It is easy to understand why Italy is described by some as the ultimate destination to visit. Where spectacular landscapes and high culture collides, with snow caped mountains, endless vineyards, idyllic beaches and cultural heritage sites that will rival anywhere in the world.
Italy is internationally renowned for its style and glamour, Italy’s many exportable products sit comfortable at the top of the luxury goods market. Sports car manufacturers Ferrari and Lamborghini and fashion houses such as Prada and Dolce & Gabanna have become synonymous with extravagance and lavishness.
In contrast, probably Italy’s most famous export, Pizza, comes from far humbler beginnings around the 1600s in the poorer areas of Naples in the south. The oven baked yeast-based flat bread with added tomato rose in popularity especially as tourists began to venture into the more impoverished areas just to try the local dish.
Geographically, Italy spans 301,333 square kilometres and is divided into 20 regions (each partitioned into several provinces). The Alps reach over 966 miles from east to west with peaks rising to over 14,000 feet. The Apennines mountain range stretches 1000km along the east coast from the north to the south and traverses the entire peninsula.