Italy's official name is the Italian Republic, founded in 1946. Its capital and largest city is Rome, which has a history dating back almost 3,000 years. Italy also contains two independent states - San Marino and Vatican City. Some of Italy's major cities include Milan, known for its business and culture, and Venice, built on islands in a lagoon. Italy has active volcanoes like Mount Etna and Mount Vesuvius due to its location on a fault line. The Alps and Apennines mountains dominate much of the country's landscape. Famous Italian artists, writers, and car manufacturers like Ferrari have global recognition.
2. The official name of Italy is the Italian Republic, founded in 1946. Its flag
is formed by three equally sized vertical stripes of green, white and red.
3. The capital of Italy is Rome (also known as the Eternal
City) and is almost 3,000 years old. It has almost 3
millions inhabitants in the city limits
4. There are two independent states within Italy:
the Republic of San Marino (25 square miles) in the central Apennines
and Vatican City (just 108.7 acres) in
Rome.
5. Milan, in Northern Italy, dates back to ancient times, and it is credited with Celtic origins. It
is considered the leading Italian city in the arts, commerce, design, education,
entertainment, fashion, finance, media, services, research and tourism. Its business district
hosts Italy's Stock Exchange and the headquarters of the largest national and international
banks and companies.
6. Venice, is one of the world's most beautiful and
unusual cities. It was founded over 1,400 years
ago on a collection of muddy islands in a wide and
shallow lagoon.
7. Chiavenna is a small town located in the north of Italy, 20 km from the border
to Switzerland on the road to Saint Moritz, the worldwide famous ski resort.
8. No other country in Europe has as many volcanoes as Italy. This is because
the Italian peninsula stands on a fault line. Three major volcanoes (Etna,
Stromboli, and Vesuvius) have erupted in the last hundred years.
Etna Stromboli
Vesuvius
9. Almost four-fifths of Italy is either mountainous or hilly.
The Alps form the northern border of the country while the
Apennines, the other mountain chain, are called “the
backbone” of the peninsula, running from north to south.
10. The highest peak in Europe is in Italy. Monte Bianco (White Mountain) is
15,771 feet (4810 m) high and is part of the Alps.
12. Many Italian artists and writers are
famous all around the world, both
ancient and modern. Maybe the most
important is Dante Alighieri, whose
“Divine Comedy” is widely considered
the greatest literary work in the Italian
language.
13. Ferrari is the Italian most famous sport luxury car in the
world, racing in F1 championship
14. May – Oct 2015 Italy
hosted EXPO Milan 2015
Feeding the Planet,
Energy for Life. The
World’s Fair embraced
technology, innovation,
culture, traditions and
creativity and how they
relate to food and diet
