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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
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
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Be Italian! Travel tips from the movie NINE
23 December 2009
‘Be Italian!’ belts savvy Roman prostitute Saraghina (AKA Fergie from Black-Eyed Peas) in...
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I’m dreaming of a meaningful Christmas
15 December 2009
Is winning a cracker duel or getting an oversized knitted cardi from your Gran your idea of a good Christmas? ...
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Travel trivia: 10 geeky facts from around the globe
7 December 2009
All-surprising stats and fantastical facts, our info nerds’ world tour will have you pointing out the...
Italy
Our Top Picks For Italy
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1 Florence Noel, 5-13 Dec
Italy's big on Christmas festivities, and Florence Noel is one of the season's highlights. Taking place at the Stazione Leopolda Firenze, it features a nativity village, food, music and Santa's Italian house! Fun for all the family.
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2 Fiera di Santa Lucia Christmas fair, Lecce, 13-24 Dec
Stock up on traditional local cartapresta (papier-mache) crib figures.
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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
Our favourite Italy Blogs (beta)
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Update from Florence
Blog: Florence Journal - 29 December 2009
After the beautiful snowstorm of last week, the usual winter weather - rain - has returned to Florence. The center seemed quiet today and especially this evening - with the lingering mist and wet streets it was nearly deserted. That...
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Where's all the Mafia at?
Blog: Joe's Trippin' - 27 December 2009
Perhaps I'm a product of one too many gangster films.
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Searchin' southern Sicily
Blog: Joe's Trippin' - 26 December 2009
Southern
