Located in Southern Europe, Italy is a boot-shaped long peninsula surrounded by the Tyrrhenian, Adriatic and the Mediterranean seas. Italy shares its Northern Alpine boundaries with France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia. The Apennine Mountains form the peninsula’s backbone. The principal river in Italy – The Po, flows from the Alps on the Western border and crosses the Lombard plain to the Adriatic Sea.

The country includes the large Mediterranean islands of Sicily and Sardinia and several other small islands notably Elba, Capri, Ischia and the Lipari Islands. The Vatican City and San Marino are two independent enclaves on the Italian mainland.

Italy has homed many of the European cultures such as the Etruscans and the Romans and was later the birthplace of the Italian Renaissance. Italy’s capital city – Rome has been centre of Western Civilisation and is the centre of the Roman Catholic Church; where the independent state of the Vatican City is situated.

75% of the geographical topography of Italy is mountainous or hilly whilst about 20% of the country is forested. Northern Italy is largely made up of a vast plain that is contained by the Alps. It is the richest part of the country, with the best farmland, the chief port of Genoa and the largest industrial centres. Northern Italy has also a flourishing tourist trade on the Italian Riviera, in the Alps (including the Dolomites), on the shores of the beautiful lakes of Lago Maggiore, Lake Como and Lake Garda, and in Venice. The highest peak in Italy is called the Gran Paradiso and rises at a height of more than 4,000m in Valle d’Aosta.  Central Italy contains great historic and cultural centres such as Florence, Pisa, Siena, Perugia, and Assisi amongst others.

Most of Italy enjoys a Mediterranean Climate; however that of Sicily is considered to be subtropical whilst in the Alps there are long and severe winters. The majority of the populations speaks Italian (which includes several dialects); however there are small German, French and Slavic speaking minorities. Nearly all Italians are Roman Catholics.