RENAISSANCE
The Renaissance was a great rebirth of Classical art, literature, and science. It began in the Italian city-state of Florence in the 14th century and it was characterized by the spread of humanism and the beginning of objective scientific inquiry. Wealthy Florentine merchants and bankers such as the powerful Medici family, saw themselves as the heirs of the great figures of the ancient Roman Empire. Many of these families became the lavish patrons of artists and scholars in order to increase their own prestige and secure political power.
MoreEMILIA-ROMAGNA REGION
LOMBARDY REGION
PAPAL STATES REGION
The Papal States is an area in Italy that is held by the church. The Catholic Church has owned land since the fourth century, yet it had no governing powers over the land which it possessed. The popes began to gain temporal power during the Lombardic times. In 754, Pope Stephen II enlisted the help of the Franks to depose the Lombards who were encroaching on papal territory and succeeded in ousting the Lombards from northern Italy.
MorePIEDMONT REGION
The region of Piedmont, is famous for its cuisine, fashion and hospitality. The region of Piedmont, which incorporates the Po Valley up to the foothills of the Alps, has enjoyed political stability for centuries. The primary function, and strategic importance, of the region is due to the fact that Piedmont formed a link between Italy and the rest of Europe. However, like the rest of the north and central Italy, Piedmont was attacked by the waves of barbarian tribes after the fall of the Roman Empire. Between the 6th and 8th centuries, Piedmont was invaded by the Lombards and the Franks. After this period of barbarian invasions, Piedmont came under the control of the House of Savoy and simultaneously, a part of France.
MoreSICILY REGION
Sicily is famous for its hot weather, agriculture, and antique architecture. Sicily is an mountainous region of Italy formed from the mountainous island of Sicily, Pantelleria, the Lipari Islands and other nearby islets. In antiquity, Sicily was a part of the Mycenaean civilization of Crete, but in the 6th century BC it was conquered by the Greeks. During this time Sicily was inhabited by three separate nations: the Sicels (for whom the island has been named) the Sicani, and the Elymians. These people have left a rich legacy in the form of the temples they built when they occupied the areas around Syracuse and the Selinas. When the cities of Syracuse and Akragas were destroyed in the 3rd century BC, Sicily became part of the Roman Empire.
MoreTUSCANY REGION
VENICE REGION
