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Italy is one of the oldest countries on the planet where civilisation has enjoyed continuous history. It is also one of the newest, for it united under one government only about one hundred and thirty years ago. It is generally considered the country of art. But as you delve into its history, you will find that it is also the country of lawmakers, builders, and scientists. Many of the great ideas that guide the world today were born there.

The shape of the land is that of a boot, endlessly kicking the island of Sicily into the blue Mediterranean. Another large island, Sardinia, lies off its western coast. Italy juts south into the Mediterranean Sea, which was, for many centuries, the centre of the western world.

To the north, Italy is divided from France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia by the
mighty barrier of the Alps. Another mountain range, the Appennines, forms the backbone of the long Italian peninsula where one is never further than 80 miles (128 km) from the sea, as the crow flies.

The Po River valley in the north is the largest in Italy, full of teeming cities and factories. Smaller valleys watered by rivers famous in history - the Tiber, the Arno - lead down to Italy’s western sea.Italy extends over ten degrees of latitude, roughly corresponding to the span from Kanya Kumari to Mumbai. The warm Mediterranean and the protection afforded by the Alps makes it a land of sunshine where palm trees grow at the feet of snow-capped mountains, and a deep blue sky stretches as much over the cliffs of the Riviera as the gentle hills of Tuscany and the temples of Sicily. Water, plentiful in the North where the Alpine glaciers keep the rivers brimming all the year round, is scarcer in the South.

More than 56 million Italians live in this area of 116,372 square miles (301278 square kilometres). Some in major cities like Turin (Torino), Milan (Milano), Genoa (Genova), Venice (Venezia), Trieste, Bologna, Florence (Firenze), Rome (Roma), Naples (Napoli), Palermo, or smaller provincial capitals (95 in all). Some live in the country or in towns and villages, many of which are built on hill-tops, and are famous for their beauty. At the end of World War II, on June 2, 1946, by choice of the people, Italy became a parliamentary Republic. (To commemorate the event, June 2nd is now national holiday.)

As in India, public authority is divided into three branches: the legislative, the executive, and the judiciary. The Head of the State is the President of the Republic, elected by Parliament for a period of seven years. He is Chief of the Armed Forces, promulgates bills passed by Parliament, pardons or commutes sentences, and may dissolve both Houses of Parliament by calling for new elections.
The President of the Republic, is the Chief of State but the Chief Executive is the Prime Minister appointed by the President of the Republic (also called President of the Council of Ministers) and is heads of a Cabinet of about 20 Ministers. They run the Ministries (or Departments) of Foreign Affairs, Home Affairs, Finance, Education, Agriculture, etc. The Cabinet is collectively responsible to the two Chambers of Parliament, each of which, by majority vote, can deny its confidence to the Prime Minister and his Cabinet.

The Parliament is composed of the Senate (319 members) and the Chamber of Deputies (630 members) elected by the people for terms of five years. The judicial power is represented by the magistracy (the complex of professional judges) and by honorary and popular judges. The Court of Cassation is the supreme organ of appeal.

The Constitutional Court, composed of 15 judges (5 appointed by the Chief of the State, 5 elected by the Parliament and 5 chosen among the professional judges), is the guardian of the Constitution. Its duty is to cancel any bill that is unconstitutional.In every one of the 95 provincial capitals there is a Prefect who represents the central government, and is responsible for public order. He has at his disposal both the ordinary state police and the Carabinieri, who are a branch of the Army with police duties.

Several political parties vie for power in Italy. Since the war the government has rested mostly on a coalition of Christian Democrats (the strongest single party in Italy), together with Liberals, Democratic Socialists, Socialists and Republicans.

Piemonte (Piedmont) with its capital Turin - a regal looking city, for centuries the seat of the House of Savoy under which Italy united more than a hundred years ago. Centre of Italy’s automobile industry. Val d'Aosta (the little patch above Piemonte) is a valley under the towering Alps, famous for its old castles. It enjoys an autonomous administration.

Lombardia (Lombardy) is the most prosperous region of Italy. The Milan Sprint
International Trade Fair is the great meeting place for Europe’s businesspersons.
Milan is also the singing centre of the world, and houses "La Scala", the world’s best known opera house.

Trentino-Alto Adige the northernmost region of the country, contains the famous
red-tinged Dolomite mountains. Both Trento, its capital, and Bolzano, further north, are situated along the fast-running Adige river. Trento is the seat of the regional government. A land of pastures, orchards and fir forests, it is the home of many ski champions. In the northern part, German is taught in schools because of the mixed language population. Veneto lies immediately south, with its unique capital, Venice - a city where water takes the place of streets, and gondolas of taxis. The San Marco Square has been rightly called the most beautiful ‘salon’ in Europe. The Republic of Venice, once the greatest maritime power of the Mediterranean basin, ruled by elected Doges, lasted for a thousand years and held sway over far-flung lands. In its shipyards were built the finest sailing vessels of the time. All the riches of the East were once bought and sold on its wharves.Friuli-Venezia Giulia has its capital in Trieste. Second only to Venice as an adriatic port, it is noted for its shipyards.

Turn west again to the thin crescent moon curving onto the sea. This is Liguria with its renowned Riviera Road. Midway across rises Genoa, hometown of Christopher Columbus, once a great maritime republic and now the biggest port in the Mediterranean. Emilia-Romagna lying just north of the Appennines, takes its name from the Emilian Road built by Consul Marcus Emilius Lepidus in 187 BC. Its capital, Bologna, known as the ‘wise city’, is famous for harbouring the world’s oldest university.

Next comes Toscana (Tuscany), the cradle of the Renaissance and probably the most exquisite of all regions. The Tuscan landscape once inspired painters like Piero della Francesca and Leonardo da Vinci. Its capital, Florence, is of course considered the world’s treasure-trove of art.

Umbria the only completely land-locked region in peninsular Italy, is dotted with hill
towns including Perugia, built by the Etruscans, and Assisi. It is also known as the region of Saints (St.Francis and St. Benedict were born here), and for its lake Trasimeno where Hannibal and his elephants crushed an entire Roman army.
Le Marche follows, with its capital Ancona, a lofty seaside city. Among its towns, Urbino is well-known for its famous palace in which the first book on good manners
("Il Cortigiano") was written four hundred years ago. The tiny patch on Le Marche’s
northern border is San Marino the oldest independent republic in the world.
Turning south again, we have Lazio (Latium), the land of the Latins and of Rome.

The "Eternal City", as Rome is known, has, for three thousand years, been the capital of the early Roman Kings, the Roman Republic, the Roman Empire, the Catholic Church and, today, the Republic of Italy. In Rome rises not only St. Peter’s Basilica, the mightiest temple on the planet, but also the Capitol Hill from which the so-called "Capitols", or seats of governments everywhere, take their name. Abruzzi is a rugged region famous in legend and poetry, where the Appennines rise to their highest peaks (Corno Grande in the Gran Sasso group, 2914 mts). Aquila, a town which grew from a medieval castle, is its capital. But other cities like Pescara on the Adriatic have already surpassed it in importance.

Molise is a recently created region, with Campobasso as its capital. Campania lies south - west, with its two gulfs of Naples and Salerno, whose beauty even surpasses their fame. While Naples ("See Naples and then die") stretches from the hills to the sea, the Mt. Vesuvius volcano smokes away, oblivious of the civilisations it has wiped out. Around Naples lies the most fertile soil in Italy. Here also many of Italy’s new industries have moved to take advantage of climate and plentiful labour.

Puglia (Apulia) the entire heel of Italy’s boot- contains the biggest Italian plain after the Po valley. Bari, with its annual Levant Fair, and port, is one of the busiest cities of the south. In its beautiful cathedral (St. Nicholas) "Santa Claus" lies buried. Basilicata also called Lucania, occupies the instep of Italy’s boot. Potenza, in the hills, is the capital. The mountainous toe of Italy, full of bumps sticking out in breathless views over two seas, is Calabria often called the Switzerland of the south. Along its Ionian coast rose famous Greek cities of antiquity like Crotone and Sybaris (from which came the adjective "sybaritic"). Reggio Calabria is the capital.

Over the strait of Messina, where Ulysses was once almost devoured by the monsters Scylla and Charybdis, one looks at Sicilia (Sicily), Italy’s largest island. Several civilisations have flourished on this land dominated by the flaming volcano
Mt. Etna. In Palermo, the capital, sits a regional government. Other cities are Catania, Messina, Siracusa and Agrigento with its Greek temples. Oil has recently been found in Sicily, and the island is enjoying an industrial revival. Sardegna (Sardinia), also a large island, for a long time had a pastoral character and is noted for the beauty of its wild landscape. Here a major dam and mountain tunnelling provide water for the southern plains. Cagliari is the seat of the regional government.

Education in Italy is practically all public, in the sense that it is run by the Ministry of Education in Rome, and is fairly standard all over Italy. For minimum tuition fees the public schools and universities provide the best available instruction. Children go through eight compulsory grades, five elementary and three of scuola media (secondary school), completely free. From there, some branch off to vocational, technical and art schools, some to the Liceo (classical or scientific -5 years). They can then enter University.

Roughly, the last two years of the Liceo correspond to Junior College (Higher Secondary). The oldest university in the world is the University of Bologna, which was founded in the 11th century. Other famous universities are those of Padua and Pavia in northern Italy, Pisa in Central Italy, and Naples in the South. Of course, today, the biggest university in Italy is the University of Rome. There are more than 40 universities - plus other schools of university level such as the Polytechnic Institutes in Milan and Turin, the Institute of Oriental Studies in Naples, etc. Well known to Indians is the University for Foreigners of Perugia, in the Umbrian hills.
Before printing was invented, great libraries were built up in Italy based on the work
of copyists (scribes). Such was the Laurentian Library in Florence (founded by Lorenzo the Magnificent) and the Vatican Library in Rome. With printing, the beautiful "Aldine" editions of Venice became the most treasured in Europe. (They were the work of a family of printers headed by Aldus Manutius).

Today, as everywhere else, modern presses turn out thousands of tons of printed matter, including some of Europe’s great newspapers
such as Il Corriere della Sera of Milan and La Stampa of Turin. There are a little less than one hundred dailies in the land. A recent feature is spread of big rotogravure news-weeklies such as "Epoca", "L’Europeo", "L’Espresso" and "Panorama".

The Romans - perhaps a hardier race than ours - delighted in open-air theatres which they apparently used the year round. Those same Roman theatres, as well as the Greek theatres in Sicily, are still used in summer to stage opera and drama. The most breathtaking are perhaps the operas given in the Roman arena at Verona.
Regular theatres are very abundant in Italy. Starting with the 17th century, every town built its own theatre. The biggest and most famous were erected in the 18th century and in the century after, with composers like Donizetti, Bellini, Rossini, Verdi and Puccini.

Italy is the land of art – and not the least among the arts that have attained their highest expression in Italy is the art of hospitality. The Italian welcome is as warm and traditional as a glass of fine wine. Travellers of ancient times gave the country its first name: Land of Wines.

Italy has given the world pasta and pizza, Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci, Dante and Machiavelli, Catholicism with its vast array of saints and martyrs, Verdi and Pavarotti, Fellini and Sophia Loren and a remarkable sense of style and la dolce vita. Italians are such good hosts because they get so much practice welcoming visitors from the world over. In Italy, you can visit Roman ruins, study Renaissance art, stay in tiny medieval towns, go mountaineering in the Alps and Apennines, feel romantic in Venice, participate in traditional festivals and see most beautiful churches than you imagined exist in one country. It is no wonder, then, that Italy is one of the most popular vacation countries of Europe.

All seasons are good for visiting Italy. In summer, Italy is an international playground when visitors from all continents mingle with vacationing Italians at the famous resorts.
Spring comes early to Italy and autumn lingers on - and so will the wise traveller who wants to enjoy at a more leisurely pace the art centres, the large cities and the holiday resorts such as those in the Lombardian lake regions where spring and fall are ideal seasons. In winter, the Italian Alps are unequalled for scenery and skiing. In northern Italy are some of the world’s most renowned winter sports resorts, easily reached from such centres as Turin, chief city of the westernmost Piedmont region; Milan, hub of the central mountain and lake district; and Venice, leading city of the north-eastern region. Skiing is also a summer sport in the Turin Alps and the lofty mountains surrounding the Aosta Valley.

From the sunny southern slopes of the Alps to the lush orange groves of Sicily, Italy offers enormous variety in its natural scenery and historical backgrounds. Because Italy grew up as a collection of independent city-states, traditional dress and customs vary greatly from region to region. The rich history is preserved in the colourful folklore festivals that take place throughout the year.

Most of the year the beaches are sunny, and with 5,310 miles of shoreline bordering Italy and its islands, you can usually find waters where the temperature is right for swimming. And history is always in season: choose any time of year to tour historic buildings and view the world’s greatest art treasures in this land that has been writing and preserving history for over three thousand years.

Italy’s boot shape makes it one of the most recognisable countries in the world, with the island of Sicily appearing somewhat like a football at the toe of the boot. Sardinia, the other large island, is situated in the middle of the Tyrrhenian Sea to the west of the mainland. Italy is bounded by four seas- the Adriatic to the north-east, the Ionian Sea to the south-east, the Ligurian and Tyrrhenian on the western side. More than 75% of Italy is mountainous, with the Alps stretching from the Gulf of Genoa to the Adriatic Sea north of Trieste and dividing the country from Switzerland, Slovenia, France and Austria.

The Alps are divided into three main groups- eastern (the Dolomites), western (the Apennines) and central (the Apuan Alps or the Sub-Apennines: these are composed almost entirely of marble, the world-famous Italian marble!)

Less than a quarter of Italy’s total land area is composed of lowlands or plains.
The largest of these is the Valley of the largest river, Po (Pianura Padana), which is heavily populated and industrialised. Other plains include the Tavogliere di Puglia and the Pianura Campana around Mount Vesuvius.

Italy has three active volcanoes: Stromboli (in the Aeolian Islands), Vesuvius, destroyer of the ancient city of Pompeii (near Naples) and Etna (in Sicily).

The moderating influence of the sea and the protection of the Alpine barrier from the cold north winds 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; it is mild and even warm on the Ligurian coast, the Neapolitan coast and in Sicily. 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.

Thus, whereas the Alps protect Milan from the extremes of the Northern European winter, Liguria enjoys a mild Mediterranean climate. The Po Valley has an extreme climate, with severe winters and hot summers. Venice can be hot and humid in summer, and, although not very cold in winter, can be unpleasant as the sea level rises and acqua alta (high water) inundates the city. Farther south, Florence also has an extreme climate, encircled as it is by hills, while Rome enjoys milder weather, although the impact of the sirocco, a hot, humid wind blowing from Africa, can produce stiflingly hot weather in August with temperatures in the high 30s for days on end. Winters are moderate in Rome, but winter clothing (or at least a heavy overcoat) is still a requirement.

The South, Sicily and Sardinia have a mild Mediterranean climate, with long, hot and dry summers and moderate winters, with temperatures around 10o C.
These regions are also affected by the sirocco in summer.

The chart below provides average temperatures of the major cities and resort towns.

The monetary unit is the Italian Lira (plural Lire). Notes are issued for 1,000, 2,000, 5,000, 10,000, 50,000 and 100,000 lire. Coins are 50, 100, 200 and 500 lire. Foreign notes, traveller’s cheques and letters of credit are purchased by Italian banks at the current rate of exchange (less a small commission).

Tourists reaching Italy without Italian currency can obtain lire through any bank or exchange office (ufficio di Cambio) at air and sea ports. A limited amount of lire can be obtained from conductors on international trains and at certain stations in the interior of the country.

General Delivery Service: Mail can be addressed c/o Post Office by adding Fermo Posta after the name of the town. The addressee can claim mail at the Central Post Office upon identification by passport.

Stamps may be purchased only at tobacco shops and at the Post Office. Airmail with insufficient postage is not returned to sender, but is sent via surface mail.

Post Offices are open from 8.30 a.m.- 2.00 p.m. On Saturdays and on the last day of the month they may close at 12.00 noon. Post Offices at airports and main Post Offices in large cities are open 24 hours a day for registered mail and telegram services.
LANGUAGE

English is spoken at most hotels and shops and aboard most ships, flights, trains and tour buses. However, Italians are pleased when a foreigner attempts to speak their language.Even if only a few words are exchanged, an instant feeling of friendship is created when two strangers can converse in the same language. Letters to hotels or to local Information Offices may be in English and should, if possible, be typewritten.

The electrical current in Italy is AC and the cycle is 50. The voltage may vary, but in most of the cities and towns it is either 125 or 220. A tourist carrying electrical appliances to Italy should have a transformer, either obtained before leaving India or bought at an electrical appliance shop in Italy. Check the local voltage with the hotel before using electrical appliances.

Italian cuisine is famous all over the world. There are many restaurants of international renown throughout Italy as well as an infinite number of trattorie and rosticcerie where excellent meals are offered at very moderate prices. Many pizzerie serve a variety of other foods in addition to the popular pizza and they are usually open later than the other eating establishments.

Most Italian restaurants and hotel dining rooms offer both fixed-price meals and à la carte menus. Fixed-price meals usually include two courses, dessert, taxes and service charges.

Bars in Italy are open from early morning to late at night. They usually serve drinks, refreshments, and a variety of snacks, desserts and fast. There is an extra charge for drinks and food served at tables.

Offices and shops in Italy are closed on the following dates: January 1 (New Year’s day); January 6 (Epiphany); Easter Monday; April 25 (Liberation day); May 1 (Labour day); August 15 (Assumption of the Virgin); November 1 (All Saints day); December 8 (Day of Immaculate Conception); December 25 (Christmas day); December 26 (Santo Stefano).

Italy is an art lover’s paradise. It has been likened to one vast museum. No other country in the world has such a rich heritage of artistic creativity. A UNESCO study placed 40% of the art of the world in Italy.

There are over 1500 museums, art galleries and archaeological sites in Italy. Practically every Italian town has its museums and art galleries. Each period in history found artistic expression. The epochs that are represented in the various museums are: prehistoric civilisations, the Etruscans, Magna Graecia, roman period, early Christian and late medieval art, romanesque, gothic, renaissance, late renaissance and mannerism, baroque, neo-classicism and romanticism.

The opening times of museums, art galleries and archaeological sites vary considerably from place to place. They are usually open from 9.00 a.m. to 2.00 p.m. on weekdays and from 9.00 a.m. to 1.00 p.m. on Sundays and national holidays, but are usually closed on Mondays. Many churches are open only in the morning. Always check the exact timings with the local tourist boards. Please note that the works of art in churches are generally covered during the week preceding Easter Sunday as a sign of mourning.