The United States and Italy cooperate closely on major economic issues, including within the G-7. Michelangelo, the painter and sculptor, believed that his work was to free an already existing image; Giuseppe Verdi heard the voices of the ancients and of angels in music that came to him in his dreams; Dante forged a new language with his incomparable poems of heaven, hell, and the world between. Italy is part of the European Union and the Council of Europe, and, with its strategic geographic position on the southern flank of Europe, it has played a fairly important role in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). The whole country is relatively prosperous, certainly as compared with the early years of the 20th century, when the economy was predominantly agricultural. Volcanologists are constantly monitoring Mt. )permanent pasture: 15.7% (2018 est. Italy, whose territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical region, [1] is located in southern Europe and comprises the long, boot-shaped Italian Peninsula crossed by the Apennines, the southern side of Alps, the large plain of the Po Valley and some islands including Sicily and Sardinia. )0.847 (2018 est. )biomass and waste: 8.1% of total installed capacity (2020 est. In antiquity, Italy was the homeland of the Romans and the metropole of the Roman Empire's . A 2,000 year old fresco depicting what might be an ancient ancestor of the Italian pizza has been found in the ruins of the city of Pompeii, Italy's Culture Ministry said on Tuesday . Layered like a lasagna, each strip of history on top of the last, this is a place where, underground, you can walk along ancient Greek and Roman roads, while at street level there are sumptuous churches, baroque palaces and Maradona Maradona everywhere. Italy Government Toughens Rules on E-Scooters, Drunk Driving - Bloomberg ), municipal: 9.19 billion cubic meters (2020 est. Discover Italy: Official Tourism Website - Italia.it At4061m (13,323ft), the eponymous Gran Paradiso is the park's only peak, accessed from tranquil Cogne. Wherever you plunge your fork, toast with a glass or three of Emilia-Romagna's renowned Lambrusco a world away from the sickly sweet wine that was exported in the past. It is also the countrys most populated city and the 4th most populous city in EU. Associate Professor of History, University of California, San Diego. )exports: 368,000 metric tons (2020 est. The hostel is organized, clean and gives value for money. Italy is part of the Northern Hemisphere. 4. This extension of land has forced the creation of individual water bodies, namely the Adriatic Sea, the Ionian Sea, the Ligurian Sea, and the Tyrrhenian Sea. His alliance with Nazi Germany led to Italy's defeat in World War II. By Sagri2013. Italy's highest points are along Monte Rosa, which peaks in Switzerland, and . ), 4.316 million ROME (capital), 3.155 million Milan, 2.179 million Naples, 1.802 million Turin, 913,000 Bergamo, 850,000 Palermo (2023), at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female0-14 years: 1.05 male(s)/female15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/femaletotal population: 0.93 male(s)/female (2023 est. Corrections? )imports: 8.235 million metric tons (2020 est. Unlike Bed & Breakfasts or hotels, our services are way more affordable. And estimates suggest the average age in Italy will be 54 years by 2050. Its location has played an important role in its history. No sporting event can truly prepare you for the spectacle of calcio storico in Florence. Known to the Greeks as the column that holds up the sky,Mt Etna is not only Europe's largest volcano, it's one of the world's most active. Italy mourns and asks who will succeed Berlusconi. Italy 16 Jun. Italy shares land borders with France, Switzerland, Austria . As soon as you arrive on the Amalfi Coast, someone will ask: Have you done the Path of the Gods? Here's how to make it happen. Read article. Vatican City and San Marino are the two enclaved sovereign states within Italy. Geography of Italy - Wikipedia ), total: 23.1% (2020 est. When the empire fell, a series of barbarian kingdoms initially ruled the peninsula, but, after the Lombard invasion of 568-569, ), lowest 10%: 2.3%highest 10%: 26.8% (2000), revenues: $901.494 billion (2020 est. ), fossil fuels: 55.9% of total installed capacity (2020 est. Further afield, Tuscany Italy's most romanticized region is an undulating landscape of sinuous cypress trees, olive groves and coveted regional treasures, from the Gothic majesty of Siena and the Manhattan-esque skyline of medieval San Gimignano to the vineyards of Italy's most famous wine region, Chianti and the rolling, cypress-studded hills of the Val dOrcia. )exports: 7.587 billion kWh (2020 est. In the early 1990s the Italian party system underwent a radical transformation, and the political centre collapsed, leaving a right-left polarization of the party spectrum that threw the north-south divide into sharper contrast and gave rise to such political leaders as media magnate Silvio Berlusconi. ), household consumption: 61% (2017 est. )$39,100 (2020 est. Etiquette and practical tips for visiting Italy. Italy, country of south-central Europe, occupying a peninsula that juts deep into the Mediterranean Sea. Read. In the Heel of Italy, Puglia Goes High-End - WSJ 16. Canal Grande. Read our Privacy Policy. 62 Interesting and Fun Italy Facts | FactRetriever.com 10 Days in Italy Itinerary: 5 Amazing Ideas for Your Trip to Italy Historical stone farmhouses, called masserie, are getting high-tech . Youll get to share anecdotes, stories, travel ideas, and experiences with your new friends. Alberobello is the center of it all the centro storico of the town is nothing but streets of the things. Whether it's an Italy sea cruise or a multicity tour, Gate 1 Travel will make it a vacation to remember. A visit could mean marveling at the Colosseum after a tender plate of pasta, or drifting lazily down a canal, your belly full of local Sangiovese. 25 fun facts about Italy you didn't know - Rough Guides Once caput mundi (capital of the world), Rome was legendarily spawned by a wolf-suckled boy, developed into a vast empire, rooted itself as the home of the Catholic church and is now the repository of more than two millennia of art and architecture. Scour the globe and you'll find plenty of taller, bigger and more geologically volatile mountains, but few can match the romance of the pink-hued granite Dolomites. Visit the Definitions and Notes page to view a description of each topic. Subscribe to Lonely Planet newsletters and promotions. )0.61% (2019 est.). Chiesa di San, San Lanfranco, Chiesa di Santa Maria del Carmine, and Pietro in Ciel dOro are close to this hostel in Pavia. Italy comprises some of the most varied and scenic landscapes on Earth and is often described as a country shaped like a boot. This helps save even more money. Tension between the former allies had been . This is a great way to spend less on accommodation and stick to your budget. An era of parliamentary government came to a close in the early 1920s when Benito MUSSOLINI established a Fascist dictatorship. note: data are in current year dollars, Germany 12%, France 11%, United States 10%, United Kingdom 5%, Spain 5%, Switzerland 5% (2019), packaged medicines, cars and vehicle parts, refined petroleum, vaccines and cultures, jewelry, valves (2021), $637.934 billion (2021 est.) ), $41,900 (2021 est. )beer: 1.99 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est. ), on food: 14.2% of household expenditures (2018 est. Unique is an overused word, but in the case of Venice, theres no better description. 1948 - New constitution. Were a smart option for all visitors looking for budget accommodation in Lombardy. Explore its rugged coastal beauty, from the tumbledown boulders of Santa Teresa di Gallura and the wind-chiseled cliff face of the Golfo di Orosei to the windswept beauty of the Costa Verde's dune-backed beaches. )consumption: 9.335 million metric tons (2020 est. Current Local Time in Rome, Italy - timeanddate.com The 12 best things to do in Italy: embrace la dolce vita, 6 of the best free things to do in Venice, A reason to travel to Bergamo and Brescia in 2023: Italys new capitals of culture, A Postcard from Rome: my fall trip to Italy in photos, The ultimate itinerary for a weekend in Milan. Italy (officially, the Italian Republic) comprises of 15 regions (regioni, singular - regione) and 5 autonomous regions (regioni autonome, singular - regione autonoma). ), total subscriptions: 19,994,902 (2021 est. Many belt-busting Italian classics hail from here, including mortadella, tortellini and tagliatelle al rag. Etna, Stromboli in the Aeolian Islands. For discussion of Classical history, see the articles ancient Italic people and ancient Rome. Heres how it worked out. If service isn't included, a small tip might prompt a smile. Italy beat Netherlands in Nations League play-off. ), urban population: 72% of total population (2023)rate of urbanization: 0.27% annual rate of change (2020-25 est. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. [4] Italy is approximately 116,400 square miles (including Sicily and Sardinia), which is slightly larger than Arizona. Here's what's on offer. Italy has so many delights to offer its visitors, it's hard to know where to start. )$2.322 trillion (2020 est. )imports of goods and services: -28.3% (2017 est. Silvio Berlusconi's coalition lost its majority in August 2010 amid a row with Gianfranco Fini, the leader of the Party of Freedom. The central Italy region of Tuscany is probably the most well-known and most visited by tourists. Southern Europe, a peninsula extending into the central Mediterranean Sea, northeast of Tunisia, total: 301,340 sq kmland: 294,140 sq kmwater: 7,200 sq kmnote: includes Sardinia and Sicily, almost twice the size of Georgia; slightly larger than Arizona, total: 1,836.4 kmborder countries (6): Austria 404 km; France 476 km; Holy See (Vatican City) 3.4 km; San Marino 37 km; Slovenia 218 km; Switzerland 698 km, territorial sea: 12 nmcontinental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation, predominantly Mediterranean; alpine in far north; hot, dry in south, mostly rugged and mountainous; some plains, coastal lowlands, highest point: Mont Blanc (Monte Bianco) de Courmayeur (a secondary peak of Mont Blanc) 4,748 mlowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 mmean elevation: 538 m, coal, antimony, mercury, zinc, potash, marble, barite, asbestos, pumice, fluorspar, feldspar, pyrite (sulfur), natural gas and crude oil reserves, fish, arable land, agricultural land: 47.1% (2018 est. The autonomous regions are: Friuli Venezia Giulia; Sardegna (Sardinia); Sicilia (Sicily); Trentino-Alto Adige (Trentino-South Tyrol) or Trentino-Suedtirol (German); Valle d'Aosta (Aosta Valley) or Vallee d'Aoste (French).