Here's why:
* Florence's Cultural and Political Influence: During the Renaissance, Florence was a center of art, literature, and commerce, and the Tuscan dialect was the language of its elite. This influence spread throughout Italy as Tuscan literature and poetry gained popularity.
* Dante Alighieri's Role: Dante, considered the father of the Italian language, wrote *The Divine Comedy* in a Tuscan dialect that was widely admired and imitated.
* Political Influence: When the Kingdom of Italy was unified in the 19th century, the Tuscan dialect, particularly the Florentine variety, was chosen as the basis for the official national language.
While other dialects contributed to the evolution of Italian, the Tuscan dialect, especially from the Florence region, had the most significant impact on the standardization of the language.