The POD is that in 1486, when Christopher Columbus proposed his "sail to the West to reach the East" plan to the leaders of his own home city of Genoa, they decide to go for it. Columbus arrives in the New World in December of 1486, and plants a Genoese flag.
How would the Italian merchant republics have colonized the New World? Would Spain have still gotten involved? Probably. Could Venice or the Hansa have turned their eyes to the west? Maybe. And if the Genoese were the ones to conquer the Aztecs and Incas, would Spain have been able to fund its wars with the Ottomans?
How would the Italian merchant republics have colonized the New World? Would Spain have still gotten involved? Probably. Could Venice or the Hansa have turned their eyes to the west? Maybe. And if the Genoese were the ones to conquer the Aztecs and Incas, would Spain have been able to fund its wars with the Ottomans?