Italy's position in the central part of the Mediterranean gave it opportunity to become a trading center in Europe. Multiple city-states focused on trading and manufacturing unique and demanded goods, so they started to get in constant contact with the Middle East more and more. As they did, they started to adopt new ideas, technologies, but also got in touch with the ancient literature of the Romans and the ancient Greeks. This led to a desire to revive the old ways, to focus on philosophy, science, advancement, which gradually created a movement among the aristocracy known as the Renaissance, resulting in gradual shift the course of events in Europe and later in the world.