Introducing Italy
The Belpaese (Beautiful Country) is one of the single greatest repositories of sensorial pleasures on earth. From art to food, from stunning and varied countryside to flamboyant fashion, Italy has it all. This is the country that brought us Slow Food, devoted to the promotion of fresh products and fine traditional, cooking. What started as a local protest against fast food has become a worldwide movement.
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With 44 sites, Italy has more Unesco World Heritage sites than any other country on earth. Its great città d’arte (cities of art), like Rome, Venice and Florence, have been attracting visitors for centuries, and with good reason. At times, it seems like the country rests on its artistic laurels. This is not entirely true. Milan, the country’s financial hub, has created one of Europe’s biggest and most modern trade fairs and is planning a major residential development, the CityLife complex, in the heart of the city. Venice is possibly the city that has, in appearance, changed least down the decades but it has recently opened a sleek new bridge over the Grand Canal and a spectacular contemporary art space at the Punta della Dogana.
Alongside Italy’s art treasures, you’ll find plenty to keep you busy in the countryside. You can ski in the Alps, hike the Dolomites or dive off Sardinia’s golden coast. Adrenalin junkies can catch fireworks on Sicily’s volatile volcanoes. But as much as all of this, a trip to Italy is about lapping up the lifestyle. It’s about idling over a coffee at a streetside cafe or lingering over a long lunch in the hot Mediterranean sun.
Make it happen
- Experience the best of Italy with Lonely Planet's new, full colour Discover Italy guide. Take a look inside.
- Visit Italy’s most magical cities: Venice, Florence and Rome
Last updated: Aug 23, 2010
Tips & articles
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Roll cameras! Visiting Venice for the film festival.
3 September 2010
Italy does not let anything get in the way of a good time – the perfect example is the fact...
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Where to go in October
1 September 2010
Travelling in October? Consider one of these destinations from Lonely Planet Magazine’s article ‘Perfect Trips for 2010′ (January 2010 issue):New...
Thorn Tree forum discussion
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Italy
Our Top Picks For Italy
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1 Venice Carnevale, February
Ten days and nights of masquerade madness in February before Lent, or until your liver twitches and wig itches. Don’t miss the Grand Canal flotilla, fritelle (rum-raisin doughnuts) or the Calcio Storico fancy-dress football match in Piazza San Marco.
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2 Settimana Santa (Holy Week), last week of Lent and the week before Easter
When much of the world is drooling over chocolate eggs and Venetians are recovering from Carnevale, many Italians are gearing up for Holy Week. Notable processions take place in Taranto (Puglia), Chieti (Abruzzo), Sorrento and Trapani (Sicily). On Good Friday, the pope leads a candlelit procession to the Colosseum and on Easter Sunday he gives his blessing.
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3 Pompeii
A stark reminder of the malign forces that lie deep inside Vesuvius, Pompeii is Europe’s most compelling, priceless archaeological site
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4 Trevi Fountain
Toss a coin into Rome's most famous fountain, and you'll return to the city some day; two coins, and you'll fall in love with an Italian (if you haven't already...)
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5 World's best ice cream, Noto
Summer and ice cream go together like Dolce & Gabbana, and Corrado Costanzo does the world's best gelato
Fast Facts about Italy
- Coffee consumption
Italians drink 600 cups per head a year, according to one study!
- Endangered species?
They’re not quite extinct, but Italian children are in increasingly short supply. Italy’s birth rate is one of the lowest in the Western world, and with one-fifth of the 59.1 million population over 65, there are more grandparents than grandchildren!
- Population
59.1 million
- Capital
- Giuseppe Garibaldi Italian military hero, fought (and won) enough wars for 10 men. Helped unify Italy.
- Prime Minister
Silvio Berlusconi
- In his own words
I have little hair because my brain is so big it pushes the hair out - Silvio Berlusconi
- Currency
What's the euro (€) worth today?
- Terms of endearment
amore mio - my love
;delizia - delicious one
;dolcezza - honey/sugar
;pollastrello/a mio/a - my little chicken
- Most famous aperitivo
Campari
Related Groups
Our favourite Italy Blogs (beta)
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Italian Flag Throwers in Bourget, France: Festivals of the French Alps
Blog: Video Diary of an American in France - 5 September 2010
As promised, here is the video of the Flag Thowers at the Italian Festival in Bourget. The tradition goes back centuries and originates in Siena, Italy. While I call them Italian Flag Throwers, I actually don’t know if they were Italian or French.
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Florence has new buses
Blog: Florence Journal - 4 September 2010
ATAF unveiled some new buses recently that are not orange - I saw them outside the train station a few weeks ago at some unveiling ceremony. Here is one in action:
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The Statues Of Florence, Italy Wish You Were Here
Blog: Suzy Guese - 3 September 2010
Museums tend to hold the majority of cherished and prized Italian art. However, outside a number of Florentine residents add to the outdoor museum of the city. Part of what I love about Florence is its cohesive architecture, the city’s ability to stick to one style even throughout newer, more modern buildings. Part of that [...]
