Travel to Europe - Visit Italy - written by Robb Stark

Geographically, Italy is divided into three major parts: Northern Italy, the Apennine peninsula and the islands. The geography, how ever, isn't why people visit Italy...

Northern Italy begins in the south by a common line between the towns of La Spezia to the west and Rimini to the east. Within this region, to areas are distinguished, the mountainous area and the Po Plain. The Alps make out the natural border to the north. The highest Italian peak of the Alps is Monte Rosa, which rises to four thousand six hundred and thirty three meters above sea level.

The Apennine peninsula makes out the larger part of Italy. The Apennine mountain range is varied greatly in appearance and height as it makes its way down along the western edge of Italy.

The largest and best known of Italy's many islands are Sicily, Sardinia Corsica and Capri.

The climate in Italy is a classic Mediterranean one, with hot and dry summers. During the mild winters, most of the yearly precipitation takes place - between six hundred up to eight hundred millimeters of rain. In the valley of Po, the rain is more spread out over the whole year. The average temperature for the month of January is between three to six degrees Celsius for the larger part of Italy, the most southern parts average around ten degrees however. For July, the average temperature is around twenty to twenty five for the whole country.

The population of Italy is mostly uniform Italian, with some very small minority groups such as German speaking and Slovenians. About ninety percent of Italians belong to the Catholic Church, the centre of which, along with the Pope, resides in the Vatican State in the center of Rome. Northern Italy holds the major part of Italy's population, and also the industrial and financial centers. Five of Italy's larger cities are located here. The low-lands are the most densely populated with cities such as Milano, Turin, Bologna and Venice.

Italian is probably the Romanesque language that mostly resembles Latin. This is of course obvious as Italy is where Latin was born. The different Italian dialects vary greatly in difference. Some of the more varied and more recognizable ones are the Venetian and Sicilian dialects.

Italy is among the nations that in nineteen fifty one founded the European Coal and Steel Union, which later became the European Union. Italy is also a member of the military alliance NATO.

The Italian road infrastructure is well developed in comparison to many other countries. The world's first motorway was built in Italy during Roman times. The railways are also well developed to reach most of the larger cities and most are electrified.

The Italian cuisine is famous around the world and characterized generally by its simplicity and its emphasis on fresh ingredients of high quality. Ingredients and dishes vary from region to region but are usually called Mediterranean cuisine. Many dishes and products has become internationally known, as the Italian olive oil, cheeses (such as parmesan, mozzarella and gorgonzola), sausage and meat products mortadella, salami, San Daniele ham, Parma ham and pasta and pizza. In addition to the food-based cuisine is also Italy's rich wine, with well-known wines Chianti and Barolo. Coffee, especially espresso, has also come to play an important role in the cultural Italian cuisine.