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Italy is a large country in Southern Europe. Located on the Mediterranean Sea, it has borders with France, Switzerland, Austria, and Slovenia in the north. The country, boot-shaped, is delimited by many seas: the Ligurian, the Sardinian, and the Tyrrhenian Seas in the west, the Sicilian and Ionian Seas in the South, and the Adriatic Sea in the East.
Italy is home to the greatest number of UNESCO World Heritage Sites - art and monuments are all over the place.
The center of the Roman Empire, Italy is amongst the most visited countries in the world. The rural south offers a quiet and privacy getaway with the wonderful Sicily and Neapolitan Riviera drawing the crowds. Head to north and you will have numerous artistic treasures in Rome and Florence, where Botticelli and Da Vinci plied their trades. From snow covered slopes for the winter sports to awesome beaches for the summer and numerous beautiful lakes, Italy has something to offer for everyone.
It is also universally famous for its cuisine and wines, its fashion, luxury sport cars and motorcycles, as well as for its beautiful coasts, lakes and mountains (the Alps and Apennines). Italy has two major islands as part of its country: Sardinia, which is an island off the west coast of Italy, and Sicily, at the southern tip of the boot.
REASONS TO GO
The cities: the dazzling Venice, the fashionable Milan and the Imperial Rome.
Tuscany.
The pizzas, the pastas and the "prosciuto".
GOOD TO KNOW
Capital: Rome
Currency: euro € (EUR)
Area: 116.303 sq mi
Population: 58 million
Language: Italian
Electricity: 230V/50Hz
Calling Code: +39
Time Zone: UTC+1
PUBLIC HOLIDAYS
JANUARY 1 New Year's Day
JANUARY 6 Epiphany
APRIL 25 Liberation Day
MAY 1 Labour Day
AUGUST 15 Assumption of the Virgin
NOVEMBER 1 All Saints Day
DECEMBER 8 Day of Immaculate Conception
DECEMBER 25 Christmas Day
DECEMBER 26 Santo Stefano (Boxing Day)
OTHER HOLIDAYS
Easter Sunday, Easter Monday
APRIL 25 San Marco (VENEZIA)
JUNE 24 San Giovanni Battista (FIRENZE, GENOVA, TORINO)
JUNE 29 San Pietro e Paolo (ROMA)
JULY 15 Santa Rosalia (PALERMO)
SEPTEMBER 19 San Gennaro (NAPOLI)
OCTOBER 4 San Petronio (BOLOGNA)
OCTOBER 30 San Saturnino (CAGLIARI)
NOVEMBER 3 San Giusto (TRIESTE)
DECEMBER 6 San Nicola (BARI)
DECEMBER 7 Sant'Ambrogio (MILANO)
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