Italy’sLocationItalyislocatedtothesouthofEuropeandisatthenorthoftheMediterraneanSea.IthaslandborderswithFrance,Austria,SwitzerlandandSlovenia.SanMarinoandVaticanCityare‘enclaves’ofItaly(surroundedbyItalianlands).FactsAboutItalyContinent:EuropeMainCities:Rome(Capital),Milan,Venice,Naples,Florence.Population:60.4millionOfficialLanguage:ItalianMajorReligion:RomanCatholicCurrency:Euro(€)Landmarks:Colosseum,LeaningTowerofPisa,CinqueTerre,CathedralofSantaMariadelFiore,Pantheon,TreviFountain.FlagThenationalflagofItalyiscalled‘ilTricolore’.Itismadeupofathreeverticallinesofcolour;green,whiteandred.EachcolourrepresentsadifferentaspectofItaly,thoughtherearetwodifferentinterpretations:hopefaithcharityMediterraneanLandscapesnow-cappedAlpsbloodspilledforItalianindependenceGeographyItalyisapeninsulawhichissaidtohaveashapethatrepresentsaboot.It

isconnectedtomainlandEuropetothenorthandsticksoutintotheAdriaticSeaandMediterraneanSea,amongotherwaters.AtthenorthofItalyaretheAlps,amountainrangewhichcrossesovermanyothercountries,includingAustria,SwitzerlandandFrance.ThelargestmountainintheItalianareaoftheAlpsistheMatterhorn,whichstraddlestheborderwithSwitzerlandandis4,478metreshigh.Peninsula–Apieceoflandalmostsurroundedbywaterorstickingoutintoabodyofwater.GeographyItalyhasaMediterraneanclimate,whichmeans

ithashot,drysummersandcool,wetwinters.Therearenumerousriversthatflowthrough

Italy,thelongestofwhichisthePo,which

is405mileslong.Therearemanypicturesque

lakeswhicharepopulartourist

destinations,includingLake

GardaandLakeComo.PlantsItalianplantsarevariedacrossthecountry.Someplants,suchasrhododendrons,aremoresuitedtothealpineterrainwhereasothers,suchasbaytrees,thrivebetterinthehottersouthernareasofthecountry.

Manyfruitsandvegetables,suchasolives,grapesandbroccoli,originatefromItaly.ThenationaltreeofItalyisthestrawberrytreeastheredberries,whiteflowersandgreenleavesresemblethecoloursoftheItalianflag.AnimalsItalyishometoawiderangeofcreatures.Thereareover100mammalspecies,includingtheEurasianlynx,alpinemarmot,Sardinianlong-earedbatandtheCorsicanhare.Alongsidethese,Italyhashundredsofbirds,reptiles,amphibiansandinsects.“ItalianSparrow”by[MikePrince]islicensedunderCCBY2.0“BOREON(06):ALPHA"Letempsduloup"”by[GilesPRETET]islicensedunderCCBY2.0“Plecotus

sardus”by[MauroMucedda]islicensedunderCCBY2.0ItaliansparrowItalianwolfSardinianlong-earedbatItalianHistoryClickoneachperiodofhistorytofindoutmoreaboutwhatwashappeninginItalyatthattime.TheMiddleAgesTheRenaissanceEarlyHistoryTheRomanEmpireTheWorldWarsPost-WarItaly19thCenturyNextEarlyHistoryItalyhasaveryrichhistory.TheearliestevidenceofhumanslivingonItaliansoildatefromaround45,000yearsago.ThefirstmajorcivilisationtothriveinItalywasfoundedaround800BCbypeoplefromancientGreece.ThiscivilisationwasheavilyinfluencedbyGreekculture.Othercivilisationsalsosettledinotherareasaroundthecountry,suchastheEtruscans,whosettledneartowhereRomewouldgoontobesettledandhadasignificantinfluenceonthedevelopmentofRomanculture.From753BC,Romewasruledbykings.AccordingtoRomanhistory,thereweresevenkings,eachofwhichwaselectedbythepeopleforlifeandactedastheleaderofthegovernmentandreligion.ThefirstkingelectedwasRomulus,oneofthefoundersofthecityofRome.ThelastkingofRomewascalledTarquintheProud.Tarquinwasaviolentandcruelkingandwasveryunpopular.Eventually,theRomanpeopleroseupandexpelledhimfromthecity,creatingtheRomanRepublicin509BC.Asarepublic,Romenolongerhadakingandinsteadhadtwoelectedleaderscalledconsuls.EarlyHistorybackTheRomanEmpireThemostfamousperiodofItalianhistoryisthatoftheRomanEmpire,whichdatesfrom27BCto476AD.ThepowerfulEmpirespannedalargeareaofEurope,aswellaslandsinnorthAfricaandAsia.TheexpansionoftheRomanEmpireoutsideofItalymeantthatthecultureofRomansocietygrewandchangedsignificantly,especiallythroughtradecontactwithsocietiessuchastheGreeks.Eventually,thesheersizeoftheempireledtoitsdemise;thecostofmaintainingsuchawidespreadpresencewasunsustainableandinvasionsfromenemies,suchastheGermanictribes,meantthatRome’sstrongreputationwasshaken.InAD476,aGermanicprincecalledOdoacerwoncontroloftheRomanEmpireandwascrowned

KingofItaly,signallingtheendoftheempire.backMiddleAgesAfterthefalloftheRomanEmpire,thereweremanymoreinvasionsofItaly.Inthelate6thcentury,itbecamepartoftheByzantineEmpireandwasdividedintoindependentregions,eachwithaseparatecapitalcity.ThespreadinginfluenceoftheRomanCatholicchurchmeantthatthepopebecameoneofthemostpowerfulpeopleinItaly.SomeoftheseparateregionscametogetheragainasPapallandswithRomeatitscentre;howeverothers,suchasSicily,remainedindependent.Despitethis,theamountoftradethatItalyhadwithothercountrieshadsignificantlydecreasedsincethetimeoftheRomanEmpireandtheamountofinternationaltradestayedlowuntilaroundthe9thcentury.TheincreaseoftradebroughtprosperitytoItaliantownsandcitiesandallowedthebuildingofmoreimpressivebuildings,suchastheTwoTowersin

BolognaandthePonteVecchioinFlorence.backTheRenaissanceItalyhadanotherrevivalofculturalsignificanceduringtheRenaissanceperiod,whichbeganaroundthe14thcentury.DuringtheRenaissance,theartists,inventors,scientistsandarchitectsofthecountrywereseenasbeingattheforefrontoftechnologicalandculturaladvances.TheRenaissanceperiodpeakedinthe16thcentury,withinfluentialfiguressuchasLeonardodaVinciandMichelangelo,buildingssuchasStPeter’sBasilicaandtheSistineChapel,andtheVenetianschoolofmusicshowcasingtheverybestofItalianculture.back19thCenturyAFrenchinvasionofItalybyNapoleonBonaparteduringtheNapoleonicWarsledtotheFrenchleaderbeingcrownedKingofItalyin1805.In1814,Napoleonagreedtocedecontrolof

Italyaspartofapeacetreatywithhis

enemies.TheendofNapoleonicruletriggeredthe

startofreunificationofalltheItalian

statesandgraduallytheybeganto

jointogetherasasinglenation.By1860,

allpartsofItalyhadjoinedtogether

againand‘TheKingdomofItaly’was

proclaimedinparliamentin1861.backTheWorldWarsTheearly20thcenturywasmarredbythetwoworldwars.DuringtheFirstWorldWar,Italyinitiallystayedneutralbetweenthetwosides;howeverinApril1915,theysignedatreatytojoinFrance,BritainandRussiainthewaragainstAustria-Hungary,enteringtheconflictamonthlater.Involvementinthewarwasunpopularwiththetroopsandcivilianpopulation,causingmajordivisionsandbytheendofthewar,around600,000Italianshaddiedandafurther950,000hadbeenwounded.backPriortotheSecondWorldWar,fascismwasgaining

supportinItalywiththeriseofMussoliniandhis

NationalFascistParty.MussoliniwasappointedPrimeMinisterbytheKingofItalyin1922.Attheoutbreakofwarin1939,theItalianforcesjoinedwithNaziGermany.MussoliniandtheAxisforcesweredefeatedbytheAlliesin1945andMussoliniwasexecutedforhightreason.Post-WarItalyAftertheSecondWorldWar,Italybecamearepublic.KingVictorEmmanuelIIIhadabdicatedleavinghisson,UmbertoII,underpressureforthecountrytobecomearepublic.Afterareferendum,54%ofthevotebackedItalytobecomearepublicandUmbertowasexiledtoPortugal.backThe1950sand1960sbroughtagreateconomicboomtoItaly.Affordablehouseholdgoods,suchastelevisions,sewingmachines,carsandVespascooters,werepopularinmanycountries.TheimprovedeconomymeantthatcitiessuchasMilanwereabletomoderniseandthecountrytransformedintooneoftheworld’smostvibrantindustrialnationsinjustacoupleofdecades.LandmarksClickoneachlandmarktofindoutmoreaboutit.ColosseumTreviFountainLeaningTowerofPisaCathedralofSantaMariadelFioreRuinsofPompeiiGrandCanalNextTheColosseumLocation:RomeDatebuilt:71-80ADInformation:TheColosseumwasalargearenabuiltduringthetimeofancientRome.Itwasthelargestamphitheatrebuilt,measuring188metreslong,156metreswideand57metreshigh.TheColosseumwasusedforlargespectacles,suchasgladiatorfights,exoticanimalsandtheexecutionofprisoners.Itremainedinuseforover500yearsandlaterwasusedasastorehouse,church,cemeteryandevenacastlefornobilitybeforefallingintodisrepair.Itisoneofthe

SevenWondersoftheModernWorld.backTreviFountainLocation:RomeDatebuilt:1762AD(finalcompletion)Information:Thename‘Trevi’comesfrom‘trevie’,whichmeans‘threeways’,asthefountainstandsatameetingpointbetweenthreestreets.ThefountainhadanumberofolderversionsinthesamelocationbeforethecurrentonewascompletedbyNicolaSalviandGiuseppePannini.Manypeoplethrowcoinsintothefountaintomakewishesand,

eachyear,themoneyiscollectedanddonatedtocharities.backLeaningTowerofPisaLocation:PisaDatebuilt:1174AD(constructionbegan) 1350AD(completion)Information:TheLeaningTowerofPisaisthecampaniletowerofthePisacathedralandbaptisteryatthePiazzadeiMiracoli.Itstandsaround56metrestall.Itwasoriginallyintendedtostandupstraight;howeverasthetowerwasbuilt,thesouthsidebegantosink.Builderstriedtocompensateforthisbymakingthecolumnsonthesouthslightlytallerthantheonesonthenorthside.Despitethis,thetowerwasstillleaning.Today,thetopofthetowerisabout17feetawayfrom

whereitisatthebase.backCathedralofSantaMariadelFioreLocation:FlorenceDatebuilt:1296AD(constructionbegan) 1436AD(completion)Information:TheCathedralofSantaMariadelFioreislocatedinthecentreofthecityofFlorence.Atthetimeitwasbuilt,itwasthethirdlargestchurchintheworld.ThedomeofthecathedralwasdesignedandbuiltbythearchitectBrunelleschiandwascreatedusingnomechanicaldevices.Itisregardedasanarchitecturalmasterpiece.Today,itremainsthelargestmasonrydomeintheworld;itsbasecoversaroundhalfthesizeofafootballpitch!backRuinsofPompeiiLocation:Pompeii,nearNaples.Datebuilt:6-7thcentury(founded) 79AD(destroyed)Information:PompeiiwasathrivingcityinancientRomantimes,hometoaround11,000people.ItwasdestroyedafterthenearbyMountVesuviuseruptedin79AD,buryingthecityinbetween4and6metresofvolcanicash.Today,theruinsofPompeiiareanarchaeologicalsiteandhavegivenauniqueinsightintoancientRomanlifeasmanyelementsofthecitywerewellpreserved,includingsomeofthepeoplecaughtintheeruption.backGrandCanalLocation:VeniceInformation:TheGrandCanalisthemainwaterwaythatflowsthroughthecityofVenice.Itfollowsanaturalchannelwhichdividesthecityintotwoparts.

TheGrandCanalisaround2mileslongandbetween30and70metreswide.ItjoinswithmanyofthesmallercanalswhichmakeupVenice’swaterways.ThecanalsarethemainformoftransportationinVenice,withwaterbuses,gondolas,cargobargesandemergencyserviceboatsusingittoaccessallpartsofthecity.TherearefourbridgeswhichcrosstheGrandCanal,theoldestandmostfamousofwhichistheRialtoBridge,whichdatesfromthelate16thcentury.backFoodandDrinkItalyisfamousaroundtheworldforitscuisinewhichhasdevelopedovercenturies.Differentareasareknownfortheirregionalspecialities,especiallyinthenorthandsouthofthecountry.

Italianfoodisgenerallyknownforitssimplicity,withdishescommonlyonlybeingcomprisedofafewingredients.Foodsincludepastadishes,risotto,pizza,avarietyofmeats,cheeses(suchasmozzarella),olivesandseafood.FoodandDrinkItalyhasaproudheritageofwinemaking,withsomeoftheoldestwine-producingregionsintheworld,andeveryregionofthecountryproducesit.WinewasmadebytheEtruscansandGreeksbeforetheRomanEmpire,butitwastheRomanswhoincreasedItaly’swineproduction,grewlargevineyardsacrossthecountryandimprovedstoragetechniques,suchasbarrelmakingandbottling.Today,Italy’swinecounts

foralmost20%ofthe

entireworld’sproduction.FoodandDrinkAswellaswine,Italyisalsowellknownforitscoffee.VenicewasoneofthefirstEuropeanplacestoimportcoffeebeansinthe16thcentury.Today,Italyisknownasthe‘coffeecapital’oftheworldandtherearenumerouscoffeehousesspreadacrossthecountrywhicharepopularplacesforsocialgatherings.ManyItaliantechniques,suchas‘espresso’,‘cappuccino’and‘latte’,areusedworldwidefordifferenttypesofcoffeeorstyleso