Italy is the world’s fifth largest tourist destination, and is visited annually by around 45 million visitors. Tuscany’s beautiful landscapes, ancient Rome, the Italian Alps and cities such as Florence and Venice are just some of the country’s tourist attractions.
| Capital: | Gypsy |
| Biggest city: | Gypsy |
| State: | republic within the EU |
| Language: | Italian |
| Religion: | catholicism |
| Surface: | 301 230 km² |
| Population: | 59.8 million (2013) |
| Population density: | 193 residents per km² |
| Life expectancy: | 80 years |
| Illiteracy: | 2% |
| Currency: | euro (EUR) 1 euro = 9.76 kr |
| GDP per capita: | $ 29,300 (2010) |
| Time difference: | +0 hours |
| Electricity: | 220/125 V AC, 50 Hz |
| National Day: | June 2 |
| Country area code: | 39 |
| 2-Letter country abbreviation: | IT (See more abbreviations on Abbreviationfinder) |
| Business: | service sector 71%, industry 20%, agriculture 9% |
| Climate: | temperate; in the north chilly, humid winters and hot, dry summers; in the south mild winters and hot, dry summers |
Italy is located in southern Europe and consists for the most part of an elongated peninsula, the Apennine Peninsula, which extends from central Europe far out into the Mediterranean and in shape resembles a high-heeled boot. The islands of Sardinia and Sicily and several smaller archipelagos also form part of the country.
Italy is a mountainous country, and has two mountain ranges: the Apennines in the south and parts of the Alps in the north. The Apennines penetrate the entire peninsula to Sicily, where the still active volcano Etna rises. In the southern Apennines near Naples, Vesuvius, which has had many historical eruptions, still shows signs of volcanic activity. In the northwest, the Apennines cross into the Alps, which reach their highest point on the border with France. On the southern slopes of the Alps are some beautiful lakes, which annually attract large numbers of visitors, Lake Maggiore, Lake Como and Lake Garda.
In the central Apennines, about 1-2 hours drive from Rome, you will find the largest concentration of national parks and reserves in Italy. The most famous is Abruzzo National Park. with a unique combination of beautiful mountain scenery, open plateaus, old beech forests on the slopes and valleys with medieval villages.
The scenic Bay of Naples is another popular tourist destination, with the islands of Ischia and Capri. Along the Adriatic Sea, the Italian Riviera and on the many islands there are several famous seaside resorts. During the winter, resorts such as Cortina d’Ampezzo and Misurna in South Tyrol attract many skiers.
Italian culture has had a great impact on the outside world, from ancient Rome to the present day. Artists such as Botticelli, Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci worked here during the Renaissance. Italian music, especially opera, has been style-forming for hundreds of years.
Italian cuisine and its wines are world famous. Italian food is characterized by its simplicity, with an emphasis on high-quality fresh ingredients. The country has a rich wine production, with well-known wines such as Chianti and Barolo. Coffee, and especially espresso, has also come to play an important role in Italian cuisine. In Italy, you enjoy dinner well into the night, and often in the open air on an outdoor terrace.
Movies like La Dolce Vita, The Godfather, Omen, Ben Hur, Bourne Identity and Beat The Devil with Humphrey Bogart have all been shot in full or in part in Italy. Several James Bond films such as Beloved Spy, Agent 007 Looks Red, From a Deadly Perspective, Moonraker, Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace have also been largely shot in Italy.
Italy has been a member of NATO since its formation in 1949, and is also one of the countries that in 1951 founded what would later become the EU.
WORLD HERITAGE
The following objects in Italy are listed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
The year in which the item was added to the list is indicated in parentheses.
- Rock carvings in Valcamonica (1979)
- The Church and Dominican Convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie, Milan (1980)
- Rome Historic Center and Basilica of San Paolo fuori le mura (1980)
- Florence Historic Center (1982)
- Venice and its Lagoon (1987)
- Piazza del Duomo, Pisa (1987)
- Old Town of San Gimignano (1990)
- Sassi di Matera (1993)
- The city of Vicenza and the Palladian villas in Veneto (1994)
- Old Town of Siena (1995)
- Old Town of Naples (1995)
- Ferrara’s old town center (1995)
- Industrial locations Cresp d’Adda (1995)
- The limestone houses (trulli) in Alberobello (1996)
- Old Town of Pienza (1996)
- The Early Christian Buildings in Ravenna (1996)
- Castel del Monte (1996)
- Villa Romana del Casale (1997)
- Su Nuraxi di Barumini, Sardinia, Bronze Age Defense Facility (1997)
- Residence and castle built by Emmanuel-Philibert, Duke of Savoy (1997)
- Portovenere, Cinque Terre and the islands of Palmaria, Tino and Tinetto (1997)
- Costiera Amalfitana, the cultural landscape on the Amalfi Coast (1997)
- The Cathedral and Piazza Grande in Modena (1997)
- Botanical Garden of Padua (1997)
- Archaeological sites Pompeii, Herculaneum and Torre Annunziata (1997)
- Agrigento Archaeological Site (1997)
- Caserta Castle (1997)
- Old Town of Urbino (1998)
- Cilento and Vallo di Diano National Park (1998)
- Archaeological Site and the Patriarch’s Basilica in Aquileia (1998)
- Hadrian’s villa, Tivoli (1999)
- San Francesco Double Church in Assisi (2000)
- Verona City Historic Center (2000)
- Aeolian Islands (2000)
- Villa d’Este, Tivoli (2001)
- Val di Notos Baroque Cities, Sicily (2002)
- Monte San Giorgio Mountains (2003)
- The Etruscan Excavations at Tarquinia and Cerveteri (2004)
- Val d’Orcia (2004)
- The Old City of Syracuse and the Rock Tomb of Pantalica (2005)
- Genoa Historical Center (2006)
- Two historic railway lines, the Albula line and the Bernina line (2008)
- The Renaissance cities of Mantua and Sabbioneta (2008)
- Dolomites (2009)
- Buildings erected by the Lombards 568 ?? 774 AD. (2011)
- Prehistoric outbuildings in or around the Alps (2011)
- Medici Villas and Gardens in Tuscany (2013)
- Etna, the world’s most active stratovolcano, Sicily (2013)
- Wine landscape in Piedmont: Langhe-Roero and Monferrato (2014)
ELECTRICAL OUTLET
Electricity and electrical outlets in Italy
Voltage: 230 V
Frequency: 50 Hz
Type of plug: C, F, L
Need an adapter: No, you do not need an adapter.
CLIMATE AND WEATHER
Weather in Rome
| Climate | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Christmas | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
| Average temperature °C | 15 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 19 | 22 | 25 | 26 | 24 | 22 | 19 | 16 |
| Day °C | 12 | 13 | 15 | 18 | 23 | 27 | 30 | 30 | 27 | 22 | 16 | 13 |
| Night °C | 3 | 4 | 5 | 8 | 11 | 15 | 17 | 18 | 15 | 11 | 7 | 4 |
| Rain (mm) | 103 | 99 | 68 | 65 | 48 | 34 | 23 | 33 | 68 | 94 | 130 | 111 |
| Rainy days | 14 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 10 | 8 | 5 | 6 | 9 | 12 | 15 | 14 |
| Soltim / day | 6 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 10 | 8 | 7 | 6 |
Bologna
Bologna is one of Italy’s oldest cities and has around 370,000 residents (2003). The city is Europe’s oldest university founded in 1088, and has given its name to the so-called Bologna Process, which is a collaboration between European education ministers.
Bologna is also known as “la grassa” (the fat one) with reference to the city’s culinary traditions. Another commonly used nickname is “la rossa” (“the red”) which is sometimes said to refer to the facade colors (Florence is usually called “the white” city), but which many rather associate with the city’s political domicile as Bologna is referred to as a left-wing city. .
Cagliari
Cagliari is the capital of Sardinia and is located at the bottom of southern Sardinia, by the Golfo degli Angeli. The city has about 178,000 residents. As early as the eighth century BC, the city began to be used as an important port in the Mediterranean.
Florence
Florence is one of the world’s largest tourist destinations and here there is architecture, history and art in such abundance that there is hardly any equivalent anywhere.
Florence was founded as early as 58 BC. In the city’s street scene, its history is always present: the straight streets from Roman times, the winding ones from the Middle Ages and the squares from the Renaissance. Florence was the first city in Europe to stone its streets.
In the 14th century, Florence was the richest city in Europe and it was during the Florentine Renaissance that Brunelleschi became the father of modern architecture. It was then that Botticelli painted “Venus” and “Spring”, Michelangelo sculpted “David” before he was called to Rome by the Pope.
Florence was the capital of Italy, between 1865-1871, shortly after the unification of Italy. Today there are 51 museums and 24 historical churches in Florence. Florence is the capital of the Tuscany region, and in 1982 the historic center of Florence was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Genoa
Genoa is a port city located on the Mediterranean coast of northwestern Italy. Genoa is the capital of the Liguria region and the capital of the province of Genoa. It is an archbishopric with the Cathedral of San Lorenzo.
During the late Middle Ages and the Renaissance, the city-state of Genoa was one of the foremost trading states in Europe and the city had colonies and trading posts over large parts of the Mediterranean. The city’s main competitor was Venice. Strada nuova (Via Garibaldi), in the old town, was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2006.
From the city come, among others, the popes Innocent IV, Hadrian V and Benedict XV, Christopher Columbus, Niccolò Paganini and Giuseppe Mazzini.
Milan
Milan is located in northern Italy and is the country’s next largest city with 1.4 million residents. Milan is the center of Europe’s fashion industry and many world – famous designers live and work here. Here you will also find many of the major fashion department stores.
Milan also has very nice, old-fashioned architecture. Here you will find beautiful buildings such as the La Scala opera house and the Duoma cathedral, which was built over 500 years and is centrally located in the middle of Piazza Duomo.
Naples
Naples is the capital of the province of Naples. The city has about 1 million residents and is located near the famous volcano Vesuvius. Naples is traditionally the hometown of pizza. Especially pizza margherita, with mozzarella, tomato and basil, which represent the colors of the Italian flag in red, white and green. The pizza got its name when it was served to Queen Margherita of Savoy during a visit to the city.
In 1995, the historic center of Naples was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Palermo
Palermo is the capital of Sicily, one of Italy’s autonomous regions, and the capital of the province of Palermo. It is the largest city on the island of Sicily and is located on the northwest coast of the island. The city’s population is 721,163 (2006).
Palermo was founded in the 700s BC. of Phoenician travelers, who needed a port on the northwest coast of Sicily. The Phoenicians called the city Zîz, the Greeks in turn Panormo, and the Romans Panormus.
Pisa
Pisa, is a university town in Tuscany in western Italy with 100,000 residents. Pisa is best known for its Leaning Tower. The city is one of the oldest cities in Italy, formerly a powerful competitor to Venice and Genoa.
In 1987, Piazza del Duomo with its cathedral, cemetery, baptistery and leaning tower was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Rome
According to Countryaah, Rome is the capital of Italy and was also the capital of the Roman Empire in antiquity. Rome is also home to the Vatican City, the center of the Roman Catholic Church. Rome has 2.7 million residents (2007).
For hundreds of years, Rome, as the capital of the Kingdom of Rome, the Roman Republic, and the Roman Empire, was the most important city in the Western world. Rome also became an important city as the center of the Catholic Church and as the residence of the Popes of the Church State, later the Vatican City State. Through the Renaissance, Rome again became a political center after the decline of the Middle Ages. The city is still today an influential world city. For example, Rome is the third largest UN city in the world, home to the three specialized bodies FAO, IFAD and WFP.
Siena
Siena is a city in the Tuscany region of central Italy. Known, among other things, for “Palio”, a horse race that is held twice a year in the snail-shaped square “Piazza del Campo” in the middle of the city, but the city is also famous for its history and for its many art treasures.
The streets are narrow, crooked and hilly, surrounded by many beautiful palaces, squares and churches, and Siena is next to Rome, Florence and Venice the foremost city in Italy in terms of works of art in the late Middle Ages (1200-1500s), when it is said to have had 100,000 residents and competed with Florence in wealth and interest in art.
In 1995, the historic center of Siena was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Turin
Turin is a city in northern Italy. Turin is the city’s name in the Piedmontese dialect as well as in the Occitan minority language. In Italian, the city is called Turin. Turin has 1.7 million residents (2004) and is thus Italy’s fourth largest city. The city hosted the 2006 Winter Olympics.
Turin is one of Italy’s most important industrial cities with a special mechanical industry. In the Mirafiori district in southern Turin is, among other things, FIAT’s main factory and head office. Turin is also a major manufacturer of chocolate. Incidentally, it was in Turin that the machine was invented to make chocolate cakes. Other well-known companies from Turin are Lavazza, Martini, Kappa and the Caffarel chocolate factory.
Venice
Venice is located in northeastern Italy, located in and around a lagoon in the northern part of the Adriatic Sea. Venice is a city on the water, built on millions of oak and elm wooden poles that sank into the sandy and muddy soil.
In Venice, no car traffic is allowed except for the turnaround at Piazzale Roma. You walk or take your own boat, gondola or boat taxi – traghetto or vaporetto. Police, fire brigades, ambulances and other Italian authorities also travel by boat in the city. What is today Venice was developed already in later antiquity in the form of scattered places that lay on the islands in the lagoon. The name Venice is related to the people Venetians, who lived in the area.
In 1987, the city was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Verona
Verona is an ancient city of culture in the Italian province of Verona in northern Italy. The town is beautifully situated on a bend of the Adige river just west of the southern tip of Lake Garda. The city has long been an important hub, as it is located where the north-south road through the Alps crosses the east-west road through the Po plain. Verona is perhaps most famous for being the scene of Shakespeare’s play Romeo and Juliet, but the city is also known for the beautiful and well-preserved Roman amphitheater Arena di Verona.
In 2000, Verona’s historic center was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List.