When flying over Italy, the eye is caught by the extraordinary density and physical presence of its cities. An amazing string of towns enclosed by ancient ramparts and topped by bell towers that reach to the sky, embody a singular history that dates back to the end of the Middle Ages.

In those days, the Italian peninsula - unlike the Kingdom of France – was far from being one country. Yet, throughout the territory, an original urban society had been developing that would impose itself over time. On three continents, the Italian cities that were larger and more populous than any other city in Europe, imposed their law on an empire and a number of kingdoms thanks to their extensive commercial network.
This supremacy found its expression not only in a unique urban architecture, but also through the invention of political structures that shook the feudal world.

AVAILABLE FOR VIEWING: French version only.