Four Italian cities dominated Mediterranean trade for 500 years. Their competition shaped everything from banking to art to the discovery of America.
Plan a history trip →Amalfi (839–1131): the first. Invented the maritime compass (probably). Created the Tavole Amalfitane (maritime law code used for centuries). Declined after Norman conquest and a tsunami (1343). Pisa (1000–1406): built the cathedral, baptistery, and leaning tower with conquest spoils. Defeated by Genova at the Battle of Meloria (1284). Genova (1100–1797): "La Superba." Rivaled Venice for eastern trade. Columbus was Genoese. The Banco di San Giorgio (1407) was one of Europe’s first banks. Venice (697–1797): the longest-lasting republic in history (1,100 years). Dominated the eastern Mediterranean. Controlled Crete, Cyprus, and the Adriatic. The Arsenal employed 16,000 workers and could build a ship in a day.
Venice: Palazzo Ducale (€25), Arsenal (exterior visible, interior during Biennale), Rialto Bridge (1591). Genova: Palazzi dei Rolli (UNESCO, open during Rolli Days), Porto Antico (Renzo Piano). Pisa: Piazza dei Miracoli (€18 combo all monuments). Amalfi: Cathedral (free exterior, €3 cloister), Museo della Carta (paper mill, €5).
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