Venice, in spite of an uninterrupted republican career, produced no commanding men of letters, and owed much of her splendor in the art of painting to aliens from Cadore, Castelfranco, and Verona.
Genoa remained silent and irresponsive to the artistic movement of Italy until the last days of the republic, when her independence was but a shadow.

Pisa, though a burgh of Tuscany, displayed no literary talent, while her architecture dates from the first period of the Commune.
Siena, whose republican existence lasted longer even than that of Florence, contributed nothing of importance to Italian literature.

The art of Perugia was developed during the ascendency of despotic families.
The painting of the Milanese School owed its origin to Lodovico Sforza, and survived the tragic catastrophes of his capital, which suffered more than any other from the brutalities of Spaniards and Frenchmen.

Next to Florence, the most brilliant centers of literary activity during the bright days of the Renaissance were princely Ferrara and royal Naples.
Lastly, we might insist upon the fact that the Italian language took its first flight in the court of imperial Palermo, while republican Rome remained dumb throughout the earlier stage of Italian literary evolution.

Thus the facts of the case seem to show that culture and republican independence were not so closely united in Italy as some historians would seek to make us believe.