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Few countries have as much to offer as Italy (Italia), with its warm and passionate people; varied and beautiful landscape; a rich artistic, historic and cultural heritage; some of the world's best food and wine; and a stylish and relaxed philosophy on life. Italy truly has something for everyone, whether the visitor is seeking great cities, tiny villages, idyllic countryside or beautiful beaches.

Bella Italia

Of all European countries, Italy is the one to which travelers return time and again, their love affair blossoming with each trip. Whether your visit is a chance opportunity or the dream of a lifetime, Italy will fulfill and exceed your expectations, capture your heart and senses, and send you away longing to return.

From the Alps in the north, through the prosperous and fertile heartland to the stark beauty of the deep south, Italy is blessed with some of the world's most beguiling landscapes. The northern half features Tuscany's classic olive, vine and cypress studded rolling countryside; the dramatic peaks of the Dolomites (Dolomiti); pine clad white cliffs and turquoise seas; and the eerie loveliness of mist laden mornings in the great river valleys. The south is equally lovely, with an and and fierce beauty during the long hot summers, when the intense color of the sea offsets the bleached ocher mountains.

Most of Italy is mountainous, the long spine of the Apennines (Appennini) running almost from top to bottom and stretching virtually from coast to coast. Some hilly areas are immensely fertile, as in Tuscany and Umbria in central Italy, while in other places, such as Basilicata and Calabria in the south, the combination of altitude and extreme climate make the land unproductive.

The largest area of flatland is the great plain of the Po river valley in the north, which extends down the eastern seaboard, an agriculturally rich and productive swath. Much of upland Italy is wooded, and there is a wide variety of indigenous plants.

Diverse Regions

Until 1870 Italy was a collection of separate and disparate states with a complex history, which does much to explain the diversity of people and attitudes. Camillo Cavour (statesman and first prime minister of a united Italy) remarked after unification in 1860, "We have made Italy, now we must make Italians." This aim still seems to await fruition, such is the gulf between the different regions. Italy has been a republic since 1946, the 21 regions (regione) enjoying a large degree of self government; some, such as Sicily and Sardinia, are semiŹautonomous.

Italians would be the first to agree that there is no such thing as "an Italian." Ask an Italian where he's from and the answer will be "from Tuscany, from Rome, from Naples, from Sicily,"but never "from Italy." Primary loyalties are firmly local and regional. The Italian character, attitudes, outlook and prejudices have been formed by the native region, not by the country as a whole. So the fiery Sicilians are light years away from the Milanese and their urbane efficiency, the cool and rational Tuscans or the abrasive Romans.

Language has also played a part. Modern Italian, rich, elegant and musical, derives from Tuscan, a medieval dialect used by Dante and Petrarch and firmly based on Latin. But throughout Italy there are some 1,500 diverse dialects, which were in daily use until widespread literacy and access to television. There are still some elderly people who have difficulty speaking modern Italian, although mass media are rapidly weakening dialects.

The considerable geographic differences between the north and south have produced another element of regionalism a very real economic and cultural divide between the halves of the country. The cooler, more fertile north is richer, more advanced and more successful than the and and impoverished south.

The People

All Italians do seem to share the same attitude toward life, one that is instantly apparent to foreigners. Life is for living, for enjoying, for savoring. There's always time to pause to chat, time for kindness, time to laugh; passions run high but anger is quickly over and forgotten. Pause in any Italian piazza and listen to the voices; there are no strident tones or harsh and ugly notes. Watch the way Italians treat children or the elderly, without condescension but with respect for their age. Problems are solved with little fuss on a personal level, although the labyrinth of Italian bureaucracy might drive visitors crazy.

Despite having the world's lowest national birthrate, family ties are exceptionally close, with children often living with their parents into their 30s, and elderly people are still mainly cared for at home. The mother's role is pivotal; Italian men, it is said, spend their whole lives searching for a woman to live up to their mother hence the constant philandering.

If you want to attract the opposite sex, you have to took good. This helps explain the importance of the bella figura, literally "beautiful form," but meaning infinitely more. Italians have an innate sense of style, and it matters greatly that clothes, cars and personal possessions are stylish and contemporary.

Bella figura dictates that these must all be admired, and what better way to display them than during that great Italian tradition, the passeggiata? This nightly outdoor perambulation occurs in every village, town and city in the land, when citizens exit en masse from their homes, strolling through the streets, exchanging news and gossip, but above all admiring and hoping to be admired in return.

Country of Contrasts A rich historical and cultural past has shaped the townscape in Italy. Cities, towns and villages are crammed with fine buildings, churches and works of art, a legacy of pre Unification days. But over the past century, and notably since World War 11, there has been huge development and growth in urban areas, with unattractive spreads of industrial buildings and blocks of soulless apartments on the outskirts of countless towns. Every town still retains its central piazza, with civic buildings and a church grouped around or near it.

In many rural areas, people have traditionally lived in villages rather than On the land they work, traveling daily to the fields, so in some areas isolated country farmhouses are rare. There has always been a huge gulf between the urban and rural populations, possibly due to the very early development of Italian towns.

The middle class was a late arrival in Italy and only really emerged during the great economic boom of the '50s and '60s. Even now there are still large numbers of contadini, peasant farmers and small shareholders, working the land as it has been worked for centuries, while their cousins may be employed in hi tech industries.

Exploring Italy

Prosperous Italy has one of Europe's highest standards of living, making traveling easy and pleasurable. Tourism is a major industry, so you'll find English widely spoken in city hotels and restaurants, although not away from the main tourist areas.

Italian engineering prowess has produced an excellent road network, with both toll roads and good highways. Minor roads are often unsurfaced. Italians drive fast and aggressively but mostly safely, and once you're accustomed to the style of driving you should have no problems. All major cities have an airport, with frequent internal flights. Trains are cheap and punctual, although crosscountry routes can be slow and complicated; it's safer to stick to the inter city services. Buses connect even the smallest villages.

Italian hotels are all rated and inspected by regional authorities; regardless of the price range, they are spotlessly clean. Bathtubs are rare except in deluxe establishments, and showers frequently dribble when turned on; water is precious in many parts of the country. Air conditioning is becoming more widespread but is by no means universal, and buildings can be stifling in summer. By law, heating in public places is not turned on until November 1.

Culinary Traditions

Italian cooking is regional and simple, relying on the superb quality of the ingredients, and you'll find wonderful dishes wherever you go. In a country where frozen food is practically nonexistent, menus are dictated by the seasons, with a rich variety of dishes Punctuating the different months. The different types of restaurant can be confusing. The terms ristorante, osteria and trattoria are fairly interchangeable; tavola calda and pizeria imply something a bit more humble. Lunch has traditionally been the main meal, but there is a trend toward making dinner the extravaganza. The evening menu often consists of antipasto (hors d'oeuvre), the first course (primo) of pasta, soup or rice, the meat or fish second course (secondo) with its accompanying contorni (vegetables) or insalata (salad), followed a specially decorated gondola by formagglo, dolce or frutta (cheese, dessert or fruit). If a meal this size seems a bit daunting, choose just a couple of courses.

Italians automatically drink wine with their meals. Denominazione d'Origine Controllata (DOC) is a method of classification that guarantees the origin of the wine, and that it has been made following the guidelines for a particular area. However, it is no indication of quality.

Pastimes

The favorite Italian pastimes are probably eating, drinking and talking; preferably all together. Immensely sociable people, Italians tend to relax en masse, making group activities of every type very popular. Soccer is the national sport, and almost every Italian male either attends or follows Sunday matches. Deeply traditional, Italians prefer their pleasures to be familyoriented; a Sunday drive, a day at the beach or a gentle stroll, accompanied by a non stop stream of chatter, constitutes most people's idea of leisure.