During the renaissance it would have to be Firenze (Florence). The wealthy Medici family of merchants were great patrons of the arts sponsoring some of the greatest figures in western art such as Michelangelo, Da Vinci and Raphael.
Trade made it prosperous, so Italian patrons could afford art.
One traditional center of Italian art is Florence, which is called 'Firenze' in Italian. Another is Milan, or 'Milano'. Still another is Rome, or 'Roma'. Yet another is Venice, or 'Venezia'. But then art and art centers can be found throughout the Italian peninsula and the Italian islands of Sardinia and Sicily. The modern culture indeed lives up to its ancient legacy as an artistic and art producing nation.
Italy
Lee Clements
As discussed, the four most important influences of Western art history are:
Timbuktu is the center of Islamic art and learning
People know that Leanardo was Italian and made the most famous paiinting, the mona Lisa.
Marie Ruvoldt has written: 'The Italian Renaissance imagery of inspiration' -- subject(s): Art, Italian, Art, Renaissance, Inspiration in art, Italian Art, Renaissance Art, Symbolism in art
Diego Rivera's most important masterpiece -- although much of its fame was the result of controversy -- would be "Man at the Crossroads" (1934), currently exhibited in the lobby of the Rockefeller Center, NY.
Very detailed in many different ways is a succinct description of Italian art.
During the time the Medici family held power,Florence became the center of Italian art,literature,and culture.