Why was Italy the cradle of the Renaissance?
Well, because Italy is where the Renaissance happened… If I recall, much of Europe was still behind in terms of cultural development, until they had their own sort of ‘renaissances.’ I recall my history professor at Dartmouth telling our class that the Renaissance, as we know it, was really a reflection of 15th century Italians’ feeling of academic and artistic superiority. Even as it was happening, the Italians knew, or so they thought, that they were doing something great. Raphael’s fresco “The School of Athens,” demonstrates just that – it depicts ancient greats such as Alexander and Pythagoras standing side by side with then modern-day greats like Michelangelo. Also, one more point to consider – the great “Renaissance” was not the only one of its kind. Europe enjoyed another renaissance in the 12th century, although not as grandiose as the fabled Italian one of the 14th and 15th Centuries.
