Final answer:
Italy was a collection of independent city-states during the Renaissance and only became a unified country in the 19th century.
Step-by-step explanation:
During the Renaissance, Italy was not a unified country but a collection of independent city-states such as Florence, Milan, and Venice, each with their own government and culture. The Italian peninsula had various cultural traditions, political systems, and dialects, and it was not until the 19th-century nationalist movements that efforts to unify Italy began in earnest. The process of Italian unification was completed in 1871, with Rome and Veneto being the last regions to join the newly formed nation.