About Italy

Location
Western Europe


Time
GMT + 1 (GMT + 2 from last Sunday in March to last Sunday in October).


Area 301,338 sq km (116,346 sq miles).


Population 58.1 million (UN estimate 2006).


Population Density 192.8 per sq km.

Capital Rome. Population: 2.6 million (2005).



Geography

Italy is situated in Europe and attached in the north to the European mainland.
To the north, the Alps separate Italy from France, Switzerland,Austria and Slovenia.

Northern Italy: The Alpine regions, the Po Plain and the Ligurian-Etruscan Appennines. Piedmont and Val d?Aosta contain some of the highest mountains in Europe and are good areas for winter sports. Many rivers flow down from the mountains towards the Po Basin, passing through the beautiful Italian Lake District (Maggiore, Como, Garda). The Po Basin, which extends as far south as the bare slopes of the Appennines, is covered with gravel terraces and rich alluvial soil and has long been one of Italy?s most prosperous regions. To the east, where the River Po flows into the Adriatic Sea, the plains are a little higher than the river itself; artificial (and occasionally natural) embankments prevent flooding.

Central Italy: The northern part of the Italian peninsula. Tuscany(Toscana) has a diverse landscape with snow-capped mountains (the Tuscan Appennines), lush countryside, hills and a long sandy coastline with offshore islands. Le Marche, lying between the Appennines and the Adriatic coast, is a region of mountains, rivers and small fertile plains. The even more mountainous regioni (administrative districts) of Abruzzo and Molise are bordered by Marche to the north and Puglia to the south, and are separated from the Tyrrhenian Sea and to the west by Lazio and Campania. Umbria is known as the ?green heart of Italy?; hilly with broad plains, olive groves and pines. Further south lies Rome, Italy?s capital and largest city. Within its precincts is the Vatican City.

Southern Italy: Campania consists of flat coastal plains and low mountains, stretching from Baia Domizia to the Bay of Naples and along a rocky coast to the Calabria border. Inland, the Appennines are lower, mellowing into the rolling countryside around Sorrento. The islands of Capri, Ischia and Procida in the Tyrrhenian Sea are also part of Campania. The south is wilder than the north, with mile upon mile of olive trees, cool forests and rolling hills. Puglia, the ?heel of the boot?, is a landscape of volcanic hills and isolated marshes. Calabria, the ?toe?, is heavily forested and thinly populated. The Calabrian hills are home to bears and wolves.

The Islands: Sicily (Sicilia), visible across a 3km (2-mile) strait from mainland Italy, is fertile but mountainous with volcanoes (including the famous landmark of Mount Etna) and lava fields, and several offshore islands. Sardinia (Sardegna) has a mountainous landscape, fine sandy beaches and rocky offshore islands.

EU

Member since 1958.

Government

Kingdom of Italy declared in 1861. Republic since 1946.

Head of State

President Giorgio Napolitano since 2006.

Head of Government

Prime minister Romano Prodi since 2006.

Recent History

In the April 2006 general elections, Romano Prodi, former prime minister and leader of the centre-left coalition, won a narrow victory in both the lower house and the Senate. Berlusconi disputed the result and initially refused to concede, despite court rulings confirming Prodi's majority in both houses.

Prodi resigned in February 2007 after losing a vote on his foreign policy, but continues in office with a reformed coalition government, having secured renewed support for his economic reforms and foreign policy.

Language

Italian is the official language. Dialects are spoken in different regions. German and Ladin are spoken in the South Tyrol region (bordering Austria). French is spoken in all the border areas from the Riviera to the area north of Milan (border with France and Switzerland). German is spoken around the Austrian border. English, French and German are also spoken in the biggest cities and in tourism and business circles.

Religion

90% Roman Catholic with Protestant minorities.

Electricity

230 volts AC, 50Hz.

Social Conventions

The social structure is heavily influenced by the Roman Catholic church and, generally speaking, family ties are stronger than in most other countries in Western Europe. Normal social courtesies should be observed. Dress is casual but smart in most places, and beachwear should be confined to the beach. Conservative clothes are expected when visiting religious buildings and smaller, traditional communities. Formal wear is usually indicated on invitations. Smoking is prohibited in public buildings, transport and cinemas.


Food and Drink

Pasta and pizza plays a substantial part in Italian recipes, but there are many regional specialities. Tuscany, for example, is noted for its bean dishes; the Po Valley for its rich risottos. Cheeses include mozzarella, pecorino (hard, sheep?s cheese) and gorgonzola.

National specialities:
Rome:
? Gnocchi alla romana (semolina dumplings).
Piemonte:
? Bagna caoda (an anchovy dip, served with vegetables).
Lombardy:
? Panettone (Christmas cake with sultanas and candied fruit).
Liguria:
? Pesto (sauce of basil, pine nuts and pecorino cheese ).
Emilia-Romagna:
? Parmigiano (parmesan cheese).

National drinks:
? Wines are named after grape varieties, village or area of origin. The most widespread is the Chianti group of vineyards in Tuscany.
? Roman wines include Albano and Frascati (whites); Barolo in Valle d'Aosta; Valpolicella in Veneto; Pinot Bianco and Pinot Grigio (whites); Cabernet and Pinot Nero (reds) in Friuli-Venezia; and Chianti, Nobile di Montepulciano and Brunello in Tuscany.
? Vermouths are popular in Piemonte.
? Aperitifs such as Campari and Punt e Mes are excellent appetisers.
? Italian liqueurs include Amaretto, Limoncello, Grappa and Strega.

Legal drinking age: 16. The government has proposed raising it to 18.

Tipping: Service charges and state taxes are included in all hotel bills. It is customary to give up to 10% in addition if service has been particularly good.

Nightlife
Nightclubs, restaurants and bars with dancing can be found in most major towns and tourist resorts. In Rome, English-language films can be found at the Pasquine Cinema, Vicolo della Paglia, just off Santa Maria in Trastevere, and at the multiscreen Warner Moderno (website: www.warnervillage.it) on Piazza della Repubblica. Restaurants and cafes throughout Italy will invariably have tables outside. Open-air concerts in summer are organised by the Academy of St Cecilia and the Opera House, while there is open-air theatre at the Baths of Caracalla. Jazz, rock, folk and country music can all be heard at various venues.

Shopping
Many Italian products, especially clothes, shoes and bags, are world-famous for their style and quality. Florence, Milan and Rome are famous as important fashion centres. Some places are known for particular products, eg Carrara (Tuscany) for marble. In several parts of Sardinia writing paper made of cork is produced. Cremona (Lombardy) is famous for its handmade violins. Valenza (Piedmont) has a large number of goldsmiths, and Sulmona (Abruzzo) produces ?confetti?, sugar-coated almonds used all over Italy for wedding celebrations. Ravenna (Emilia-Romagna) is famous for mosaics and Volterra (Tuscany) for alabaster goods.

Rome: Designer names are focused around the fashionable Via Condotti. Old books and prints can be bought from bookstalls of Piazza Borghese. Rome?s flea market is at Porta Portese in Trastevere on Sunday mornings.

Milan: The city?s industrial wealth is reflected in the chic, elegant shops of Via Montenapoleone. Prices tend to be higher than in other major cities.

Venice: Famous for its glassware made on the island of Murano, where there are also art dealers and skilful goldsmiths.

Florence: Boasts some of the finest goldsmiths, selling from shops concentrated along both sides of the Ponte Vecchio. Florentine jewellery has a particular quality of satin finish called satinato.

Siena: Full of individual shops selling fatto a mano (made by hand) goods, such as paper, clothes, ceramics and candles.

Southern Italy: In the south, there are still families handmaking the same products as their ancestors: filigree jewellery and products of wrought iron in Abruzzo; products in wood in Calabria; and a variety of textiles, including tablecloths, in Sicily and Sardinia.

Shopping hours: Generally Mon-Sat 0830-1230 and 1530-1930, with some variations in northern Italy where the lunch break is shorter and the shops close earlier.
The moderating influence of the sea and the protection given by the Alpine barrier from the cold north winds join to bless Italy with a temperate climate. Nevertheless, the weather varies considerably according to how far one is from the sea or the mountains. The winter is very cold in the Alps, cold and foggy in the Po Plain and the central Apennines; mild and even warm on the Ligurian coast, the Neapolitan coast and in Sicilia.

The summer is hot and dry, but the temperature is mitigated on the coast by sea breezes and in the Apennines and Alps it is pleasantly cool. In mountain areas, winter is ideal for skiing, and summer for excursions, hiking, etc. Seaside and lake resorts, with their excellent hotel facilities, have an intense tourist season in the summer, while the cities that are rich in art treasures are ideal in spring and autumn.

January is generally cold, with the freezing tramontana wind sweeping down from the north. January 29, 30 and 31 are known as the "giornate della merla" (days of the blackbird) and are supposed to be the coldest of the year. A winter vacation has some advantages, however: once the Christmas holidays are over (after January 6), the sights are almost deserted and you will find a warm welcome everywhere. In hotels, low season prices apply.

February is "corto e maledetto" - short and accursed. It can be almost as cold as January, although winter is traditionally held to be at an end if the weather is good on the Feast of Candlemas
Again, tourists are few and far between and cheap flights and hotel rooms abound.

March weather is notoriously capricious: Italians say "Marzo ? pazzarello" - March is crazy. It is still chilly, and often windy and rainy too. The days are getting longer, however, and March 21 officially marks the start of spring. During the last weekend of the month, the clocks go forward, giving more daylight for sightseeing.
There begins to be more tourists, particularly if Easter falls early.

In April, travelers begin to flock to Italy. Italians say "Natale con i tuoi, Pasqua con chi vuoi": Christmas with the family, Easter with whoever you want. Many nationals take a city break at Easter, adding to the crowds of tourists from overseas. High season rates are charged at hotels everywhere.
The weather is a little warmer.

May is the month of roses in Italy, with weather that is warm but not too hot for sightseeing. The major sights are crowded - not only with visitors from abroad but also with Italian schoolchildren, as schools often organize trips at this time of year.

June is like May, but later in the month the temperature can rise steeply, particularly in the south. June 21 is the longest day of the year.
Seaside resorts begin to fill up after the schools close in the middle of the month.

July and August are too hot for comfortable sightseeing.
Although it is no longer true that everything shuts down in August, the cities are best avoided at this time.

September is a good time of year to visit Italy.
Temperatures are beginning to drop and the weather is usually dry.
Summer resorts are less crowded after the schools open in the middle of the month.
Autumn officially begins on September 23.

October is the best month of all for visiting Rome: the sunny days are known locally as the "ottobrate romane". In Northern Italy and at higher altitudes, however, temperatures may already be quite low, particularly at night. The evenings are closing in and during the last weekend of the month the clocks go back.

November is not generally considered to be a good month for visiting Italy. The days are short and it is often rainy, although rarely very cold. In addition, some hotels and restaurants may close in order to carry out renovation work or allow the owners to take a holiday.
If you do opt for a November vacation, don't miss tasting the new wine ("vino novello") and chestnuts that abound at this time of year.

In December, the cold weather returns: you can forget about sitting outside on the piazza sipping a cappuccino. The days are at their shortest. With the holiday season, prices begin to rise and hotels to fill up: book early to avoid disappointment.

If you decide to come to Italy over Christmas and the New Year, try visiting some of the less famous sights: you'll see something different and avoid the worst of the crowds.




 
 

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