Italy in brief
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
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.
Italian brand – Alfa Romeo 4C
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.