TOUR IN ROME

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A few facts and figures about Italy

Area: 301,337 square kilometers

Population: 58.5 milion

Population density: 194/sq. k.

Capital: Roma (Rome) (2,553,873 inhabitants)

Other important cities:

Milano (Milan) (1,299,439)

Napoli (Naples) (995,171)

Torino (Turin) (902,255) – Palermo (675,084)

Genova (Genoa) (605,084) – Bologna (374,425)

Firenze (Florence) (368,059) – Bari (328,458)

Catania (305,773) – Venezia (Venice) (271,251)

Verona (259,068)

Other important statistics:

Provinces: 109

Woodland: 65,558 sq. k

Coastline: 7, 375 km

Protected areas: 57, 325 sq. k

Highest peak: Monte Bianco (4,810 m)

Longest river: Po (652 km)

Source: ISTAT (www.istat.it)

Currency: Euro € ( see page 10)

LANGUAGE: ITALIAN IS THE OFFICIAL LANGUAGE OF THE CONTRY.

Both Italian and German are official in the South Tyrol Province; both Italian and French are official in the Aosta Valley region. Other languages, thought not really official, are spoken by some small local communities: e.g. Albanian in some parts of Sicily, Apulia and Calabria; Catalan in Sardinia ( area of Alghero). Owing to the extreme complexity of Italian history every region has one or even more dialects. In some cases great writers and poets have written in their dialects, exceptional works which can be compared to the very best literature in Italian. Carlo Goldoni wrote his plays in Venetian; the celebrated trio of Roman poets, Pascarella, Trilussa and Belli used, of course, the ‘Romanesco’; Pier Paolo Pasolini mastered both his native ‘Friulano’ and the ‘Romanesco’; Eduardo de Filippo, Salvatore di Giacomo and many songs lyricists wrote in ‘Neapolitan’; Carlo Porta in ‘Milanese; today the best follower of this tradition is arguably the Sicilian Andrea Camilleri.

Geographical Profile

There is a great deal of variety in the landscape of Italy, although it is characterized predominantly by two mountain chains: the Alps and the Apennines. The former extends over 600 miles from east to west. It consists of great massifs in the western sector, with peaks rising to over 14,000 feet, including Monte Bianco (Mont Blanc), Monte Rosa and Cervino (the Matterhorn). The height of the chain is lower in the eastern sector, although the mountains are still of an extraordinary  beauty( the Dolomites). At the foot of the Alpine arc stretches the vast Po Valley plain, cut down the middle by the course of the river Po, the longest in Italy (390 miles), which has its source in the Pian de Re (Monviso) and flows into the Adriatic trough a magnificent delta. The Alpine foothills are characterized by large lakes: Lake Maggiore and the lakes of Como, Iseo and Garda. The Apennines form the backbone of the peninsula, stretching in a wide arc concave to the Tyrrhenian Sea. The Corno Grande (Gran Sasso d’Italia) is the highest peak. A large part of central Italy is characterized by a green hilly landscape with lakes such as Trasimeno, Bolsena and Bracciano through which the  Gargano promontory and, sloping down further south, the Salentine peninsula. It then proceeds to the west with the Calabrian and Peloritano massif stretching across the Strait of Messina into Sicily.

VOLCANOES: Mount Etna – active (in Sicily between Catania and Messina, altitude 3323 metres); Stromboli – active (Aeolian Islands, 924 metres); Vulcano ( Aeolian Islands, 391 metres).

The Cities

After Rome, the other regional capitals of Italy are Bolzano/Bozen, Trento, Trieste, Aosta, Milan (Milano), Venice (Venezia), Turin (Torino), Bologna, Genoa (Genova), Florence (Firenze), Ancona, Perugia, L’Aquila, Campobasso, Naples(Napoli), Potenza, Bari, Catanzaro, Palermo and Cagliari.

These cities are important not only for their size and population, but also for their history, the fame and wealth of their monuments and museums, and the natural beauties of which almost all of them can boast, as well as the intensity of their social and economic life. Each of Italy’s main cities jealously guards its own character, its citizens taking special pride in their history, art, food and commerce. Sprawling Milan is the industrial, banking and fashion capital of Italy and an art and culture centre. Turin (Torino), at the foot of the Alps, is well known for the manufacture of cars and its baroque architecture. Genoa (Genova), birthplace of Columbus, has been Italy’s most important port since Roman times. Venice (Venezia) floats dream – like on canals and lagoons.

Trieste is a bustling and attractive port. Trento is an historic old city that has had many battles fought for it. Bologna is famous for its University and gastronomy. Florence (Firenze), “the cradle of the Renaissance” is an Art City to rival any in the world. Ancona, the main town(of the Adriatic region) of the Marche, is a beautifully situated seaside city. Perugia, the hilltop queen of the Tiber plain, is the seat of the University for Foreigners. L’Aquila, crisscrossed by steep streets, is a mountain centre in the Apennines. Naples (Napoli), on its famous blue bay, is the great city of the South. Bari, where the bones of St. Nicholas lie, is a modem city surrounding a tiny medieval town. Palermo, major town of Sicily, merges Norman and Arab history and culture. Cagliari, the chief town of Sardinia, bears the stamp of a long and varied history.

Seas 

Italy is a peninsula in the Mediterranean Sea, with a coastline of more than 5,310 miles. Rocky, wooded cliffs are indented by an infinite variety of beaches and bays. Along the full length of Liguria extend the two Italian Rivieras with Genoa(Genova) in the middle. To the west, almost an extension of the French Còte d’Azur, is the Ponente including such famous seaside resorts as San Remo, Alassio and Varazze. The eastern (Levante) Riviera boasts Nervi, Portofino, Santa Margherita, Rapallo and Sestri Levante. Other beaches popular with foreign visitors are Forte dei Marmi, Viareggio, Castiglioncello, Porto Santo Stefano, Porto Ercole and the Island of Elba in Tuscany; Ostia – Lido of Rome (Roma), Fregene, Anzio, Nettuno in Lazio; Capri, Sorrento and the Island of Ischia, Positano, Amalfi and Maiori on the Gulf  of Naples(Napoli) and Salerno; Sardinia; and from North to South along the Adriatic Coast: Grado, the Lido of Venice(Venezia), the Lido of Jesolo, Lignano Sabbiadoro and then the enchanting string of towns along the Coast of Romagna, among which Milano Marittima, Cervia, Rimini, Riccione and Cattolica stand out. On the coast of Apulia, one finds the Lido of Siponto on the Gulf of Manfredonia, the Gargano peninsula and the Tremiti Islands.

Mountains

The Alps: The highest and the most fascinating mountains in Europe, the Alps separate Italy from France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia. Almost all of the sunny southern slopes are in Italian territory. The highest peaks include Mont Blanc, Monte Rosa, the Cervino and the Gran Paradiso. These giants are all found in the Valle d’Aosta, which is not only unique, but perhaps the most beautiful in the whole Alpine range. It is a magic realm for the tourist with mountain climbing, holiday and winter sports centres. Among the most famous of which are Cervinia and Courmayeur. The Valle d’Aosta is rich in magnificent natural scenery, monuments and castles.

The Dolomites: To the east between the valleys of the Adige and Piave rivers lie the Dolomites – the most fantastic and spectacular mountains of the entire alpine range. A happy combination of factors has made the whole region – Trentino, Alto Adige, an immense park of natural beauty. And although it’s the northern most zone of Italy, it is one of the most favoured for its constant good weather and the frequency of its warm and sunny days. As a consequence, the fame of the Dolomites is worldwide. Around such centres of international renown such as Merano, Madonna di Campiglio, Canazei, Ortisei and Cortina d’Ampezzo have sprung up a host of smaller summer holiday and winter sports centres, health resorts and spas. These resorts can be found in the valleys, on the gentle uplands and beside the famous Alpine Lakes. Thanks to up-to-date transport facilities, cable cars and chair lifts, tourists can reach the highest and most celebrated viewpoints with ease.

The Apennines: “The backbone of Italy” runs the full length of the peninsula, from the hills of Cadibona ( near Savona) down into Calabria. The Apennines reach their highest point in the Gran Sasso (9,558 feet) which, along with the Majella (9,151 feet), forms a magnificent winter sports area. Variously named from north to south – the Apennines in Emilia and Tuscany, the Apuan Alps north of Lucca, the Lattari Mountains between the Gulf of Naples and Salerno, the Matese Mountains also in Campania, the Sila in Calabria and Aspromonte, the southern tip of the Apennines. The mountains of Sicily and Sardinia repeat the natural beauties of the Alps and the Apennines, Etna, an active volcano on Sicily’s eastern coast and snow-capped most of the year, epitomizes the incomparable contrast of nature, which is the miracle of Italy.

Lakes

Mirroring the snow-covered Alps that surround them, the lakes of Lombardy are the first magic wonder welcoming to Italy the tourist who enters from the Simplon, St. Gothard or Spluga Passes through the mountains. The three largest lakes are Maggiore (82 sq. miles), Como (56 sq. miles)