Italy

Italy, officially known as the Italian Republic is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe.  Sicily and Sardinia two of the largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea also form part of Italy.  Italy shares its northern Alpine borders with France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia, boasting the Apennine Mountains, which form its backbone on the northern boundary.  The boot-shaped peninsula is surrounded on its west by the Tyrrhenian Sea and on its east by the Adriatic Sea.  The largest of its northern lakes is Garda, which stretches 143 square miles.  The Po, being the principal river, flows from the Alps on Italy's western border and crosses the great Padan plain to the Adriatic Sea.  Several active volcanoes including Etna, the largest active volcano in Europe and Vulcano; Stromboli; and Vesuvius all grace Italy with their presence.

The climate in Italy is highly diverse.  It can be far from the stereotypical Mediterranean climate that we have all become familiar with.  Most of the inland northern areas of Italy like Turin, Milan and Bologna have a continental climate, often classified as humid and subtropical.  The coastal areas of Liguria and most of the peninsula south of Florence generally fit the Mediterranean stereotype.  The coastal areas of the peninsula can be very different from the inland higher altitudes and valleys, particularly during the winter months when the higher altitudes tend to be cold, wet, and often snowy.  The coastal regions have mild winters and warm and generally dry summers.

Italy has been the home of many European cultures, including the Etruscans and the Romans.  In the 15th century, Italy was then at the heart of the Renaissance, which began it’s flowering of arts and culture in Tuscany and later spread all over Europe.  Italy's capital, Rome was for centuries, the center of Western civilization, it also spawned the Baroque movement and seats the Catholic Church and the famous Vatican. 

Today, Italy is a democratic republic and a developed country with the 20th highest GDP per capita, the 8th-highest Quality-of-life index, and the 20th-highest Human Development Index rating in the world.  It is a founding member of what is now the European Union (having signed the Treaty of Rome in 1957), and it is also a member of the G8 (having the world's 7th largest nominal GDP), NATO, OECD, the Council of Europe, the Western European Union, the Central European Initiative, and a Schengen state.  On January 1, 2007, Italy began a two-year term as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council.

Italy has a lot to boast about! After all, it produced artists such as Fra Angelico, Raphael, Botticelli, Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci.  All whose works take pride of place in Italy's many fabulous galleries.  Italy has a unique style; it combines art, history and contemporary fashion with stunning natural landscapes and rolling hills.  It’s turquoise waters off the coast and Sardinia's Costa Smeralda offer one of Europe's most beautiful stretches of sandy beaches with wonderful clear waters and bright sunshine.  While inland the snow-covered Dolomite mountains are a haven for winter sports enthusiasts and stunning scenery.