Italy’s location has allowed it to receive influences from neighboring regions even dating back to ancient times. The Romans were influenced by groups like the Etruscans and Greeks in their early history, and later by other groups like the Egyptians and Persians from whom they learned the worship of Near Eastern gods. What this means is that culture in Italy was honed to a high state of sophistication because of these diverse influences.
In the late Middle Ages and Renaissance, the situation was quite different. Italy was a center of religious art during this time, and the artists of this period were more culturally isolated perhaps than Italians in ancient times because this period was not particularly notable for a high state of culture. Italian artists, therefore, had to get the creative ball rolling again, a feat which they accomplished quite successfully. How were they able to do this? Well, you will have to travel to Italy to find out