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The Forum Romanum in Rome. The oldest Roman forum (piazza) was the center of the city's political, economic and cultural life and the setting for magnificent religious ceremonies.
Image: BeBo86
Location map of Italy
Flag of Italy
Destination Italy, a Nations Online country profile of "Bella Italia" - beautiful Italy, how many Italians love to call their country.
Italy is located in southern Europe on the Apennine Peninsula. Its distinct shape, resembling a kicking boot, makes it easy to recognize it on maps or even from space.
The Adriatic Sea borders the peninsula in the east, the Sea of Sicily in the south, the Ionian Sea in the southeast, the Ligurian Sea and the Tyrrhenian Sea in the west; all those seas are parts of the Mediterranean Sea.
Italy has international borders with Austria, France, the Holy See (Vatican City), San Marino, Slovenia, and Switzerland. It also shares maritime borders with Albania, Algeria, Croatia, Greece, Libya, Malta, Montenegro, Spain, and Tunisia.
Two of the largest Mediterranean islands belong to Italy, Sardinia in the west and Sicily in the south.
The country covers an area of 301,318 km² (116,340 sq. mi.), compared, it is about 80% the size of Japan or slightly larger than the U.S. state of Arizona.
Italy has a population of more than 59.6 million people (in 2020), the capital and largest city is Rome (Italian: Roma). Other major cities are Florence, Milan, Naples, and Venice. Spoken language is (only) Italian.
What is Italy famous for?
Stromboli volcano, the lava flow after sunset.
Image: Unukorno
The country is known for its more than 3,000 years of history, in 753 BC. Rome was founded. Italy was a center of ancient Greco-Roman culture, and in the 15th-century, they invented the Renaissance. Caesar, Galileo and Columbus were Italians. Italy was a center of ancient Greco-Roman culture and in the 15th-century they invented the Renaissance.
Caesar, Galileo and Columbus were Italians.
The world's first bank was in Genoa, Italy; the first casino was in the Palazzo Dandolo in Venice. The first public opera house opened in Venice in 1637.
The Italians invented other useful things such as the programmable calculator (Olivetti), the barometer, the battery and confetti, the cello, Italic typeface and Eau de Cologne. Eyeglasses originated in Italy and are now produced there by the millions (Luxottica).
Italy is famous for its food, like pizza, pasta, prosciutto, Parmesan cheese, salami, wine and ice cream (gelato).
There are several types of Italian coffee (espresso etc.) Venice, then a commercial metropolis, was one of the first European ports to import coffee beans in the 16th century.
Famous Italian brand - Alfa Romeo 4C.
Image: FCA
The country is also famous for fast and expensive sports cars, Maserati, Ferrari, Lamborghini, and Alfa Romeo.
Italien art, important artists of Italy were Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Titian, Raffaello, Botticelli, Bernini and Modigliani.
The antique architecture of the Romans, Italian Renaissance gardens, the Italian cities of Florence, Rome, Venice, Naples, and
Italian landscapes like the Amalfi Coast, Cinque Terre, Sicily, the Dolomites, Sardinia, Tuscany, the Riviera, and the Adriatic Sea coast.
Volcanic Activity, Mt. Vesuvius, Mt. Stromboli, Etna, the Solfatara (Campi Flegrei) and Pompeii.
Italian style, Vespas, shoes, fashion, film, football, the Mafia, mare e "Dolce Vita," a life of exuberant pleasure and luxury.
Background:
Italy became a nation-state belatedly - in 1861, when the city-states of the peninsula, along with Sardinia and Sicily, were united under King Victor EMMANUEL.
An era of parliamentary government came to a close in the early 1920s when Benito MUSSOLINI established a Fascist dictatorship. His disastrous alliance with Nazi Germany led to Italy's defeat in World War II.
A democratic republic replaced the monarchy in 1946, and economic revival followed. Italy was a charter member of NATO and the European Economic Community (EEC). It has been at the forefront of European economic and political unification, joining the European Monetary Union in 1999.
Persistent problems include illegal immigration, the ravages of organized crime, corruption, high unemployment, and the low incomes and technical standards of southern Italy compared with the more prosperous north.
(Source: CIA - The World Factbook)
Country Profile
Official Name:
Repubblica Italiana
short form: Italia
int'l long form: Italian Republic
int'l short form: Italy
former: Kingdom of Italy
ISO Country Code: it, ITA
Actual Time: Sun-Sept-11 04:26
Local Time = UTC +1h;
Daylight Saving Time (DST) March - October (UTC +2)
Country Calling Code: +39
Capital City: Rome (pop. 2.8 million)
Official Government Sites of Italy
The Palazzo Madama in Rome is the seat of the Senate of the Italian Republic.
Image: Paul Hermans
Political system of Italy
Italy is a parliamentary republic since June 1946, when the monarchy was abolished. The Italian parliament is a bicameral legislature that consists of the Senate of the Republic (Senato della Repubblica) and the House of Representatives (Camera dei deputati).
Executive power is exercised by the Council of Ministers, which is headed by the Prime Minister. Head of State is the President.
Government
Note: External links will open in a new browser window.
Official website of the Italien President. The Palazzo del Quirinale is one of the three current official residences of the President of the Italian Republic.
Official website of the Italian Government and the office of the President of the Council of Ministers, Italy's Prime Minister.
The Italian Parliament.
Ministero degli Affari Esteri (MAE)
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Italy.
Diplomatic Representations
Permanent Mission of Italy to the United Nations
Italy at the UN.
The Italian Embassy, Washington D.C.
Italian Diplomatic Representations
Map of Italian embassies and consulates abroad.
Foreign Diplomatic Representations in Italy
List of Foreign Missions in Italy.
Statistics
Instituto Nazionale di Statistica
Italy's National Institute of Statistics.
Tourism
Una finestra sull' Italia - A window to Italy.
Weather
Centro Nazionale di Meteorologia e Climatologia Aeronautica
National center of Meteorology and Aeronautical Climatology (in Italian).
Maps of Italy
Map of Italy (click map to enlarge)
Image: © nationsonline.org
Political Map of Italy.
Searchable map and satellite view of Italy.
Searchable maps and satellite views of Italian cities:
Google Map Rome (capital city),
Florence, Milan, Venice, Naples
Italian Landmarks:
Satellite view of the ancient Roman amphitheater.
Searchable map and satellite view of Mount Vesuvius showing the volcano near Naples and the location of Pompeii and Herculaneum.
More about Pisa and the Leaning Tower, with a searchable map and satellite view.
Saint Peter Basilica (Holy See)
More about Vatican City and Saint Peter Basilica, with a searchable map and satellite view.
Continent:
Political Map of the Mediterranean Region.
Political Map of Europe.
News from Italy
Italy's mix of politics and media has often made headlines at home and abroad. Concerns have regularly been raised about the concentration of media ownership in the hands of one man - former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. [1]
About 20 Italian journalists are currently receiving round-the-clock police protection because of serious threats or murder attempts by the mafia. The level of violence against reporters keeps on growing, especially in Rome and the surrounding region, and in the south. [2]
Italians News Agency.
Italy's most influential newspaper with national and international news (in Italian and English).
Italian Newspaper online (in Italian).
Italian News - Naples (in Italian).
Italian News - Rome (in Italian).
The second-most important newspaper in Italy with national and international news (in Italian).
National and international news - Turin (in Italian and English).
Italian portal and news magazine.
Arts & Culture of Italy
Birth of Venus, possibly the most famous painting by Sandro Botticelli, the Italian painter of the Early Renaissance. The painting is on display at the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, Italy.
Art
Venice Biennale (Biennale Arte) is an international exhibition of contemporary arts, and also includes events for art, modern dance, architecture, cinema, music, and theater.
The Uffizi Gallery in Florence shows artworks of Leonardo, Giotto, Botticelli, Michelangelo, Titian, Tintoretto, Caravaggio, and many others.
Centro di Cultura di Palazzo Grassi and Punta della Dogana in Venice are location of temporary art exhibitions of the Pinault Collection.
The art museum in Florence is best known as the home of Michelangelo's sculpture David.
The Galleria Borghese in Rome shows paintings, sculptures, and antiques of the Borghese collection.
Egyptian Museum - Museo Egizio
The Egyptian Museum in Turin is considered one of the most important collections of ancient Egyptian art and culture outside Cairo.
Opera
The opera house in Milan is one of the world's most famous theaters.
The Opera of Venice, founded in 1792, reopened in December 2003 after it was almost destroyed by fire in 1996.
The Arena of Verona is a Roman amphitheater now used for the annual Opera Festival. The arena has also hosted several concerts of international rock and pop bands in recent years.
A guide to Italy's museums.
Cinema
Italian cinema production; official web site of the Italian Hollywood.
Italian Food
Italian internet recipe archive and guide to Italian cooking. (in Italian)
Pane, pizza, pasta, riso, carne, e pesce. Italian Wikipedia page about Italian cuisine.
Comprehensive Wikipedia page about Italian wine.
Sports
Italy's national football (soccer) league.
Film-set of the British-American-Italian historical television drama series "Rome" at Cinecitta Studios.
Image: Claudio Caravano
Business & Economy of Italy
The port of Genoa is an important sea port in the northern Italian city of Genoa. It is the busiest cargo port in Italy and an important port of call for cruise ships.
Image: Alessio Sbarbaro
Italy's Economy
Italy's advanced economy is the 3rd-largest national economy in the European Union. Italy's business model is based on the production of high-quality consumer goods. The most significant industrial sectors in Italy are the automotive industry (Fiat), textiles, electrical products, office equipment, agriculture, and tourism.
Banca d'Italia (also known as Bankitalia) is the central bank of the Italian Republic, an integral part of the European System of Central Banks (ESCB) since 1998.
Borsa Italiana S.p.A., based in Milan, is the only stock exchange in Italy.
The Italian union of chambers of commerce, Unioncamere, is the public body that represents the Italian chamber system vis-à-vis territorial, national, and international governing bodies.
Italian Products
Italian Cars
Typical Italian car.
Native Italian car.
Typical Italian car.
The Italian automobile manufacturer is today a subsidiary of the multinational corporation Fiat Chrysler Automobiles.
Also a typical Italian car.
Typical Italian car. The Italian sports car manufacturer was founded by a Frenchman, Alexandre Darracq, in 1909.
Italian Design
Housewares and kitchen utensil s.
Interior decoration.
The world's largest company in the eyewear industry.
Italian Fashion, Perfumes, and Accessories
United Colors of Benetton. The fashion brand is based near Venice in Ponzano Veneto; it was founded in 1965.
Bulgari, stylized as BVLGARI, is an Italian luxury brand of jewelry, watches, perfume and leather goods.
The Italian luxury fashion house was founded in 1985 by the Italian designers Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana.
Gucci is an Italian fashion company for clothing and accessories in the luxury goods segment with retail outlets worldwide.
Neapolitan Tailors.
Fashion, Accessories, Parfumes.
Luxury Knitwear
Italian Fashion from Milano.
Founded in 1913 in Milan, offers men's and women's clothing, leather goods, footwear, eyewear and fragrances, and Made to Measure service.
Fashion style handbags, shoes, eyewear, perfume, and more.
Italian luxury fashion company.
Founded in 1925 in Rome, Fendi is renowned for its fur and fur accessories.
is an Italian fashion designer, particularly noted for his menswear
Transportation
Alitalia CityLiner operates short-haul domestic and international point to point flights.
Italy's flag airline.
Privately owned Italian airline with its main base at Olbia Costa Smeralda Airport in Olbia, Sardinia. The airline ceased operations in February 2018.
Airports
Airport Rome provides information on both Fiumicino and Rome Ciampino airports.
Railroad
Italy's Railway.
The Italian private railway company uses the brand name ".italo"; it operates high-speed services between major Italian cities.
FTI - Italian Touristics Railways - Italy by historical railways.
A Frecciarossa 1000 high-speed train operated by Italian state railway operator Trenitalia at Milano Centrale Railway Station.
Image: Sabas88
Tourism in Italy
Siena Cathedral (Duomo di Siena) is a medieval church in the center of the city of Siena in Italy’s Tuscany region. The Historic Centre of Siena has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1995.
Image: Jörg Bittner
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Discover Italy
Una finestra sull' Italia - A window to Italy, a comprehensive travel and tourism guide.
Italian Government Tourist Board - North America
Tourism in Italy, travel tips, information, Italian regions.
Italian Islands
Official tourism information for Sardinia
Official tourism information for Sicily.
Italian Regions
List of Italian regions with official tourism websites.
Lago Blu and the Matterhorn (Cervino) in the Aosta Valley.
Image: Ventofreddo
Abruzzo is a mountainous region in central Italy, but through its culture, language, history, and economy, it belongs to southern Italy.
Valle d'Aosta is a mountainous autonomous region in northwestern Italy. The Alpine valley is the smallest and least populous region of Italy and home to the Italian part of the Mont Blanc, Monte Rosa, Gran Paradiso, and the Matterhorn (Cervino).
Basilicata is a region in Southern Italy and an emerging tourist destination. The Sassi and the Park of the Rupestrian Churches of Matera in the region's capital are a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The Calabria region occupies a peninsula, the "boot tip" of boot-shaped Italy. Its capital is Catanzaro.
Campania is a region in the southwestern portion of the Italian Peninsula; the largest city and capital is Naples. Campania is home to nine UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
Emilia-Romagna lies between the River Po to the north, the Apennine Mountains to the south, and the Adriatic Sea to the east. Its capital is Bologna; other renowned cities are Modena, Ravenna, Ferrara, Parma.
Friuli Venezia Giulia is an autonomous region in the extreme north-east of Italy; it borders Austria to the north, Slovenia to the east, and the Gulf of Trieste to the south. The capital and largest city is Trieste.
Lazio is a region in central Italy, with Rome as its capital.
Crescent-shaped Liguria in north-western Italy borders the Ligurian Sea to the south and France to the west. Its Mediterranean coastal areas are known as the Riviera. The regional capital is the port city of Genoa.
Metropolitan Cathedral-Basilica of the Nativity of Saint Mary in Milan, seen from Piazza del Duomo.
Image: Jiuguang Wang
The region encompasses the main part of the Po Valley. The cultural and economic capital is Milan.
Marche is a region in the central area of the country, bordering the Adriatic Sea and San Marino; Marche's capital is the seaport of Ancona.
Molise is a small mountainous region in Southern Italy. (in Italian)
In terms of area, Piedmont is the largest region of mainland Italy; it borders Switzerland to the north and France to the west. The regional capital is Turin.
Puglia (Apulia)
Puglia is a region in southeast Italy with the capital Bari.
Trentino-Alto Adige, also knowns as Trentino-South Tyrol, is Italy’s northernmost region; it consists of two autonomous provinces, South Tyrol and Trentino. The capital is Trento, the capital of South Tyrol is Bozen.
Villa Medici in Fiesole. The villa is the site of the oldest existing Italian Renaissance garden.
Image: Donata Mazzini
Hilly Tuscany is located in the western part of central Italy and borders the Tyrrhenian Sea. Tuscany was the birthplace of the Italian Renaissance and is home to famous cities like Florence, Pisa, and Siena.
Situated in central Italy, Umbria is the only region in Italy that has neither a sea coast nor a border with a foreign country.
The region includes the eastern part of the Po Valley and a part of the Dolomites in the north; it borders the Adriatic Sea in the southeast. The region's capital is Venice.
More destinations in Italy: Cities and Regions in Italy
Ancient ruins of the Greek theater (Teatro Antico di Taormina) in Taormina, a hilltop town on the east coast of Sicily island. Ancient and medieval Greek communities have lived in southern Italy for centuries.
Image: Lukasz Stachowiak
World Heritage Sites in Italy
The towers of San Gimignano in the Province of Siena, in Tuscany, Italy. The Historic Centre of San Gimignano is a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1990.
Image: LigaDue
UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Italy
Italy is home to 55 UNESCO World Heritage Sites (50 cultural and five natural), making it the country with the most World Heritage Sites alongside China. (see UNESCO's list of World Heritage Sites in Italy)
The historic district of Rome was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1980. Within the urban area are 25.000 important archaeological sites and locations.
The Castel del Monte near the port city of Bari in Apulia is one of the most famous Staufer castles in Italy; it was built during the reign of Frederick II in the middle of the 13th century.
The city of Caserta, north of Naples, is home to the Royal Palace, the Aqueduct of Vanvitelli, and the Royal Summer Palace of San Leucio Belvedere. The monumental complex was created in the mid-18th century by the Bourbon King Charles III on the model of the Palace of Versailles.
The Archaeological Areas of Pompei, Herculaneum, and Torre Annunziata in the Campania region of southern Italy. When Vesuvius erupted on 24 August 79 AD, the flourishing Roman cities of Pompeii, Herculaneum, and Oplontis (Torre Annunziata) were destroyed by the volcano.
Education in Italy
Via Zamboni in Bologna, the portico of the Basilica of San Giacomo Maggiore (left) and Palazzo Malvezzi Campeggi, which houses the Law Faculty of the University of Bologna.
Image: Adriana verolla
Museo della Scienza e della Tecnica
National Museum of Science and Technology "Leonardo da Vinci".
Fine art academy, Milan.
Public University in Turin.
The first school in Italy to grant a university degree in economics was founded in 1902 in Milan.
The University of Bologna is the oldest in the western world in continuous operation, founded in 1088.
Università degli Studi di Firenze
Italian public research university in Florence.
Università degli Studi di Milano
The University of Milan or UniMi is one of the largest universities in Europe.
The University of Padua is the second-oldest university in Italy, founded in 1222.
Until the end of the 19th century, the University of Pavia was the only university in Milan and the Greater Lombardy Region, established in 1361.
The University of Pisa is a public research university founded in 1343. (in Italian)
Sapienza University in Rome is one of the oldest and most prestigious Italian universities, founded in 1303.
The University of Siena was founded in 1252 and is today known above all for its law and medicine faculties.
Università Ca' Foscari di Venezia
Ca' Foscari is a university founded in the 19th century in the city of Venice.
Environment & Nature
Stromboli is a small island off the northeast coast of Sicily that consists only of the volcano with the same name. The island is the relatively small peak of the volcano Stromboli which rises about 3000 m from the seafloor.
On 30 August 2019, the Civil Protection Department raised the alert from yellow to orange, due to increased activities of the volcano.
Image: Dipartimento Protezione Civile
Environmental Organizations
Legambiente is part of the International Union for Conservation of Nature and the largest Italian environmental NGO.
LIPU - Lega Italiana Protezione Uccelli
Italian Association for the Protection of Birds. (in Italian)
The Rome based Terra Nuova focuses on promoting equitable and sustainable socio-economic development in various African and Latin American countries.
National Parks
Parco Nazionale Arcipelago Toscano
The Tuscan Archipelago with the islands of Elba, Giglio, Capraia, Gorgona, Pianosa, Giannutri and Montecristo, is one of the largest marine parks in Europe.
Parco Nazionale delle Cinque Terre
Cinque Terre National Park in Northern Italy, in the region of Liguria, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Vesuvius National Park, founded in 1995, in order to protect the last-remaining active volcanic complex in Europe.
Searchable map and satellite view of Mount Vesuvius showing the volcano near Naples and the location of Pompeii and Herculaneum.
Online guide to Italy's 25 National Parks and reserves.
Horses on pasture at Parco Naturale Tre Cime (Sexten Dolomites), South Tyrol. Cadini di Misurina, a group of mountains in the eastern Dolomites, in the background.
Image: kallerna
Italy History
The famous Piazza di Spagna in Rome with view of the Spanish Steps, Fontana della Barcaccia (fountain) in the foreground. Above the stairs is the French-built church and convent of Santissima Trinità dei Monti.
Image: Emilio García
Research and teaching project of the Winckelmann-Institut of the Humboldt-Universität of Berlin.
Ancient History Encyclopedia: The Roman Empire
Illustrated History of the Roman Empire.
Wikipedia site with information about the Roman Empire and Roman history and culture.
Wikipedia's Ancient Rome portal.
WWW Virtual Library Resources produced in Italy together with other world-wide resources that deal with the history of Italy.
Wikipedia entry about Italy's ancient and modern history.
Additional Information
Selected country profiles of Italy published by international organizations.
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Amnesty International is a non-governmental organization focused on human rights.
Country profiles by the British public service broadcaster.
The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is a UN agency that leads international efforts to defeat hunger.
The U.S. government-funded non-profit organization whose goal is to promote liberal democracies worldwide.
The Global Business Knowledge Portal about Italy.
The Heritage Foundation: Italy
Index of Economic Freedom by The Heritage Foundation, an American conservative think tank.
HRW conducts research and advocacy on human rights.
The Observatory of Economic Complexity provides the latest trade data.
Reporters Without Borders: Italy
RSF (Reporters sans frontières) is an international NGO that defends and promotes media freedom.
Wikipedia's Italy page in many languages.
The CIA World Factbook intelligence on Italy.
Other Countries in the Mediterranean:
Albania | Algeria | Bosnia and Herzegovina | Croatia | Cyprus | Egypt | France
Gaza Strip | Greece | Israel | Lebanon | Libya | Malta | Monaco | Montenegro | Morocco | Portugal
Slovenia | Spain | Syria | Tunisia | Turkey
Major Cities in the Mediterranean
Athens, Barcelona, Florence, Istanbul, Lisbon, Ljubljana, Madrid, Milan, Monaco, Naples,
Rome, San Marino, Tirana, Valletta, Vatican City, Venice, Zagreb
Alexandria, Algiers, Beirut, Benghazi, Cairo, Jerusalem, Nicosia, Tripoli, Tunis, Tel Aviv
European Countries
Albania, Andorra, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Faroe Islands, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Greenland, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Rep. of, Malta, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, Northern Ireland, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, San Marino, Scotland, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Vatican City State, Wales
Share on Twitter Share on FacebookUnbelievable! Its comfort actually!
read moreAs time went by, this blog was developed for many different purposes. Last time, I had a lot of pleasure in sharing some of my Lego-related hobbies. However, I will mostly upload a blog about bikes and their development in the next few months! Recently, I have so much into ebike cargo. They say this type of bike can replace the car! And I am very into it since my place is crowded with traffic jams! The video above showed a funny situation: I started the review from Brooks's handle! And after nine years! It's still an excellent bike handle and not even destroyed!
read moreKeep Watching
Hi, hi, hi. So, it's been a while for the last couple of weeks since I have considered buying a cargo bike. The reason is that I am often trapped in a traffic jam because I can't get faster in my car.
read moreIndonesia has launched Southeast Asia’s first-ever bullet train, a high-speed rail line connecting two of its largest cities.
Congrats! Indonesia launched Southeast Asia’s first bullet train.
Custom LEGO Transformers Devastator
My faith in humanity is restored! OK, that’s a bit overboard – but you couldn’t blame me if you see an incredibly, exquisitely and wonderfully executed custom LEGO Transformers Devastator such as this by Alex Jones. I feel transported to the 80’s once again, with the same intense childhood wonder when I first saw the Constructicons combine and become the formidable Devastator.
Collaboratively administrate empowered markets via plug-and-play networks. Dynamically procrastinate B2C users after installed base benefits. Dramatically visualize customer directed convergence without
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