what physical characteristics made the Italian peninsula an ideal location to establish settlements how did these early settlements interact with each other

Answer 1

Hello Jdj.

This is a great geographic question.

When looking at the physical geography of Mediterranean Europe, it is easy to spot Italy.

To answer your question in terms of physical characteristics we can look to three main ones:

1. Natural harbors and coasts for ships
2. It's central location relative to other Mediterranean countries
3. Covered on three sides by the sea which provided access to activities such as fishing

For these reasons, one can infer that the location of the settlements were particularly advantageous for those located along the coast. However, in terms of interactions, access to the water was of particular importance in order for trade routes to be established, hence cities such as Genoa and Venice became particularly important port cities for trade throughout the Italian region and across Europe.