Europe

The influence of the Italian Renaissance spread slowly northward across

Europe. By the mid-1500s as the Italian Renaissance was drawing to a
close, its influence continued to spread across the rest of Europe.

Location - Where did the Renaissance begin?

The map of Europe that you find in this section of the Renaissance Files
displays European boundaries as they exist today. This map was
provided to give you a frame of reference. The section of the map that
displays Italy is divided into the boundaries of the actual city-states as
they existed during the Renaissance. Italy is located north of Africa and
west of the nations of todays Middle East. Its strategic location has been
critical in the development of world civilization.
In viewing the map of Italy, you can tell that it is uniquely located from a
geographic perspective. Italy is a peninsula of both temperate and
warmer climates, well suited throughout history for the development of
seaports and inland cities that can be accessed through a series of rivers
which criss-cross the terrain.
Place - What physical and human features characterize the
Renaissance?

Physical Features
The peninsula of Italy is bordered on the West by the Tyrrhenian Sea, on
the East by the Adriatic Sea, and to the South by the Mediterranean Sea.
Three major rivers cross Italy. The Po, Arno, and Tiber Rivers provided
inland access to merchants during the Renaissance as they transported
their wares to cities such as Rome and Florence.
Italy is also a country of mountains. The Alps cross the Italian city-states
to the North and the Apennines travel the northwestern coastline. The
northern third of Italy shares a climate similar to the European nations
of Austria and Switzerland, while the Southern regions of Italy are
warmer like the south of France and Greece.
Human Features
Despite the fact that the Roman Empire fell in the early 400s AD, its
urban network of roads influenced the spread of the Italian Renaissance.
Gradually, the Renaissance moved northward as expanded trade spread
cultural practices, religious beliefs, education, and humanist thought to
other parts of Europe.
Human-Environment Interactions - How were peoples lives shaped
by the geography of Italy, and in turn, how have people shaped the
country?
As a land surrounded by water on three sides, the Italian people, out of
necessity through the centuries, earned their living from the sea and
through trade. Merchants who traveled to China, India, and Japan
returned to share the riches of Indian and Asian cultures. The religious
and educational beliefs of the Muslim world were transmitted through
trade over many centuries. The wealth of various African cultures
mingled as trading partnerships were cultivated with many African
kingdoms.
Large cities were built on the seacoasts or along riverbanks as Italy
developed. Canals were dug to serve as roadways as Venice developed,
and during the Renaissance, the population of many Italian cities grew to
over 100,000 citizens.
The more temperate climate of southern Italy provided the perfect setting
for the growth of products such as grapes and olives, which continue to
be valuable agricultural products today in Italy.
Movement - How were people, products, and ideas moved
throughout the Renaissance and why did such movement occur?

As mentioned previously, the Italian Renaissance grew as a result of the

wealth from trade and a blending of cultural practices from around the
world. The waterways and roadways of the Roman Empire provided the
avenues for transmission. The innovations and inventions in math,
geography, and science, and the music, literature, and artwork of the
Italian Renaissance gradually moved northward across Italy and the rest
of Europe from the 1300s to 1500s AD.
A renewed way of thinking and valuing of the rights of the individual
encouraged an interest in exploration. As the riches of other cultures
traveled across Europe and new advances were made in the field of
mapmaking, Europes monarchs became interested in exploring
uncharted lands in search of new discoveries. Not only were these rulers
interested in the possible wealth they could accumulate, they also had
dreams of spreading their religious beliefs to other cultures around the
world.
Region - How was the Italian region similar geographically to other
locations and what features set the country apart?
In many ways Italy is the geographic bridge between the climates of
northern and southern Europe. The cooler, northern regions, as
mentioned earlier, are very similar in appearance to the nations of
modern day Switzerland and Austria. The Naples region of Italy
resembles the warmer climate of Greece and southern France.
Geographically, what makes Italy unique is what made it the perfect
setting for the birthplace of the Renaissance. Its miles of coastline and
centrally accessible location between Africa, the Middle East, positioned
it well for trade. Its long history as the heart of the Roman Empire and
its network of overland transportation, provided a manmade avenue to
central and northern Europe.
Today, as you reflect back upon this rich time period, think about key
factors in the development of the Renaissance. Perhaps now, the
statement "Location is everything!" will have more meaning for you.

A Northward Flow
The Renaissance began in
Italy during the 13th century.
As you can see from the
brightly colored map to the
left, Italy was not a unified
country. Instead, it was
made up of several
independent city-states.
Italy was in a prime
geographic location on the
overland and sea trade
routes. The city-states had
easy water and land access,
were centrally located in
Europe, and benefited from a
network of roads that
remained from the Roman
Empire.

Italy has a variety of climate systems. The inland northern areas of Italy
(for example Turin, Milan, and Bologna) have a relatively cool, midlatitude version of the Humid subtropical climate (Kppen climate
classification Cfa), while the coastal areas of Liguria and the peninsula
south of Florence generally fit the Mediterranean climate profile (Kppen
climate classification Csa).
Between the north and south there can be a considerable difference in
temperature, above all during the winter: in some winter days it can be
2 C (28 F) and snowing in Milan, while it is 8 C (46.4 F) in Rome and
20 C (68 F) in Palermo. Temperature differences are less extreme in the
summer.
Italy map of Kppen climate classification.
Mont Blanc (Monte Bianco), the highest mountain in Italy and Western
Europe.
The east coast of the Italian peninsula is not as wet as the west coast,
but is usually colder in the winter. The east coast north of Pescara is
occasionally affected by the cold bora winds in winter and spring, but the
wind is less strong here than around Trieste. During these frosty spells
from ENE cities like Rimini, Ancona, Pescara and the entire eastern

hillside of the Apennines can be affected by true "blizzards". The town of

Fabriano, located just around 300 m (984 ft) in elevation, can often see
0.50.6 m (1 ft 7.7 in1 ft 11.6 in) of fresh snow fall in 24 hours during
these episodes.
On the coast from Ravenna to Venice and Trieste, snow falls more rarely:
during cold spells from the east, the cold can be harsh but with bright
skies; while during the snowfalls that affect Northern Italy, the Adriatic
coast can see a milder Sirocco wind which makes snow turn to rainthe
mild effects of this wind often disappear just a few kilometres inside the
plain, and sometimes the coast from Venice to Grado sees snow while it
is raining in Trieste, the Po River mouths and Ravenna. Rarely, the city of
Trieste may see snow blizzards with north-eastern winds; in the colder
winters, the Venice Lagoon may freeze, and in the coldest ones even
enough to walk on the ice sheet.[1]
Tuscan landscape.
Summer is usually more stable, although the northern regions often
have thunderstorms in the afternoon/night hours and some grey and
rainy days. So, while south of Florence the summer is typically dry and
sunny, in the north it tends to be more humid and cloudy. Spring and
Autumn weather can be very changeable, with sunny and warm weeks
(sometimes with Summer-like temperatures) suddenly broken off by cold
spells or followed by rainy and cloudy weeks.
In the north precipitation is more evenly distributed during the year,
although the summer is usually slightly wetter. Between November and
March the Po valley is often covered by fog, especially in the central zone
(Pavia, Piacenza, Cremona and Mantua), while the number of days with
lows below 0 C (32 F) is usually from 60 to 90 a year, with peaks of
100110 days in the mainly rural zones.[2] Snow is quite common
between early December and early March in cities like Turin, Milan and
Bologna, but sometime it appears in late November or late March and
even April. In the winter of 20052006, Milan received around 0.750.8
m (2 ft 5.53 in2 ft 7.50 in) or 7580 cm (29.531.5 in) of fresh snow,
Como around 1 m (3 ft 3.37 in) or 100 cm (39.4 in), Brescia 0.5 m (1 ft
7.69 in) or 50 cm (19.7 in), Trento 1.6 m (5 ft 2.99 in) or 160 cm (63.0
in), Vicenza around 0.45 m (1 ft 5.72 in) or 45 cm (17.7 in), Bologna
around 0.3 m (11.81 in) or 30 cm (11.8 in), and Piacenza around 0.8 m
(2 ft 7.50 in) or 80 cm (31.5 in) [3]
Lake Garda from Riva del Garda.
Summer temperatures are often similar north to south. July
temperatures are 2224 C (71.675.2 F) north of river Po, like in Milan
or Venice, and south of river Po can reach 2425 C (75.277.0 F) like in
Bologna, with fewer thunderstorms; on the coasts of Central and

Southern Italy, and in the near plains, mean temperatures goes from 23
C to 27 C (80.6 F). Generally, the hottest month is August in the south
and July in the north; during these months the thermometer can reach
3842 C (100.4107.6 F) in the south and 3235 C (89.695.0 F) in
the north; Sometimes the country can be split as during winter, with
rain and 2022 C (68.071.6 F) during the day in the north, and 3040
C (86104 F) in the south; but, having a hot and dry summer does not
mean that Southern Italy will not see rain from June to August.
The coldest month is January: the Po valley's mean temperature is
between 11 C (30.233.8 F), Venice 23 C (35.637.4 F), Trieste 4 C
(39.2 F), Florence 56 C (41.042.8 F), Rome 78 C (44.646.4 F),
Naples 9 C (48.2 F), and Cagliari 12 C (53.6 F). Winter morning lows
can occasionally reach 30 to 20 C (22.0 to 4.0 F) in the Alps, 14
to 8 C (6.8 to 17.6 F) in the Po valley, 7 C (19.4 F) in Florence, 4
C (24.8 F) in Rome, 2 C (28.4 F) in Naples and 2 C (35.6 F) in
Palermo. In cities like Rome and Milan, strong heat islands can exist, so
that inside the urban area, winters can be milder and summers more
sultry.
On some winter mornings it can be just 3 C (26.6 F) in Milan's Dome
plaza while 8 to 9 C (17.6 to 15.8 F) in the metropolitan outskirts, in
Turin can be just 5 C (23.0 F) in the city centre and 10 to 12 C
(14.0 to 10.4 F) in the metropolitan outskirts. Often, the largest
snowfalls happen in February, sometime in January or March; in the
Alps, snow falls more in autumn and spring over 1,500 m (4,921 ft),
because winter is usually marked by cold and dry periods; while the
Apennines see many more snow falls during winter, but they are warmer
and less wet in the other seasons.
Both the mountain chains can see up to 510 m (16 ft 4.85 in32 ft 9.70
in) or 5001,000 cm (196.9393.7 in) of snow in a year at 2,000 m (6,562
ft); on the highest peaks of the Alps, snow may fall even during mid
summer, and glaciers are present.
The record low is 45 C (49 F) in the Alps, and 29.0 C (20.2 F)
near sea level (recorded on January 12, 1985 at San Pietro Capofiume,
hamlet of Molinella, in the Province of Bologna), while in the south cities
like Catania, Foggia, Lecce or Alghero have experienced highs of 46 C
(114.8 F) in some hot summers.
For the most part Europe lies in the northern temperate climate zone.
Much of far western Europe is classified as a Temperate Oceanic climate,
while far southern Europe is a Mediterranean climate in the south. The
climate is strongly conditioned by the Gulf Stream, which keeps mild air
(for the latitude) over Northwestern Europe in the winter months,
especially in Ireland, the UK and coastal Norway. While Western Europe
has an oceanic climate, Eastern Europe has a drier, continental climate.

Parts of the Central European plains have a hybrid oceanic/continental

climate. Four seasons occur in Eastern Europe, while southern Europe
experiences distinct wet season and dry seasons, with prevailing hot and
dry conditions during the summer months. The heaviest precipitation
occurs downwind of water bodies due to the prevailing westerlies, with
higher amounts also seen in the Alps. Tornadoes occur within Europe,
with most but not all occurrences being weak.