Which statement correctly describes the relationship between Italian city-states and the European Renaissance?

A. The Renaissance began when Catholic leaders in Italian city-states reacted against the Northern European ideas of secularism and humanism.
B. The Renaissance began in Italian city-states, where middle-class citizens grew to challenge the traditional powers of feudal Europe.
C. The Renaissance began in Northern Europe, where men like Johannes Gutenberg made revolutionary discoveries that bankers from Italian city-states profited from.
D. The Renaissance began in remote Germanic villages, where people discovered the ruins of classical civilizations tied to the Italian city-states.