Renaissance (14th–16th century)

The Renaissance — the "rebirth" of ancient art and science — began in Florence and is Italy's greatest contribution to human history. Driven by the wealth of merchant families (foremost the Medici) and the competition among city-states, it sparked an explosion of creativity that changed the world forever.

Art: Giotto, Brunelleschi, Donatello, Botticelli, Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael, Titian — within 200 years, Italian artists created a large portion of the masterpieces we consider today as the pinnacles of Western art.

Science: Galileo Galilei revolutionized astronomy, Leonardo was an engineer and inventor, Machiavelli founded modern political science, Columbus (from Genoa) discovered America.

Architecture: Brunelleschi's dome in Florence (1436) was an engineering feat that surpassed everything before it. Palladio in Vicenza defined an architectural language that still shapes Western architecture today (the White House, the Capitol, and countless mansions worldwide are inspired by Palladio).