Note: Javascript is disabled in your browser.
To see the gallery in all its glory, you'll need to enable Javascript.
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.
Advertisement
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
Ready to go? These recommended tours make it easy:
- cycle the stunning countryside of Umbria from Florence to Rome
- discover Tuscany on a walk through villages, vineyards and olive groves
- visit Italy’s most magical cities: Venice, Florence and Rome
- explore the stunning Cinque Terre along a series of 15th century footpaths
- A walking trip to explore Pompeii, Mount Vesuvius, Capri and the stunning Amalfi Coast
Want more? Choose from a wide selection of similar trips in Italy
Last updated: Dec 2, 2009
Tips & articles
-
Our 5 favourite carnival spots
5 February 2010
It was party time for the Romans. It was party time for the Christians. And it’s still party time...
-
Conquer your fear: 4 tips for solo women travelers
5 February 2010
Lonely Planet produced this article in conjunction with our partner, Self Magazine. Take our travel poll...
-
Classic Train trips
21 January 2010
Hand the porter your luggage, climb aboard and relive the golden days of railroading on these spectacular...
Italy
Our Top Picks For Italy
-
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.
-
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.
-
3 Pompeii
A stark reminder of the malign forces that lie deep inside Vesuvius, Pompeii is Europe’s most compelling, priceless archaeological site
-
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...)
-
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
Our favourite Italy Blogs (beta)
-
The Bargello Museum
Blog: Florence Journal - 8 February 2010
We continue to build out the content of our Florence guide site - today's new entry is on the Bargello Museum. Some new photos, and a video are included - check it out!
-
Capri – ah maybe not.
Blog: Murmurs from a foriegn land. - 7 February 2010
Sorrento, Italy – October 15th, 2009. The guys in the dorm room are hiring a boat to head out to Capri today. So I’m gonna tag along and go with them. Another traveller is coming too. Daniel and I make our way to the main town of Sorrento and go to meet the others (who [...]
-
Its gonna blow….volcano.
Blog: Murmurs from a foriegn land. - 7 February 2010
Mt Vesuvius, Italy – October 14th, 2009. Its another late start to the day. I cram as many croissants in at breakfast, and grab some rays on the rooftop before heading out to do a spot of hiking. Getting off at Ercolano, the guidebook states that buses run up most of the Volcano – there is [...]
