Guide to Italy
Italy Facts & Info
Italy is the boot shaped country located in Southern Italy and is bordered by Slovenia, France, Austria, Switzerland, and the Mediterraneon Sea to the south. Vatican City is located in Rome Italy and in fact is it’s own country.
Guide to Italy: History
Italy has had a presence of humans dating back as far as 850,000 years. There have been several groups of people that settled in Italy before the Roman Empire such as the Umbrians, Latins, Celts, and more. The Greeks started to settle colonies in Italy in the 8th century BC before the beginnings of the Roman Empire began to emerge around 500 BC and would eventually become one of the biggest Empires in the world conquering lands way beyond Italy.
Despite being around for thousands of years, what we know today as Italy wasn’t actually established as a country until 1861. Italy would eventually be ruled by a dicatator (Mussolini) before voting to become a Republic.
Looking for information about other countries in Europe? Head over to our Guide to Europe page and choose another country for travel info.
Guide to Italy: Places to Explore
Rome and Venice are two of the most popular cities for tourists but there are many popular sites in Italy to visit and all are worth it. Naples, the Amalfi Coast, Florence, Milan, Cinque Terre, and more. This Guide to Italy will explore some of these areas.
Italians are known to have invented many things we use today including batteries, sunglasses, thermometers, a banking system and of course pizza. Italy produces more wine than any other country in the world. There’s even a village in Eastern Italy called Villa Caldari that has a fountain named Fontana del Vino that has free wine flowing from it. Making a mental note to head that way one day!
Guide to Italy: What you need to know
Currency: The Euro, but once had their own currency, The Lira
Language: Italian, although there are over 30 Italian dialects throughout Italy
Population: Around 60 million
Voltage: Italy’s voltage is 230V
Food: Known for its pizza, pasta, gelato, cappuccinos and more
Countries within Italy: there are 2 independent states/counries within Italy, San Marino & Vatican City
Climate: Italy has all types of weather from cold in the north in the winter, especially in the mountains, to mild in the south in the Mediterraneon. Italy is mostly warm to hot in the summer
Guide to Italy: Travel Info
All year long! Even if it’s cold, Italy is still an amazing place to see. You could visit the south in the winter and the weather will be mild and pleasant but don’t count out visiting the north if you don’t mind cold and possible snow. Just know the summer months will be extremely busy and you might get annoyed with all the crowds. Italy is one of the top 5 places in the world tourists visit.
Italy has 9 International Airports so wherever you want to visit you should be able to fly in close by. If you’re coming from another country in Europe you can also drive or take a train. Eurail has a huge train system that operates all over Europe. Once you’re in Italy you can use the Italian train system called ItaliaRail.
You might spend more money in Italy because there’s so much to see and do and who can resist all that gelato! Most everything is reasonably priced including hotels. You might spend more visiting museums, Roman ruins, and places like The Colosseum so budget for those. No need to rent a car though. Getting around major cities is pretty easy with subways in Rome and a lot of it is very walkable.
No need to rent a car in Italy. Major cities such as Milan, Naples, and Rome have subway systems. If you want to get from Rome to Venice, the train system will take you there in just a few hours and it’s pretty inexpensive. Most cities are also very walkable.
Italy has hotels, hostals, Airbnbs, and even villas to stay in. There is no shortage of places to stay. Just remember to book early for the best rates and to make sure you get a place to stay if you’re going in the busy months of the summer.
Forever! I love Italy so much and even lived there for a year. It’s such an amazing country. I would give Rome no less than 4-5 days, giving at least 1 day to explore the Vatican. Florence and Venice should have 2-3 days each. You could spend 1-2 in Cinque Terre and another 1-2 at the Amalfi Coast. Of course spend more if you have the time but I wouldn’t spend any less than those. You’ll definitely want to come back to explore more of Italy.
Guide to Italy: Bucket List Ideas
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Italy Travel Guides
