Final answer:
Florence (c) is the wealthy Italian city that played a highly significant role in the Renaissance, recognized as its birthplace due to its thriving economy, cultural prosperity, and artistic innovation.
Step-by-step explanation:
The wealthy Italian city that played a significant role in the Renaissance is Florence (c). Traditionally celebrated as the birthplace of the Renaissance, Florence was not just a center for commerce, trade, and the arts but also thrived due to its woolen textile production. The Arte della Lana, Florence's dominant trade guild, oversaw this industry that capitalized on high-quality textiles processed from imported wool and eastern dyes. This economic prosperity, combined with a growing middle and upper class of merchants and bankers, provided the necessary environment that fostered cultural rebirth and artistic innovation which are hallmarks of the Renaissance era. While cities like Venice also played significant roles due to their trade and unique cultural landscape, and Milan and Rome had their own parts to play, it was Florence, with its accumulation of wealth and patronage for the arts, that stands out in history as the cradle of Renaissance creativity and intellect.