In the 15th century, Italy was just like any other place in Europe. Italy was divided into several independent city states. Each city had a different form of government. The Italian Renaissance began in Florence which was then an independent republic. Some Italian thinkers decided and declared that it was time for the New Age also known as the Renaissance or ‘œrebirth.’

Some of the interesting facts about the Italian renaissance are:

Fact 1: The New Age or the Renaissance gave birth to writers and thinkers who dedicated their lives toward learning, writing, art, and literature.

Fact 2: One of the cornerstones of the Renaissance was the New Humanism. The wealthy elites spent their money by becoming patrons, artists, and writers. The elites traveled around Italy to rediscover and study the culture and ancient remains of Greece and Rome.

Fact 3: During the 15th century, Italy was divided into 250 separate, city states. Italy became a unified nation only after the 19th century.

Fact 4: Leonardo da Vinci is known as the ‘œRenaissance Man.’

Fact 5: The Renaissance gave birth to several families that are still remembered in history. One of the important families of the Renaissance period is the Medicis that gave birth to several rulers and artists such as Michelangelo, Donatello, Galileo, and Raphael.

Fact 6: The Renaissance is also considered as the European way of recovery from natural calamities.

Fact 7: Michelangelo painted the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in a standing position by looking up at the ceiling. The painting consists of 300 pictures and took him 4 years to complete the painting.

Fact 8: During the Renaissance period, the smallest city state had a sparse population of around 5,000 people.

Fact 9: The Renaissance was a transitional period between the end of the 14th century (Middle Ages) to the beginning of the 15th century (Modern Age).

Fact 10: The Renaissance influenced humanism, secularization, art and literature.