Europe: Plan your Journey to Europe

Italy

Italy is a country in southern Europe. It is known for its cultural heritage, which is rich and varied, and the natural beauty of its landscape. Its cities have spectacular churches and large central squares.

Their museums contain some of the world's best-known art. The countryside has warm, sandy beaches; high, glacier-topped mountain peaks; and rolling hills covered with green fields and vineyards....More Information on Italy.

Full country name: Italian Republic
Area: 301,230 sq km
Population: 57.99 million
Capital City: Rome
People: Italian
Language: French, German, Serbian, Croatian, Italian
Religion: 84% Roman Catholic, 6% Jewish, Muslim and Protestant
Government: republic
Head of State: President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi
Head of Government: Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi

History of Italy

Italy is largely homogeneous linguistically and religiously but is diverse culturally, economically, and politically. Italy has the fifth-highest population density in Europe–about 200 persons per square kilometer (490 per sq. mi.). Minority groups are small, the largest being the German-speaking people of Bolzano Province and the Slovenes around Trieste. Other groups comprise small communities of Albanian, Greek, Ladino, and French origin. Immigration has increased in recent years, however, while the Italian population is declining overall due to low birth rates. Although Roman Catholicism is the majority religion–85% of native-born...More on Italian History.

Also Read: Italy: A short Background

Overview of Italy's Economy

GDP: US$1.45 trillion
GDP per capita: US$25,100
Annual Growth: 2.6%
Inflation: 1.7%
Major Industries: tourism, engineering, textiles, chemicals, food processing, motor vehicles, clothing and footwear
Major Trading Partners: EU (especially Germany, France, UK, Spain, Netherlands), USA
Member of EU: Yes

Also Read: Our special feature on Economy of Italy

Political System of Italy

- Military and Defense of Italy
- Foreign Relations
- Political Condition
- Government

Climate, Vegetation and Fauna

The flora of the central and southern lowlands of Italy is typically Mediterranean. Among the characteristic vegetation of these regions are trees such as the olive, orange, lemon, palm, and citron. Other common types, particularly in the extreme south, are fig, date, pomegranate, and almond trees, and sugarcane and cotton.Italy has fewer varieties of animals than are found generally in comparable areas of Europe. Small numbers of marmot, chamois, and ibex live in the Alps. The bear, numerous in ancient times, is now virtually extinct, but the wolf and wild boar still flourish in the mountain regions. The quail, woodcock, partridge, and various migratory species abound in many parts of Italy. Reptiles include several species of lizards and snakes and three species of the poisonous viper family. Scorpions are also found.


Population:According to the 1991 census, Italy had a population of 56,778,031. The 2001 around population is 57,679,825...Italy's people and population.

Envoirnment:Italy's instantly recognisable boot shape kicks its way into the Adriatic, Ionian, Ligurian and Tyrrhenian Seas...More.

Education: The Italian impact on European education dates back to the ancient Roman educators and scholars...more on education in Italy

Languages: The overwhelming majority of the people speak Italian, one of the Romance group of languages...more on languages spoken in Italy

Lifestyle: The capital and largest city of Italy is Rome (population, 2000 estimate, 2,644,000), which is a famous cultural and tourist center...more on life and lifestyle of Italy


Facts for the Traveler

Visas: EU citizens require only a passport or ID card to stay or work in Italy for as long as they like. They are, however, required to register with a questura (police station) if they take up residence and obtain a permesso di soggiorno (permission to remain for a nominated period). Citizens of many other countries, including the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Israel, Switzerland and Japan, do not need a visa if entering as tourists for up to three months. Passports may not be stamped upon entry, so that three-month rule can be interpreted with a certain flexibility. If you are entering for any reason other than tourism (for instance, study) or plan to remain for an extended period, insist on having the entry stamp. Without it you could encounter problems when trying to obtain a permesso di soggiorno. Non-EU citizens who want to study at a university or language school must have a study visa. These can be obtained from your nearest Italian embassy or consulate.
Health risks: rabies (This is only found in the Alps), Leishmaniasis (This is found in coastal regions), Lyme disease
Time Zone: GMT/UTC +1 (+2 in summer) (Central European Time)
Dialling Code: 39
Electricity: 230V ,50Hz
Weights & measures: Metric

Also Read: Money and Cost Required

When to Go in Italy

Italy is at its best in spring (April-May) and autumn (October-November). During these seasons, the scenery is beautiful, the temperatures are pleasant and there are relatively few crowds. Try to avoid August, as this is the time that most Italians take their vacations, and many shops and businesses are closed as a result.

Also Read: Getting Around Italy | Italy: Getting There and Away

What to See in Italy

Major Tourist Attractions in Italy
- Rome: It's hard to say what you'll find most breathtaking about the eternal city - the arrogant opulence...
- Amalfi Coast: Stretching for 50km (31mi) along a promontory from Sorrento to Salerno is some of Europe's most...
- Assisi: Walled Assisi is miraculous: it has somehow managed to retain some tranquil refuges amid the tourist hubbub...
- Florence: The cultural and historical impact of Florence (or Firenze) is overwhelming. Close up...

Other Tourist Attractions in Italy
Warning: fopen(/home/tworld/domains/travel-mantra.com/public_html/includes/xmlcache/italy) [function.fopen]: failed to open stream: Permission denied in /home/tworld/domains/travel-mantra.com/public_html/includes/xmlfeed.php on line 98

Warning: fwrite(): supplied argument is not a valid stream resource in /home/tworld/domains/travel-mantra.com/public_html/includes/xmlfeed.php on line 99

Warning: fclose(): supplied argument is not a valid stream resource in /home/tworld/domains/travel-mantra.com/public_html/includes/xmlfeed.php on line 100

more...

Events in Italy

Religious, cultural and historical events pepper the Italian calendar. The pre-Easter Carnivale is closely associated with Venice; Holy Week Easter processions are especially flamboyant at Taranto, Chieti and Sicily; and Florence explodes a cart full of fireworks on Easter Sunday. Festivals honouring patron saints are also particularly colourful events; for example the Festas di San Nicola in Bari and San Gennaro in Naples, the Festival of Snakes in Abruzzo (May) and the Festa of Sant'Antonio in Padua (June). Events betraying more than a hint of history include the Race of the Candles and Palio of the Crossbow in Gubbio (May), the Sardinian Cavalcade (May), the Regata of the Four Ancient Maritime Republics (which rotates between Pisa, Venice, Amalfi and Genoa, and is held in June), Il Palio in Siena (July & August) and Venice's Historic Regatta (September).


Warning: fopen(/home/tworld/domains/travel-mantra.com/public_html/includes/xmlcache/europe) [function.fopen]: failed to open stream: Permission denied in /home/tworld/domains/travel-mantra.com/public_html/includes/xmlfeed.php on line 98

Warning: fwrite(): supplied argument is not a valid stream resource in /home/tworld/domains/travel-mantra.com/public_html/includes/xmlfeed.php on line 99

Warning: fclose(): supplied argument is not a valid stream resource in /home/tworld/domains/travel-mantra.com/public_html/includes/xmlfeed.php on line 100

Cluj-Napoca : Romania Cluj-Napoca (Hungarian: Kolozsvar; German: Klausenburg; Latin: Claudiopolis), the seat of Cluj county, is one of the most important academic, cultural and industrial centers in Romania. Regarded as the historic capital of Transylvania, the city is located in northwestern Romania, and is approximately 480 km (200 miles) northwest of Bucharest in the Somesul Mic [...]
Cultural Activity in Europe Europe has a long tradition of excellence in literature, painting, sculpture, architecture, music, and dance. In the late 20th century Paris, Rome, London, Madrid, and Moscow were particularly famous as cultural centers, but many other cities also supported important museums, musical and theatrical groups, and other cultural institutions. Most European countries had [...]
Religion of Europe In the early 2000s the great majority of Europeans were Christians. The largest single religious group, Roman Catholics, lived mainly in France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Ireland, Belgium, southern Germany, and Poland. Another large group was composed of followers of Protestant faiths, concentrated in countries of northern and central Europe such as England, Scotland, [...]
Languages of Europe Europeans speak a wide variety of languages. The principal linguistic groups are the Slavic, which includes Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian, Czech, Slovak, Bulgarian, Polish, Slovenian, Macedonian, and Serbo-Croatian; the Germanic, which includes English, German, Dutch, Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, and Icelandic; and the Romance, which includes Italian, French, Spanish, Portuguese, and Romanian. These languages have [...]
Demography of Europe The distribution of the European population has not been stable over long periods, but has shifted, both through differential birth and death rates and by migration. At the beginning of the Christian era, the most densely populated part of Europe bordered the Mediterranean Sea. At the beginning of the 21st century Europe had [...]
Ethnologyof Europe Europe includes a large number of ethnic groupsâ€ persons associated by a common culture, especially language. European nations are generally composed of one dominant group, such as the Germans of Germany and the French of France. Several countries, particularly in south central Europe, have large minorities, and most countries contain smaller groups, such as the [...]
People of Europe Indo-European languages (see The Indo-European Family of Languages, table) predominate in Europe; others spoken include Basque, Maltese, and the languages classified as Finno-Ugric, Samoyedic, Bulgaric, and Turkic. Roman Catholicism is the chief religion of S and W Europe and the southern part of central Europe; Protestantism is dominant in the United Kingdom, Scandinavia, [...]
Biodiversity of Europe Having lived side-by-side with agricultural and industrial civilisations for millennia, Europe’s animals and plants have been profoundly affected by the presence and activities of man. With the exception of Scandinavia and northern Russia, few areas of untouched wilderness are today to be found in Europe, except for different natural parks. The main natural vegetation [...]
Physical features of Europe In terms of shape, Europe is a collection of connected peninsulas. The two largest of these are “mainland” Europe and Scandinavia to the north, divided from each other by the Baltic Sea. Three smaller peninsulasâ€ Iberia, Italy and the Balkansâ€ emerge from the southern margin of the mainland into the Mediterranean Sea, which separates [...]
Regions of Europe Europe can be divided into five geographic regions: Scandinavia (Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Denmark); the British Isles (United Kingdom and Ireland); W Europe (France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, and Monaco); S Europe (Portugal, Spain, Andorra, Italy, Malta, San Marino, and Vatican City); Central Europe (Germany, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Austria, Poland, the Czech Republic, [...]

Travel Mantra: Europe Destination Guide

Browse the Europe Destination Guide


Got Text?
You're reading these text links and so are millions of other every month. Place your Adverts Here. E-Mail Us for Details.
 
Plan your Honeymoon in Alaska, Tahiti, Caribbean , New Zealand, Hawaii, Cooks Island, Fiji
 
Learn wide variety of courses at all levels in English and other languages in Delhi at Inlingua New Delhi
 
Plan your Visit to Agra, Jaipur and Delhi through Travel and Hospitality India
 
 
Customized Search Engine Solutions, Search Engine Rankings, Search Engine Promote, Affordable SEO Services, SEO India
 
Cellos and Violas Manufacturer and Suppliers


 

Europe Travel Guide


First Time in Europe: Travel Planner


Facts About Germany