The Importance of Rome

The transition from the Renaissance to the Enlightenment to the Industrial Revolution happened far slower in Italy than it should have. A lot of that has to do with the fact that Italy remained religious, Italy remained enthralled with the Catholic Church and Inquisition. And because the anti-reformation was in Inquisition, that held Italy back and still, I think still Italy is hurting. It never caught up and Italy became the center of the world if you were for opera in the 19th century.