ITALY
INFORMATION ABOUT ITALY
From personalities to art, food and music, Italy is known for a variety of reasons.
Mount Vesuvius, the active volcano of our century and one of the three active volcanoes in continental Europe, is in Italy. This volcano destroyed the city of Pompeii in Italy in AD 79.
In shape, Italy is like Florida- like a panhandle. Over 205 of Italy’s population are above the age of 65. More than 97% of the residents of this country are Roman Catholics and Vatican City, the home of the Pope is situated in Italy. The conclave for the selection of the Pope takes place in Michelangelo’s Sistine chapel in Rome, the roof of which was painted by the artist in four years by lying on his back!
Italy is often notorious for its Mafia, which is just an organization of a group of people who come together for a common goal and is not always associated with illegal activities.
About 40 million people visit Italy, making it the 4th most visited country in the world.
The official motto of the country is “Italy is a democratic Republic, founded on labor’.
LOCATION AND GEOGRAPHY
Italy is located on a Peninsula in southern Europe, to the northeast of Tunisia.
The panhandle or boot shaped country is surrounded on the west by the Tyrrhenian Sea and on the east by the Adriatic and bounded by France, Switzerland, Austria, and Slovenia to the north. The Alps surround its northern border. The country is a Peninsula and comprises of several islands out of which Sicily and Sardinia are the largest.
HISTORY
In about 2000 BC, migrations by the Indo-European peoples to Italy commenced. During the 9th Century Italy was ruled over by the Etruscan Civilization, which lasted till the 3rd Century when Italy overthrown by the Romans. Until the barbarian invasions destroyed the Western Roman Empire in the 4th and the 5th centuries AD, for about 7 centuries, the history of Rome is the history of Italy. From then on many different peoples vied for the control of the Italian Peninsula and Italy remained politically segmented for several centuries. Despite its fragmentation Italy remained the cultural center of the Western world from 13th to 16th century.
Italy was unified by Napoleon in 1800 and he became king in 1805. There after the country saw crushing defeat by the Austrians in the first half of the nineteenth century. Post WW1, the famous Mussolini became dictator of the country and post WW2 the plebiscite rejected monarchy and a republic was proclaimed.
After becoming a member of the EU and NATO, Italy successfully re-built its post-war economy.
CLIMATE
Thanks to the moderating influence of the sea and the protection given by the Alpine mountain barrier, Italy has a mild temperate climate. It gets very cold in the Alps, Po Plain and the central Apennines, during the winter months, while in Sicily, on the Ligurian coast and Neapolitan coast, the winter remains mild and sometimes quite warm. In summer it gets hot and dry on the inland and sea breezes bring temperatures down to more bearable levels in the coastal regions.
PEOPLE, CULTURE AND LANGUAGES
The influence of the traditional Mediterranean culture can be seen on the inhabitants in the central and southern parts of the country. People in southern Italy are shorter with olive skin and dark hair, while in the north they tend to be taller, blonder and have lighter eyes; most likely due to close by Germanic influence from across the Alps.
Being very lively and sociable peoples, Italians have a passion for everything they do. They always express themselves using hand gestures and talk loudly. Unafraid to show emotions, Italians give each others hugs, kisses very easily.
Italy has a great artistic heritage and has given the world some of the greatest artists in the world like Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Raphael, to name just a few. Not only artists but Italy has produced some of the world’s greatest musicians like Rossini, Verdi and Puccini making the country home to opera and opera music. Italy is a stylish, cultured, good humored and volatile country.
Standard Italian, a direct descendant of Latin, is the official language of Italy. Several regional languages too are used in small numbers.
CAPITAL AND MAIN CITIES
The 2,700 year old city of Rome is the capital of Italy. Numerous spectacular ancient Roman monuments fill this city so that you'll be completely spoilt for choice. The most remarkable out of the lot are: The Vatican City, The Forum, the Collosseum and the ruins of the Circus Maximus - where the gladiators would fight against each other to their deaths and up to 375,000 spectators would attend this barbaric sporting event.
The main cities of Italy include Venice, Florence, Siena, Milan and Naples, each with its own unique identity and architecture. Besides these Italy features romantic medieval hill towns, such as San Gimignano in Tuscany, and un-spoilt fishing villages, like Positano on the Amalfi coast. Operatic productions are staged in Verona's ancient amphitheater, while the influence of Federico Fellini is celebrated in Turin's museum of cinema.
HOLIDAY IN ITALY
Italy is known for its ancient cities, monuments and architecture. So in terms of seeing things there, there is such an abundance that one holiday will prove insufficient.
Other than visiting the ancient sites and monuments there are a large number of other activities to indulge in. Italy has a number of thermal spas and health resorts which offer a good way to revive your energies.
There are all kinds of water sports and the popular spots for these include the Italian Riviera in Liguria and the Adriatic and Amalfi coasts.
Other sporting activities include diving in Sardinia and skiing in the Italian Alps with the Piedmont region having the major ski resorts like Bardonechia, Sauze d'Oulx and Sestriere. In the north Aosta Valley resorts such as Cervinia, Courmayeur and La Thuile are there. However, Italy's most up-market resort is Cortina D'Ampezzo in the Dolomites.
Alternatively you can go hill walking and or climbing in the Gran Paradiso National Park and Mont Avic Regional Park, home to wildlife including the chamois and ibex; the Dolomites on the Swiss border are also ideal for hiking and climbing.
Nightlife- Italy presents a nightlife which is different from other nations of Europe in that the bars have all kinds and ages of people ranging from old and young to families and singles, and sometimes even minor children with their parents. However, the bars are very civilized and you will seldom come across any drunks in them. Owing to a large international student population, the night life is young and vibrant. Clubs play the very latest in alternative, techno, ambient and drum n bass music and the nights start late and go on well into the early hours.
TRAVELLING IN THE COUNTRY
Air route
The country has 30 airports and Airitalia runs services to all major cities.
Water route
Linking the Italian ports there are number of car and passenger ferries that operate throughout the year.
Rail route
A nationwide network of railroads at very reasonable fares is run by Trenitalia.
Road route
Italy has a large network of well constructed roads and good coach services run between towns and cities and there are also extensive local buses.
You can also avail car hire, facilities run by many international and national companies, at airports, resorts and hotels.
ACCOMODATION
Italy has an astonishing number of hotels- 38,000 in all and the charges vary according to class, season, services available and locality.
On motorways and main roads you can find motels, which offer a cheaper alternative.
Self catering, beds and breakfasts, camping and caravanning and youth hostels are the other budget stays.
There are two interesting accommodation styles –
Rural or farm stay accommodation called agriturisimi, which consists of converted farm buildings.
Holiday villages- consisting of bungalows and apartments usually built in or near popular resorts.
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