ITALY
Italian Republic (Reppublica Italiana)
Capital – Rome
Official languages – Italian
Recognized minority languages – French, German, Croatian
Religion – Catholic Church (83.3%), Unaffiliated (12.4%), Islam (3.7%)
Government – Unitary parliamentary constitutional republic
Area – 301 340 km2 (116 350 sq mi)
Population – 60 317 116
Inter. Tel. prefix – +39
Currency – Euro
Time zone (Summer DST) – UTC +1 (CET), UTC +2 (CEST)
The secret of Italy’s success is simple: a great beach holiday in the Mediterranean, a super-rich excursion, ski resorts plus profitable shopping. From Rome to Naples, from the snowy Alps to sunny islands.
REGIONS AND RESORTS OF ITALY
The North is international Italy. The center is the center of history and culture: this is Rome with its sights at every turn, the Vatican, Pisa and the fields of Tuscany. And the south is the very Italy from the films with Adriano Celentano: unhurried, exuberant, hottest and sunniest – the most “Italian”.
There are more than 8 thousand cities and towns in Italy, but there are several, without visiting which it is not considered that you have been to Italy. Salerno with its archaeological parks, the ancient Greek world and the architectural monuments of Syracuse. History lovers should also visit the Valley of the Temples in Agrigento and the city of St. Anthony of Padua.
For art it is worth going, of course, to Florence – contains the largest collection of paintings in Italy. A must-see is Venice: this canal city is in itself one big open-air attraction. The most luxurious shopping is in Milan, while the romantic natures will appreciate Verona.
Various festivals are constantly held in Bari, and cheerful music never stops day or night. You can retire to nature in the Sicilian town of Trapani – there are only fields and a few farmers (with your own farm food – this is important). And, of course, Naples – that’s where pizza was invented.
Beach resorts are located in Italy along the entire perimeter of the country – more than 7500 km in total. Almost the entire coast of the country is distinguished by a gentle entrance to the sea and beautiful bays. The most popular Italian beach resort is Rimini. These are 15 km of sandy beaches, a large selection of budget hotels on the coast and a whole range of entertainment.
CLIMATE
Italy’s climate is very diverse. In the north – moderately hot summers (in July from +22 ° C to +24 ° C) and foggy winters (in January about 0 ° C). The climate of the insular part of Italy is Mediterranean, two thirds of the year there is a clear blue sky, summers are hot and dry (in July +26 ° C), and winters are warm and mild (from +8 ° C to +10 ° C in January). Snow falls extremely rarely, with the exception of the mountainous regions of the Alps, where at altitudes of more than 1500 m, it lies up to 200 days a year. In the south of the peninsula from March to October dry hot winds blow from the Sahara – “sirocco”. During this period, the temperature rises to about + 35 ° C, the air becomes dry and dusty.
In the mountainous regions of the country (Alps and Apennines), winters are cold, temperatures can reach −20 ° C. In the rest of Italy, winters are quite mild. In the south, in the mainland and on the islands, including Sicily, the climate is subtropical.
The maximum precipitation occurs in winter. In the Alps, where the passes connecting Italy with the countries of continental Europe are located, heavy snowfalls are frequent.
