Although Milan claims "second" place to being the largest city in Italy, it's not second class. Milan has much to offer to the traveler who's visiting Italy, and is well worth a visit. Being the country's capital in business, fashion, music and design, Milan offers amazing attractions which combine both the past and present.
One and a half million people populate the Northern city. Located south of the Italian Alps, Milan is very close to several other cities and attractions such as Venice and Florence, great skiing and the seashore villages of Liguria and Cinque Terre. Each are just a few short hours (or less) away, which makes Milan a great place to live or tour. History of Milan.
Europe is notorious for having small roads, utility cars, and everything reduced to minimal space, therefore it shouldn't come as a surprise that several nations in Europe are the size of a few blocks in New York City. Among these mini-countries that include Andorra, Liechtenstein, and Monaco, two, San Marino and Vatican City, are on Italian territory. Despite their physical location, they are both very independent and live their history just as other great nations do.
Rome is one of the best-known cities in the world and the list of things to see and do here are almost endless. Your first contact with the Eternal City should be walking the streets of the historic center to better acquaint yourself with what Rome has to offer.
A beautiful region of honest people, approximately 1,561,461 enjoy living there. It is very productive and rich and also has some great art cities, like Urbino, where Raffaelo was born. When visiting, a visit to Palazzo Ducale is a must.
This is the smallest region and yet a little gem right on the French border. Home of Mount Blanc, the tallest mountain in Europe, and the tunnel that connects Italy to France, Aosta Valley also has one of the most beautiful natural parks, the Gran Paradiso. Famous not only for its mountains but also for its castles, this region, with a population of approximately 127.585 is a true paradise and it was the favorite vacation spot of Pope John Paul II.
Italy is one of the most visited tourist countries. There are famous places like Venice, Florence, Siena, Milan, Naples, The Amalfi coast, Capri, the Lake Region, Sicily, Sardinia, the Alps and of course Rome. Famous travel places are the ruins of Pompei, the Capitole, vineyards in Tuscany, Sicily with Mt. Etna, the coastline of the Adriatic Sea or the Alps.
While many areas of Italy have changed significantly over time Abruzzo remains largely the same. Abruzzo, which is also known as Abruzzi, is located in south central Italy between the central Apennines and the Adriatic coast. The vaguely rectangular shaped region covers 10,794km² and is bordered by Marche, Umbria, Lazio, Molise, and the Adriatic Sea. With a population of only 1.3 million Abruzzo is one of the least populated regions in Italy.
The region of Basilicata in Italy forms the instep of the Italian "boot." It is border by Campania, Calabria, and the Tyrrhenian Sea. It is not a large region; it is only 9,987 sq km. The capital of Basilicata is Potenza and Basilicata is divided into two provinces; Potenza and Matera. The population is also rather small at about 611,000 people. Basilicata, or Lucania as it is sometimes called, has little in the way of economic clout. Agriculture plays a major role in the Lucanian economy despite the fact that dry weather and scare underground water supplies make farming difficult.
The area has been important since time immemorial due to the existence of the Brenner Pass through the Alps and so whoever controlled the region could control all trade flowing north and south. It is for this region that the mountainous region has been fought over for centuries and today is home to many castles and forts perched upon mountain tops. The Romans were quick to claim the area after assimilating the indigenous Rhaetian peoples and it was later sacked by the Goths and invaded by the Bavarian peoples. The middle ages saw the rise of the Counts of Tyrol, the brief rule by Venice and a 400 year rule by the Austrian Empire.
Archeological data suggested that man has inhabited the region of Umbria since the Palaeolithic period, but it wasn't until the 6th century BC that the beginnings of Umbria as we know it now were formed. During this time the region was inhabited by a tribe known as the Umbri who spoke a language called Umbrian which was similar to Latin. Little is known about the Umbri till this day, but they had a definite presence in the region. The Umbri eventually shared the region with the early Etruscans. Relations between the Umbri and the Etruscans were strained and often resulted in battle over control of the region.
Sicily, Sicily,Hot Southern ItalyLampedusa's LeopardAnd hearty goat shepherdsNonne black dressesGirls with dark tressesGelato and icesPasta and vicesClemenza unholyTake the cannoliPagliacci sad clownThin pizza uptown
Sardinia is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean, characterized by a jagged and rocky coastline, interspersed with marvelous beaches of very fine sand. The past fifty years have seen Sardinia become a hotspot for tourism, with the Costa Smeralda (Emerald Coast) in the northern area becoming a favorite retreat of Italian celebrities. There are numerous Bronze Age remains throughout the islands, the best known being the Nuraghi - circular (sometimes conical) stone dwellings left by an otherwise unknown people.
Apulia or Puglia is a long, slender region with a vast stretch of sun-baked coastline. Apulia's southernmost tip, the Salento peninsula, forms the heel of the Italian boot. Apulia is bordered on the northwest by Molise and its western border is with Campania and Basilicata. Apulia consists of rolling plains and gentle uplands, sources of grain and the nation's largest volumes of wine and olive oil. Apulia's most prominent geographical feature is the Gargano peninsula, which juts out into the Adriatic like a spur on the boot of Italy.
The Veneto Region comprised the main portion of a larger area that is known as Venitia, which (along with Friuli and Trentino) make up the northeast quarter of the country. To the north lie the haunting crags and shafts of the Dolomite Mountains with the Veneto occupying the basins and marshy deltas of the Po and Brenta rivers. To the south lies the gastronomic paradise of Emilia-Romagna, to the west are Lake Garda and Lombardy. The eastern shore is bordered by the Gulf of Venice and the wildlife rich lagoons and marshes along the coast.
The name of the region derives from the Medieval Latin term Pedemontium, which means "at the foot of the mountains." Piemonte is aptly named as it lies at the foot of the Alps and has a culture and dialect that is closer to parts of France than other parts of Italy. It is bordered by France and Switzerland as well as the Italian regions of Liguria, Valle d'Aosta and Lombardy. The area occupies the plain of the Po River valley and produces much of the wheat and rice for the country in the area of Novara and Vercelli.
The mountainous and sparsely populated region of Molise has only been recognized since 1963. Before this, Molise was an isolated province of Abruzzi. Today this otherwise forgotten region is bordered by Abruzzi on the north, Lazio to the west, Campania and Apulia to the south and east. To the northeast, Molise has a small coastline bordering the Adriatic. Thus far, it seems that both tourists as well as Italians have neglected Molise, but there are many sites nestled in the mountains that are worth visiting. Molise is home to beautiful abbeys, churches and castles as well as impressive ancient ruins far off the tourist track.
The Lombardy or Lombardia region of Italy occupies a major portion of the northern Po River valley between the Tincio and Mincio rivers. It is bordered by the Alps and Switzerland to the north and Emilia-Romagna to the south. Lombardy is home to Italy's famous lakes Maggiore, Como and Garda that lie at the foot of the Alps. Piedmonte and Valle D'Aosta border Lombardy to the west and the Veneto and Alto-Adige regions on the east. Not only is Lombardy an agricultural center, but an industrial and commercial one, as Milan is an international center of business and fashion.
