The correct answer is option C. "They were important centers of trade with the East and the Byzantine Empire". Italian city-states were prosperous as they served as centers of trade of the Byzantine Empire with the rest of the world in the East. The italian states seized the opportunity of making profits from the transport and sale of goods from one end of the known world to the other.
It’s true without a purpose there is no point existing
I believe it's the first one!
