a decisive defeat of her right-wing opponent.
A local councillor with the centre-left Democratic Party (PD), it retained governance of the Italian city with more than 60% of the vote.
Eike Schmidt, the ex-director of Florence’s famous Uffizi Gallery, backed by Italy’s far-right coalition government, took 39%.
The ballot completed a round of elections in which centre-left parties won in five regional capitals.
Speaking to reporters as the…