What can I expect from Italy?
In summer it attracts Italy to the warm beaches and the sea, in winter to the alpine giants above Lake Garda. When you say Rome, the famous Colosseum and many other monuments of magnificent Italian history are sure to come to mind. No tourist should miss them during their vacation in Italy.
Italy will also win you over with its Mediterranean cuisine, light, varied and tasty in all circumstances. If you like history, beautiful nature, the sun’s rays and a little temperament, be sure to go on holiday to Italy.
Things to see and do in Italy
- Capital Rome
- Romantic Tuscany
- Venice – a city on the water
- Legendary Sicily
- Cinque Terre – picturesque villages
- Sardinia – emerald island
- Apulia with a southern atmosphere
- Italian mountain lakes
- Dolomites
Some interesting facts about Italy
Sea – Italy is surrounded by the sea and has a peninsular character. For historical reasons, the Mediterranean Sea is divided into four parts: the Adriatic Sea, the Tyrrhenian Sea, the Ionian Sea and the Ligurian Sea. To the west of Sardinia is the Sardinian Sea.
Islands – Several beautiful islands are inseparable from Italy. Sicily is the largest Mediterranean island in the far south of Italy. The second largest island is Sardinia and we must not forget the islands of Elba and Ischia.
Sicily offers a unique magical and unique atmosphere, beautiful landscapes, beautiful beaches, many valuable ancient monuments and a rich underwater world.
Sardinia, the capital of Cagliari, is an island of beautiful beaches, wild cliffs and high mountains. It used to be the poorest part of the country, but over time, luxury tourist resorts began to be built here.
Elba is the third largest island in Italy. It belongs to the Tuscan archipelago, while Ischia lies in the Gulf of Naples and is part of the Campania archipelago. From the island of Ischia there is a direct connection to the nearby island of Capri.
Beaches – Less than eight thousand kilometers of the Italian coast is extremely rugged and diverse. Extensive sandy beaches with wild, romantic coves surrounded by rocks alternate here. The most famous bathing areas are Calabria, Sicily and Sardinia.
Famous Italian beaches include the sandy beach with the cliffs of Monterosso al Mare near the Ligurian town of La Spezia and, of course, the several kilometers long San Vito lo Capo in Sicily.
The second Italian island, Sardinia, also hides a plethora of nooks and crannies with beautiful beaches. The area of the Costa Smeralda in the northeast is especially famous, reminiscent of its coastline with large boulders, lagoons and the crystal clear Tyrrhenian Sea Caribbean.
Calabria is also famous for its deserted, poetically looking beaches. For example, the miniature Belvedere Nord under the lighthouse of the same name at Capo Vaticano or the great beach of Pizzuta near the ancient city of Tropea. Tuscany also boasts beautiful, sandy beaches such as La Lecciona and Cala Violina.
Nature – Italian nature enchants especially those who like mountains and volcanoes. There are 25 national parks in Italy and their area covers approximately 6% of Italy. The largest and most visited National Parks are the Parco Nazionale del Gran Paradiso near Turin, the Parco Nazionale dello Stevio in the north of Lombardy and in the south of Italy, in the region of Abruzzo attracts the remarkable animal Parco Nazionale d’Abruzzo.
Italy is the only country in mainland Europe that has several active volcanoes. The most famous volcanoes include Mount Vesuvius (1281m), about 20 km north of Naples, active Etna in the southeast of Sicily (3350m) and volcanoes in the Aeolian Islands off the northeast coast of Sicily, where lies the most active volcano in Europe Stromboli.
The mountains, which in many places slope directly to the sea and numerous lakes, such as Lake Garda, are simply magical. The north of Italy is covered by a massive arc of the alpine zone of the Alps with the highest peak Mont Blanc (4807 m above sea level) on the border with France. The Po Valley separates the Alps from the Apennines, which run for 1,500 km across the peninsula to Calabria.
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Historical monuments and tourist attractions – Italy is a country that has historically set trends in art, culture and architecture, and to this day offers historical monuments of indescribable significance. Who doesn’t know cities like Venice – one of the most romantic places in the world built on water, Verona – a city made famous by Shakespeare’s famous Romeo and Juliet, Florence – a place that will delight all art lovers, Rome – a city full of history , it is the best open – air museum, Pisa – the city with its famous Leaning Tower, Naples – the cradle of pizza production, and many more.
There are two separate states in Italy, San Marino and the Vatican.
All you have to do is decide whether you are more attracted to the mountains, summer holidays by the sea, winter sports, active holidays, lakes, land, islands, city tourism, sights, gastronomic tourism, agritourism or even nature parks. Italy is a promised land for travelers and offers you a whole range of ways to travel. One day you can conquer the highest mountain in Europe, the next day enjoy delicious seafood on the beach and the third day admire the beautiful architecture with a glass of wine. It is no coincidence that Italy has the most UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
Gastronomy – Italian cuisine is tasty, healthy and very popular all over the world. Italian cheeses, cold cuts, pizza, ice cream and wines are famous. Being in Italy and not tasting the famous Parma ham would literally be a sin. Sausages are dried more often than smoked.
As a first course, the Italians most often serve pasta of many different shapes, the most famous of which are spaghetti in our country, prepared in many different ways (but never sweet). The menu of first courses also consists of risotto and soups of many different types.
In pizzerias, pizza is usually served as the only main course. Pizza, originally a Neapolitan delicacy, even made its mark on the UNESCO World Intangible Cultural Heritage List in 2017.
We recommend not to miss dessert. Honest Italian tartufo ice cream will definitely not leave you cold.
And what to drink? Italian wine, of course. Those who prefer sparkling wines to still wines will choose prosecco. But be careful – the pizza is basically drunk! Coffee lovers must taste real Italian espresso. If you want to behave like Italians in Italy, drink cappuccino only for breakfast or generally in the morning.
May be useful
Currency: euro
Official language: Italian
Sockets: 220V
Telephone prefix: +39
Speed limits: in the city 50 km/h, outside the village 90 km/h, long-distance road 100 km/h, highway 120 km/h
Time zone: UTC +1
How to spend time actively in Italy?
You will definitely not be bored on the Apennine Peninsula or Sardinia. Sports, entertainment venues, great food in restaurants and shops overflowing with goods on every corner form the coloring typical of every holiday in Italy.
Italians love sports, so here you will find an abundance of sports fields and opportunities to move. Tennis and volleyball courts, a football pitch and, in most cases, basketball hoops are not to be missed. Cycling is very popular, golf resorts are a matter of course within reach of tourist areas.
Many areas in Calabria, Sicily and Sardinia boast excellent conditions for water sports. Lovers of diving, snorkeling, sailing or sea kayaking will enjoy themselves here.
There are over 500 ferratas in Italy, more than half of which are in the Dolomites. If the ferratas are too demanding for you, go on a hike. The Italian Alps are very popular among lovers of winter sports for their favorable weather (up to 300 sunny days a year). The cable cars run here to less than two and a half thousand meters and the slopes are well maintained.
