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{{Short description|Country in Southern Europe}}
{{Redirect|Italia}}
{{Redirect|Italia|other uses|Italy (disambiguation)|and|Italia (disambiguation)}}
{{About|the republic}}
{{pp-move}}

{{pp-vandalism|small=yes}}
{{Infobox Country
{{Use British English|date=December 2024}}
|native_name = ''Repubblica <!--italiana is without uppercase, see Italian wiki-->italiana''<ref>The country's long name in its ] include:
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2024}}
*{{lang-sq|Republikës Italiane}};
{{Infobox country
*{{lang-bar|Italienische Republik}};
| conventional_long_name = Italian Republic
*{{lang-ca|República Italiana}};
| common_name = Italy
*{{lang-co|Republica Taliana}};
| native_name = {{Native name|it|Repubblica Italiana<!--upper case see Italian wiki-->}}
*{{lang-hr|Talijanska Republika}};
| image_flag = Flag of Italy.svg
*]: ''Repóbblica Itagliàna'';
| image_coat = Emblem of Italy.svg
*{{lang-fr|République italienne}};
| symbol_type = Emblem
*{{lang-frp|Rèpublica étalièna}};
| national_anthem = "{{Lang|it|]|italic=no}}"<br/>"The Song of the Italians"<div style="padding-top:0.5em;">{{Center|]}}</div>
*{{lang-fur|Republiche Taliane}};
| image_map = {{Switcher|]|Show globe|]|Show map of Europe|default=1}}
*{{lang-de|Italienische Republik}};
| map_caption = {{Map caption|location_color=dark green|region=Europe|region_color=dark grey|subregion=the ]|subregion_color = light green|legend=EU-Italy.svg}}
*{{lang-el|Ιταλικής Δημοκρατίας}};
| capital = ]
*{{lang-lld|Republica Italiana}};
| coordinates = {{Coord|41|54|N|12|29|E|type:city}}
*]: ''Repubbrica Italian-na'';
| largest_city = capital
*{{lang-lmo| Repùblega Taliana}};
| languages_type = Native languages
*{{lang-nap|Repubbreca italiana}};
| languages = See ]
*{{lang-oc|Republica Italiana}};
| official_languages = ]<sup>a</sup>
*]: ''Repùblica italian-a'';
{{Infobox|child=yes
*{{lang-sc|Repùbrica Italiana}};
|label1 = ] {{Nobold|(2021)}}<ref name="id2020">{{Cite web|title=Indicatori demografici, anno 2020 |url=https://www.istat.it/it/files//2021/05/REPORT_INDICATORI-DEMOGRAFICI-2020.pdf|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210503091112/https://www.istat.it/it/files//2021/05/REPORT_INDICATORI-DEMOGRAFICI-2020.pdf|archive-date=3 May 2021|access-date=3 May 2021}}</ref>
*{{lang-scn|Ripùbblica di Tàlia}};
| data1 = {{Unbulleted list|91% ]|9% other}}
*{{lang-sl|Italijanska republika}};
}}
*]: ''Repubbliche Tagliàne'';
| religion = {{Ublist|item_style=white-space:nowrap;|84% ]|12% ]|1% ]|3% ]}}
*{{lang-vec|Republica Tałiana}}</ref>
| religion_year = 2020
|conventional_long_name = Italian Republic
| religion_ref = <ref>{{Cite web|date=September 2021|title=Special Eurobarometer 516|url=https://data.europa.eu/data/datasets/s2237_95_2_516_eng?locale=en|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230629085321/http://data.europa.eu/data/datasets/s2237_95_2_516_eng?locale=en|archive-date=29 June 2023|access-date=24 September 2021|publisher=]: ]|via=] (see Volume C: Country/socio-demographics: IT: Question D90.2.)}}</ref>
|common_name = Italy
| demonym = ]
|nickname(s) = The Boot; The Belpaese
| government_type = ]
|image_flag = Flag of Italy.svg
|image_coat = Italy-Emblem.svg | leader_title1 = ]
| leader_name1 = ]
|symbol_type = Coat of arms
|image_map = EU-Italy.svg | leader_title2 = ]
| leader_name2 = ]
|map_caption = {{map caption|location_color=dark green|region=Europe|region_color=dark grey|subregion=the ]|subregion_color=light green|legend=EU-Italy.svg}}
| leader_title3 = ]
|national_motto =
| leader_name3 = ]
|national_anthem = '']''<br /><small>(also known as ''Inno di Mameli'')</small><br />''The Song of the Italians''
| leader_title4 = ]
|official_languages = ]
|capital = ] | leader_name4 = ]
| legislature = ]
|latd=41 |latm=54 |latNS=N |longd=12 |longm=29 |longEW=E
| upper_house = ]
|largest_city = capital
| lower_house = ]
|largest_metropolitan area = ] and ]
|demonym = ] | sovereignty_type = ]
| established_event1 = ]
|government_type = ]
| established_date1 = 17 March 1861
|leader_title1 = ]
| established_event2 = ]
|leader_name1 = ]
| established_date2 = 12<!--Monarchy was abolished officially--> June 1946
|leader_title2 = ]
| established_event3 = ]
|leader_name2 = ] (])
| established_date3 = 1 January 1948
|legislature = ]
| area_km2 = 301,340<ref name="Central Intelligence Agency-2023">{{Cite web|date=23 August 2023|title=Italy|url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/italy|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210701235642/https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/italy|archive-date=1 July 2021|access-date=28 August 2023|publisher=Central Intelligence Agency}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=12 November 2023|title=Italy country profile|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-17433142|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231218111602/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-17433142|archive-date=18 December 2023|access-date=12 November 2023|publisher=BBC News}}</ref>
|upper_house = ]
| area_rank = 71st
|lower_house = ]
| area_sq_mi = 116,347 <!--Do not remove per ]-->
|accessionEUdate = 25 March 1957 (founding member)
| percent_water = 1.24 (2015)<ref>{{Cite web|title=Surface water and surface water change|url=https://stats.oecd.org/Index.aspx?DataSetCode=SURFACE_WATER|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210324133453/https://stats.oecd.org/Index.aspx?DataSetCode=SURFACE_WATER|archive-date=24 March 2021|access-date=11 October 2020|publisher=] (OECD)}}</ref>
|EUseats = 78
| population_estimate = {{IncreaseNeutral}} 58,968,501<ref>{{Cite web|title=ISTAT – Demography, Statistics, Demographic Balance, Resident Population|url=https://demo.istat.it/app/?l=en&a=2024&i=D7B|access-date=10 July 2024|website=demo.istat.it|archive-date=6 July 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240706185033/https://demo.istat.it/app/?i=D7B&l=en&a=2024|url-status=live}}</ref>
|area_rank = 71st
| population_estimate_year = 2024
|area_magnitude = 1 E11
| population_estimate_rank = 25th
|area_km2 = 301,338
| population_density_km2 = 195.7
|area_sq_mi = 116,346 <!--Do not remove per ]-->
| population_density_sq_mi = 507 <!--Do not remove per ]-->
|percent_water = 2.4
| population_density_rank = 71st
|population_estimate = 60,380,912<ref name="Istat" >{{it icon}} {{cite web|url=hhttp://www.istat.it/salastampa/comunicati/non_calendario/20100719_00/testointegrale20100719.pdf|title=Monthly demographic balance: January–February 2010|publisher=]|date=19 July 2010|accessdate=27 August 2010}}</ref>
| GDP_PPP = {{Increase}} $3.597 trillion<ref name="IMFWEO.IT">{{cite web |url=https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/WEO/weo-database/2024/October/weo-report?c=136,&s=NGDPD,PPPGDP,NGDPDPC,PPPPC,&sy=2022&ey=2029&ssm=0&scsm=1&scc=0&ssd=1&ssc=0&sic=0&sort=country&ds=.&br=1 |title=World Economic Outlook Database, October 2024 Edition. (Italy) |publisher=] |website=www.imf.org |date=22 October 2024 |access-date=22 October 2024}}</ref>
|population_estimate_rank = 23rd
| GDP_PPP_year = 2024
|population_estimate_year = 2009
|population_census = 56,995,744 | GDP_PPP_rank = 13th
| GDP_PPP_per_capita = {{Increase}} $60,992<ref name="IMFWEO.IT"/>
|population_census_year = 2001
| GDP_PPP_per_capita_rank = 30th
|population_density_km2 = 200.4
| GDP_nominal = {{Increase}} $2.376 trillion<ref name="IMFWEO.IT"/>
|population_density_rank = 54<sup>th</sup>
| GDP_nominal_year = 2024
|population_density_sq_mi = 519<!--Do not remove per ]-->
| GDP_nominal_rank = 8th
|GDP_PPP = $1.740 trillion<ref name=autogenerated1 >{{cite web|url=http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2010/01/weodata/weorept.aspx?sy=2007&ey=2010&scsm=1&ssd=1&sort=country&ds=.&br=1&c=136&s=NGDPD%2CNGDPDPC%2CPPPGDP%2CPPPPC%2CLP&grp=0&a=&pr.x=54&pr.y=1 |title=World Economic Outlook Database, April 2010|publisher=International Monetary Fund|accessdate=21 April 2010}}</ref>
| GDP_nominal_per_capita = {{Increase}} $40,286<ref name="IMFWEO.IT"/>
|GDP_PPP_rank =
| GDP_nominal_per_capita_rank = 26th
|GDP_PPP_year = 2009
| Gini = 32.5 <!--number only-->
|GDP_PPP_per_capita = $29,109<ref name=autogenerated1 />
| Gini_year = 2020
|GDP_PPP_per_capita_rank =
| Gini_change = decrease <!--increase/steady/decrease-->
|GDP_nominal = $2.118 trillion<ref name=autogenerated1 />
| Gini_ref = <ref>{{Cite web|title=Gini coefficient of equivalised disposable income – EU-SILC survey|url=https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/tessi190/default/table?lang=en|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201009091832/https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/tessi190/default/table?lang=en|archive-date=9 October 2020|access-date=21 June 2022|publisher=European Commission}}</ref>
|GDP_nominal_rank =
| HDI = 0.906 <!--number only-->
|GDP_nominal_year = 2009
| HDI_year = 2022<!-- Please use the year to which the data refers, not the publication year-->
|GDP_nominal_per_capita = $35,435<ref name=autogenerated1 />
| HDI_change = steady <!--increase/decrease/steady-->
|GDP_nominal_per_capita_rank =
| HDI_ref = <ref>{{Cite web|date=13 March 2024|title=Human Development Report 2023/24 |url=https://hdr.undp.org/system/files/documents/global-report-document/hdr2023-24reporten.pdf|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240313164319/https://hdr.undp.org/system/files/documents/global-report-document/hdr2023-24reporten.pdf|archive-date=13 March 2024|access-date=13 March 2024|publisher=]|page=288}}</ref>
|sovereignty_type = ]
| HDI_rank = 30th
|established_event1 = ]
| currency = ] (])<sup>b</sup>
|established_date1 = 17 March 1861
| currency_code = EUR
|established_event2 = ]
| time_zone = ]
|established_date2 = 2 June 1946
|HDI = {{increase}} 0.951<ref name="hdr.undp.org"/> | utc_offset = +1
|HDI_rank = 18th | utc_offset_DST = +2
| time_zone_DST = ]
|HDI_year = 2007
| calling_code = ]<sup>c</sup>
|HDI_category = <span style="color:#090;">very&nbsp;high</span>
|currency = ] (]){{Smallsup|2}} | cctld = ]
| footnote_a = <span style="font-size:100%;">German is co-official in ] and ]; French is co-official in the ]; ] is co-official in the ], the ], and Friuli-Venezia Giulia; ] is co-official in South Tyrol, in ] and in other northern areas; ] is co-official in Friuli-Venezia Giulia; ] is co-official in ].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Legge Regionale 15 ottobre 1997, n. 26 |url=http://www.regione.sardegna.it/j/v/86?v=9&c=72&file=1997026|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210226213750/http://www.regione.sardegna.it/j/v/86?v=9&c=72&file=1997026|archive-date=26 February 2021|access-date=31 May 2018|publisher=Regione autonoma della Sardegna – Regione Autònoma de Sardigna}}; {{Cite web|title=Regione Autonoma Friuli-Venezia Giulia – Comunità linguistiche regionali|url=https://www.regione.fvg.it/rafvg/cms/RAFVG/cultura-sport/patrimonio-culturale/comunita-linguistiche|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150904201140/https://www.regione.fvg.it/rafvg/cms/RAFVG/cultura-sport/patrimonio-culturale/comunita-linguistiche|archive-date=4 September 2015|access-date=2 November 2020|website=regione.fvg.it}}</ref></span>
|currency_code = EUR
| footnote_b = <span style="font-size:100%;">Before 2002, the ]. The euro is accepted in ] but its official currency is the ].<ref>{{Cite web|date=14 July 2010|title=Comune di Campione d'Italia|url=http://www.comune.campione-d-italia.co.it|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110430223743/http://www.comune.campione-d-italia.co.it|archive-date=30 April 2011|access-date=30 October 2010|publisher=Comune.campione-d-italia.co.it}}</ref></span>
|country_code =
| footnote_c = <span style="font-size:100%;">To call Campione d'Italia, it is necessary to use the Swiss code ].</span>
|time_zone = ]
|utc_offset = +1
|time_zone_DST = ]
|utc_offset_DST = +2
|drives_on = Right
|cctld = ]{{Smallsup|3}}
|calling_code = ]{{Smallsup|4}}
|Gini = 32<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2172.html|title=Distribution of family income - Gini index|publisher=CIA - The World Factbook|accessdate=9 July 2010}}</ref>
|Gini_year = 2006
|footnote1 = <span style="font-size:120%">French is co-official in the ]; ] is co-official in the ] and the ]; German and ] are co-official in the ].<span>
|footnote2 = <span style="font-size:120%">Before 2002, the ]. The euro is accepted in ], but the official currency is the ].<ref></ref></span>
|footnote3 = <span style="font-size:120%">The ] domain is also used, as it is shared with other ] member states.</span>
|footnote4 = <span style="font-size:120%">To call ], it is necessary to use the Swiss code +41.</span>
}} }}


'''Italy''',{{Efn|{{Langx|it|Italia}}, {{IPA|it|iˈtaːlja|pron|small=no|It-Italia.ogg}}}} officially the '''Italian Republic''',{{Efn|{{Langx|it|Repubblica Italiana|links=no}}, {{IPA|it|reˈpubblika itaˈljaːna|pron|small=no}}}} is a country in Southern<ref>{{Cite web|title=Southern Europe, a peninsula extending into the central Mediterranean Sea, northeast of Tunisia|url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/italy|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210701235642/https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/italy|archive-date=1 July 2021|access-date=17 August 2021|website=The World Factbook|publisher=Central Intelligence Agency}}</ref> and Western<ref name="DGACM">{{Cite web|title=UNITED NATIONS DGACM|url=https://www.un.org/Depts/DGACM/RegionalGroups.shtml|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170821045724/http://www.un.org/depts/DGACM/RegionalGroups.shtml|archive-date=21 August 2017|access-date=24 September 2019|publisher=United Nations}}</ref>{{Efn|Italy is often grouped in Western Europe.<ref>Academic works describing Italy as a Western European country:{{Bulleted list
'''Italy''' ({{pron-en|ˈɪtəli|en-us-Italy.ogg}}; {{lang-it|Italia}} {{IPA-it|iˈtaːlja|}}), officially the '''Italian Republic''' ({{lang-it|Repubblica italiana}}), is a country located partly on the ] and partly on the ] in ] and on the two largest islands in the ], ] and ]. Italy shares its northern, ] boundary with ], ], ] and ]. The independent states of ] and the ] are ]s within the Italian Peninsula, and ] is an Italian ] in Switzerland. The territory of Italy covers 301,338&nbsp;km² and is influenced by a ]. With 60.4 million inhabitants, it is the ], and the ] most populous in the world.
|{{Cite book|last1=Hancock|first1=M. Donald|url=https://archive.org/details/politicsinwester00hanc_0|title=Politics in Western Europe: an introduction to the politics of the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Sweden, and the European Union|last2=Conradt|first2=David P.|last3=Peters|first3=B. Guy|last4=Safran|first4=William|last5=Zariski|first5=Raphael|date=11 November 1998|publisher=Chatham House Publishers|isbn=978-1-5664-3039-5|edition=2nd|quote=list of Western European countries Italy.|url-access=registration|ref=none}}
|{{Cite book|last1=Ugo|first1=Ascoli|last2=Emmanuele|first2=Pavolini|title=The Italian welfare state in a European perspective: A comparative analysis|date=2016|publisher=Policy Press|isbn=978-1-4473-3444-6|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BEzRDAAAQBAJ&q=list+of+Western+European+countries+Italy|ref=none}}
|{{Cite book|last1=Zloch-Christy|first1=Iliana|title=East-West Financial Relations: Current Problems and Future Prospects|date=1991|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0-5213-9530-4|url=https://archive.org/details/eastwestfinancia00zloc|url-access=registration|quote=list of Western European countries Italy.|access-date=29 September 2019|ref=none}}
|{{Cite book|last1=Clout|first1=Hugh D.|title=Western Europe: Geographical Perspectives|date=1989|publisher=Longman Scientific & Technical|isbn=978-0-5820-1772-6|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WGbIT90ppZsC|access-date=29 September 2019|ref=none}}
|{{Cite book|last1=Furlong|first1=Paul|title=Modern Italy: Representation and Reform|date=2003|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-1349-7983-7|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JNNsOl65D0AC&q=italy+western+European+country|access-date=29 September 2019|ref=none}}
|{{Cite book|last1=Hanf|first1=Kenneth|last2=Jansen|first2=Alf-Inge|title=Governance and Environment in Western Europe: Politics, Policy and Administration|date=2014|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-3178-7917-6|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=31wSBAAAQBAJ&q=West+Europe+Italy|access-date=29 September 2019|ref=none}}
}}</ref>}} ]. It consists of ] that extends into the ], with the ] on its northern land border, as well as ], notably ] and ].<ref name="Treccani">{{Citation|title=Italia|volume=VI|page=413|year=1970|publisher=]|language=it|encyclopedia=Dizionario enciclopedico italiano}}</ref> Italy shares its borders with France, Switzerland, Austria, Slovenia, and two enclaves: ] and ]. It is the ], covering {{Convert|301340|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}},<ref name="Central Intelligence Agency-2023"/> and the third-most populous ], with a population of nearly 60 million.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Italy Population 2022 (Demographics, Maps, Graphs) |url=https://worldpopulationreview.com/countries/italy-population|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220221180502/https://worldpopulationreview.com/countries/italy-population|archive-date=21 February 2022|access-date=21 February 2022|website=worldpopulationreview.com}}</ref> Italy's capital and ] is ]; other major urban areas include ], ], ], ], ], ], ], and ].


The history of Italy goes back to numerous ], notably including the ], who conquered the Mediterranean world during the ] and ruled it for centuries during the ].<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Carl Waldman|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kfv6HKXErqAC|title=Encyclopedia of European Peoples|last2=Catherine Mason|publisher=Infobase Publishing|year=2006|isbn=978-1-4381-2918-1|page=586|access-date=23 February 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230311102543/https://books.google.com/books?id=kfv6HKXErqAC|archive-date=11 March 2023|url-status=live}}; {{Cite book|last=Mommsen|first=Theodor|author-link=Theodor Mommsen|title=], Book II: From the Abolition of the Monarchy in Rome to the Union of Italy|publisher=Reimer & Hirsel|year=1855|location=Leipzig}}; {{Cite book|last=Lazenby|first=John Francis|url=https://archive.org/details/hannibalswarmili00laze|title=Hannibal's War: A Military History of the Second Punic War|date=4 February 1998|publisher=University of Oklahoma Press|isbn=978-0-8061-3004-0|page=|quote=Italy homeland of the Romans.|url-access=registration|via=Internet Archive}}</ref> With the spread of Christianity, Rome became the seat of the ] and the ]. Between ] and the ], Italy experienced the arrival of Germanic tribes and the ]. By the 11th century, ] and ] expanded, bringing renewed prosperity through commerce and laying the groundwork for modern capitalism.<ref name="See">{{Cite web|last=Sée|first=Henri|title=Modern Capitalism Its Origin and Evolution|url=http://www.efm.bris.ac.uk/het/see/ModernCapitalism.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131007010542/http://www.efm.bris.ac.uk/het/see/ModernCapitalism.pdf|archive-date=7 October 2013|access-date=29 August 2013|website=University of Rennes|publisher=Batoche Books}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Italian Trade Cities {{!}} Western Civilization|url=https://courses.lumenlearning.com/atd-herkimer-westerncivilization/chapter/italian-trade-cities|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211102035722/https://courses.lumenlearning.com/atd-herkimer-westerncivilization/chapter/italian-trade-cities|archive-date=2 November 2021|access-date=21 September 2022|website=courses.lumenlearning.com}}</ref> The ] flourished during the 15th and 16th centuries and spread to the rest of Europe. Italian explorers discovered new routes to the Far East and the ], contributing significantly to the European ].
Italy's capital, ], was for centuries the political centre of ], as the capital of the ]. After its ], Italy would endure numerous invasions by foreign peoples, from ] such as the ] and ], to the ] and later, the ], among others. Centuries later, Italy would become the birthplace of the ],<ref name="immaculateheartacademy.org" >
{{Cite document
|contribution=Italy: Birthplace of the Renaisssance
|title= European Rennaisance and Reformation
|location=Township of Washington, NJ
|publisher=Immaculate Heart Academy
|publication-date=
|accessdate=20 December 2009
|url=http://www.immaculateheartacademy.org/outside2/socialstudies/kuhns/1%20Italy%20Birthplace%20of%20the%20Renaissance.pdf
|postscript=<!--None-->
}}. {{Verify credibility|date=December 2009}}</ref> an immensely fruitful intellectual movement that would prove to be integral in shaping the subsequent course of European thought.


After centuries of political and territorial divisions, Italy was almost entirely unified in 1861, following wars of independence and the ], establishing the ].<ref>{{Cite web|date=4 April 2003|title=Unification of Italy|url=http://library.thinkquest.org/TQ0312582/unification.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090307050237/http://library.thinkquest.org/TQ0312582/unification.html|archive-date=7 March 2009|access-date=19 November 2009|publisher=Library.thinkquest.org}}</ref> From the late 19th to the early 20th century, Italy rapidly industrialised, mainly in the north, and acquired ],<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Italian Colonial Empire|url=http://www.allempires.com/article/index.php?q=italian_colonial|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120224012449/http://www.allempires.com/article/index.php?q=italian_colonial|archive-date=24 February 2012|access-date=17 June 2012|publisher=All Empires|quote=At its peak, just before WWII, the Italian Empire comprehended the territories of present time Italy, Albania, Rhodes, Dodecanese, Libya, Ethiopia, Eritrea, the majority of Somalia and the little concession of Tientsin in China}}</ref> while ] remained largely impoverished, fueling ] to the Americas.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Jon Rynn|title=WHAT IS A GREAT POWER?|url=http://globalmakeover.com/sites/economicreconstruction.com/static/JonRynn/FirstChapterDissertation.pdf|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170428053310/http://globalmakeover.com/sites/economicreconstruction.com/static/JonRynn/FirstChapterDissertation.pdf|archive-date=28 April 2017|access-date=15 March 2017|website=economicreconstruction.com}}</ref> From 1915 to 1918, Italy took part in ] with the ] against the ]. In 1922, the ] dictatorship was established. ], Italy was first part of the ] until its surrender to the ] (1940–1943), then a co-belligerent of the Allies during the ] and the ] (1943–1945). Following the war, the monarchy was replaced by a republic and the country enjoyed ].<ref>{{Cite web|title=IMF Advanced Economies List. World Economic Outlook, April 2016, p. 148 |url=http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2016/01/pdf/text.pdf|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160421023851/http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2016/01/pdf/text.pdf|archive-date=21 April 2016}}</ref>
Through much of its post-Roman history, Italy was fragmented into numerous kingdoms and city-states (such as the ], the ] and the ]), but was ] in 1861,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://library.thinkquest.org/TQ0312582/unification.html |title=Unification of Italy |publisher=Library.thinkquest.org |date=4 April 2003 |accessdate=19 November 2009}}</ref> following a tumultuous period in history known as the "'']''". In the late 19th century, through ], and to ], Italy possessed a ], which extended its rule to ], ], ], ], ], ], ] and a concession in ], China.<ref name="allempires.com" ></ref>


A ] with ], Italy has the ] in the world, the ] in Europe,<ref>{{Cite web|title=Manufacturing by Country 2023 |url=https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/manufacturing-by-country|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231130004544/https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/manufacturing-by-country|archive-date=30 November 2023|access-date=14 October 2023|website=worldpopulationreview.com}}</ref> and ]<ref>Gabriele Abbondanza, ''Italy as a Regional Power: the African Context from National Unification to the Present Day'' (Rome: Aracne, 2016); "''] may be considered one of the most important instances in which Italy has acted as a regional power, taking the lead in executing a technically and politically coherent and determined strategy.''" See Federiga Bindi, ''Italy and the European Union'' (Washington, D.C.: Brookings Institution Press, 2011), p. 171.</ref> and ]<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nTKBdY5HBeUC&q=Canada%2520Among%2520Nations%252C%25202004%253A%2520Setting%2520Priorities+Straight|title=Canada Among Nations, 2004: Setting Priorities Straight |date=17 January 2005|publisher=McGill-Queen's Press – MQUP|isbn=978-0-7735-2836-9|page=85|access-date=13 June 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230116145100/https://books.google.com/books?id=nTKBdY5HBeUC&q=Canada%2520Among%2520Nations%252C%25202004%253A%2520Setting%2520Priorities+Straight|archive-date=16 January 2023|url-status=live|quote=The United States is the sole world's superpower. France, Italy, Germany and the United Kingdom are great powers}}; {{Cite book|last=Sterio|first=Milena|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-QuI6n_OVMYC&q=The%20Right%20to%20Self-determination%20Under%20International%20Law%3A%20%22selfistans%22%2C%20Secession%20and%20the%20Rule%20of%20the%20Great%20Powers|title=The right to self-determination under international law: "selfistans", secession and the rule of the great powers|date=2013|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-0-4156-6818-7|location=Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon|page=xii (preface)|access-date=13 June 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240116110143/https://books.google.com/books?id=-QuI6n_OVMYC&q=The%20Right%20to%20Self-determination%20Under%20International%20Law%3A%20%22selfistans%22%2C%20Secession%20and%20the%20Rule%20of%20the%20Great%20Powers#v=snippet&q=The%20Right%20to%20Self-determination%20Under%20International%20Law%3A%20%22selfistans%22%2C%20Secession%20and%20the%20Rule%20of%20the%20Great%20Powers&f=false|archive-date=16 January 2024|url-status=live|quote=The great powers are super-sovereign states: an exclusive club of the most powerful states economically, militarily, politically and strategically. These states include veto-wielding members of the United Nations Security Council (United States, United Kingdom, France, China, and Russia), as well as economic powerhouses such as Germany, Italy and Japan.}}</ref> economic, military, cultural, and diplomatic affairs. Italy is a ] and ], and is part of numerous international institutions, including ], the ] and ], the ] and the ]. As a ], Italy has long been a renowned global centre ], ], ], ], ], ], and the source of ].<ref>{{Cite web|last=Michael Barone|date=2 September 2010|title=The essence of Italian culture and the challenge of the global age|url=http://www.crvp.org/book/Series04/IV-5/chapter_vi.htm|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120922063927/http://www.crvp.org/book/Series04/IV-5/chapter_vi.htm|archive-date=22 September 2012|access-date=22 September 2012|publisher=Council for Research in Values and philosophy}}</ref> It has the ] of ]s (]) and is the ] in the world.
Modern Italy is a democratic republic. It has been ranked the world's eighteenth most-developed country<ref name="hdr.undp.org">. The United Nations. Retrieved 5 October 2009.</ref> and its ] has been ranked in the top ten in the world.<ref name="economist.com">[http://www.economist.com/media/pdf/QUALITY_OF_LIFE.pdf The Economist Intelligence Unit’s
quality-of-life index], Economist, 2005</ref> Italy enjoys a ], and has a high ].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2009/02/weodata/weorept.aspx?pr.x=26&pr.y=9&sy=2009&ey=2009&scsm=1&ssd=1&sort=country&ds=.&br=1&c=512%2C941%2C914%2C446%2C612%2C666%2C614%2C668%2C311%2C672%2C213%2C946%2C911%2C137%2C193%2C962%2C122%2C674%2C912%2C676%2C313%2C548%2C419%2C556%2C513%2C678%2C316%2C181%2C913%2C682%2C124%2C684%2C339%2C273%2C638%2C921%2C514%2C948%2C218%2C943%2C963%2C686%2C616%2C688%2C223%2C518%2C516%2C728%2C918%2C558%2C748%2C138%2C618%2C196%2C522%2C278%2C622%2C692%2C156%2C694%2C624%2C142%2C626%2C449%2C628%2C564%2C228%2C283%2C924%2C853%2C233%2C288%2C632%2C293%2C636%2C566%2C634%2C964%2C238%2C182%2C662%2C453%2C960%2C968%2C423%2C922%2C935%2C714%2C128%2C862%2C611%2C716%2C321%2C456%2C243%2C722%2C248%2C942%2C469%2C718%2C253%2C724%2C642%2C576%2C643%2C936%2C939%2C961%2C644%2C813%2C819%2C199%2C172%2C184%2C132%2C524%2C646%2C361%2C648%2C362%2C915%2C364%2C134%2C732%2C652%2C366%2C174%2C734%2C328%2C144%2C258%2C146%2C656%2C463%2C654%2C528%2C336%2C923%2C263%2C738%2C268%2C578%2C532%2C537%2C944%2C742%2C176%2C866%2C534%2C369%2C536%2C744%2C429%2C186%2C433%2C925%2C178%2C746%2C436%2C926%2C136%2C466%2C343%2C112%2C158%2C111%2C439%2C298%2C916%2C927%2C664%2C846%2C826%2C299%2C542%2C582%2C443%2C474%2C917%2C754%2C544%2C698&s=NGDPDPC&grp=0&a= |title=Report for Selected Countries and Subjects |publisher=Imf.org |date=2006-09-14 |accessdate=2010-08-02}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://ddp-ext.worldbank.org/ext/DDPQQ/member.do?method=getMembers&userid=1&queryId=135 |title=DDP Quick Query |publisher=Ddp-ext.worldbank.org |date=2004-07-20 |accessdate=2010-08-02}}</ref> It is a founding member of what is now the ] and ]. Italy is also a member of the ], ] and ]. It has the world's ], ]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2009/01/weodata/weorept.aspx?sy=2008&ey=2008&scsm=1&ssd=1&sort=country&ds=.&br=1&c=512%2C941%2C914%2C446%2C612%2C666%2C614%2C668%2C311%2C672%2C213%2C946%2C911%2C137%2C193%2C962%2C122%2C674%2C912%2C676%2C313%2C548%2C419%2C556%2C513%2C678%2C316%2C181%2C913%2C682%2C124%2C684%2C339%2C273%2C638%2C921%2C514%2C948%2C218%2C943%2C963%2C686%2C616%2C688%2C223%2C518%2C516%2C728%2C918%2C558%2C748%2C138%2C618%2C196%2C522%2C278%2C622%2C692%2C156%2C694%2C624%2C142%2C626%2C449%2C628%2C564%2C228%2C283%2C924%2C853%2C233%2C288%2C632%2C293%2C636%2C566%2C634%2C964%2C238%2C182%2C662%2C453%2C960%2C968%2C423%2C922%2C935%2C714%2C128%2C862%2C611%2C716%2C321%2C456%2C243%2C722%2C248%2C942%2C469%2C718%2C253%2C724%2C642%2C576%2C643%2C936%2C939%2C961%2C644%2C813%2C819%2C199%2C172%2C184%2C132%2C524%2C646%2C361%2C648%2C362%2C915%2C364%2C134%2C732%2C652%2C366%2C174%2C734%2C328%2C144%2C258%2C146%2C656%2C463%2C654%2C528%2C336%2C923%2C263%2C738%2C268%2C578%2C532%2C537%2C944%2C742%2C176%2C866%2C534%2C369%2C536%2C744%2C429%2C186%2C433%2C925%2C178%2C746%2C436%2C926%2C136%2C466%2C343%2C112%2C158%2C111%2C439%2C298%2C916%2C927%2C664%2C846%2C826%2C299%2C542%2C582%2C443%2C474%2C917%2C754%2C544%2C698&s=PPPGDP&grp=0&a=&pr.x=9&pr.y=12 |title=Report for Selected Countries and Subjects |publisher=Imf.org |date=2006-09-14 |accessdate=2010-08-02}}</ref> and the ] in the world.<ref></ref> It is also a member state of the ], the ], the ], the ] and the ]. Italy has the world's ] and shares ].


== Name ==
Italy plays a prominent role in European and global ], ] and ] affairs, and it is affiliated with worldwide organizations such as the ], ], ], ],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.glocalforum.org/ |title=The Glocal Forum |publisher=The Glocal Forum |accessdate=27 October 2009}}</ref> and the ], which are headquartered in Rome. The country's European political, social and economic influence make it a major ], alongside the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and Russia.<ref name="jstor.org"></ref><ref name="foreignaffairs.org">| Ben W. Heineman, Jr., and Fritz Heimann speak of Italy as a major country or "player" along with Germany, France, Japan, and the United Kingdom, in "The Long War Against Corruption".</ref><ref name="Leonardis, 2003, p. 17" >M. De Leonardis, ''Il Mediterraneo nella politica estera italiana del secondo dopoguerra'', Bologna, Il Mulino, 2003, p. 17</ref><ref name="carabinieri.it"></ref><ref name="books.google.com"></ref> The country has a ], ],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2095rank.html |title=CIA - The World Factbook - Country Comparison :: Labor force |publisher=Cia.gov |accessdate=27 October 2009}}</ref> and it's a highly ] nation.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://globalization.kof.ethz.ch/static/pdf/press_release_2009_en.pdf |title=KOF - Pressemitteilung |format=PDF |accessdate=27 October 2009}}</ref>
{{TOC limit|3}} {{Anchor|Etymology}}
{{Main|Name of Italy}}
]'' of Roman emperor ] displaying the inscription ''ITALIA'' on the verge of a ] holding ] and ]]]


Hypotheses for the etymology of ''Italia'' are numerous.<ref>Alberto Manco, ''Italia. Disegno storico-linguistico'', 2009, ], L'Orientale, {{ISBN|978-8-8950-4462-0}}</ref> One theory suggests it originated from an ] term for the land of the ''Italói'', a tribe that resided in the region now known as ]. Originally thought to be named ''Vituli'', some scholars suggest their ]ic animal to be the calf (]: ''vitulus''; ]: ''vitlo''; ]: ''Víteliú'')<!-- and named for the god of cattle, ] -->.<ref>J.P. Mallory and D.Q. Adams, ''Encyclopedia of Indo-European Culture'' (London: Fitzroy and Dearborn, 1997), 24.</ref> Several ancient authors said it was named after a local ruler ].<ref>Dionysius of Halicarnassus, ''Roman Antiquities'', {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221215151343/https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Dionysius_of_Halicarnassus/1B%2A.html|date=15 December 2022}}, on LacusCurtius; Aristotle, ''Politics'', {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150910185719/http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0058%3Abook%3D7%3Asection%3D1329b|date=10 September 2015}}, on Perseus; Thucydides, ''The Peloponnesian War'', {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924213434/http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Thuc.+6.2.4&fromdoc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0200|date=24 September 2015}}, on Perseus</ref>
==Etymology==
The origin of the term ''Italia'', from {{lang-lat|Italia}},<ref>], p. 974: "first syll. naturally short (cf. ]''Inst.''1.5.18), and so scanned in <span style="font-variant:small-caps">]</span>825, but in dactylic verse lengthened ''metri gratia''."</ref> came from the ancient tribe name ''Itali''.<ref>http://www.behindthename.com/name/italus</ref> According to one of the more common explanations, the term was borrowed through ] from the ] ''Víteliú'', meaning "land of young cattle" (''cf.'' ] ''vitulus'' "calf", ] ''vitlo'' "calf")<!-- and named for the god of cattle, ] -->.<ref>J.P. Mallory and D.Q. Adams, ''Encyclopedia of Indo-European Culture'' (London: Fitzroy and Dearborn, 1997), 24.</ref> The bull was a symbol of the southern Italian tribes and was often depicted goring the Roman wolf as a defiant symbol of free Italy during the ].


The name ''Italia'' originally applied only to a part of what is now ]—according to ], the southern portion of the ] peninsula (modern ]). But by his time ] and Italy had become synonymous, and the name also applied to most of ] as well. The Greeks gradually came to apply the name "Italia" to a larger region, but it was not until the time of the Roman conquests that the term was expanded to cover the entire peninsula.<ref>Guillotining, M., History of Earliest Italy, trans. Ryle, M & Soper, K. in Jerome Lectures, Seventeenth Series, p.50</ref> The ancient Greek term for Italy initially referred only to the south of the ] peninsula and parts of ] and ]. The larger concept of ] and "Italy" became synonymous, and the name applied to most of ] as well. Before the Roman Republic's expansion, the name was used by Greeks for the land between the ] and the line connecting the ] and ], corresponding to Calabria. The Greeks came to apply "Italia" to a larger region.<ref>Pallottino, M., ''History of Earliest Italy'', trans. Ryle, M & Soper, K. in Jerome Lectures, Seventeenth Series, p. 50</ref> In addition to the "]" in the south, historians have suggested the existence of an "Etruscan Italy", which consisted of areas of central Italy.<ref>Giovanni Brizzi, Roma. Potere e identità: dalle origini alla nascita dell'impero cristiano, Bologna, Patron, 2012 p. 94</ref>


The borders of ], ''Italia'', are better established. Cato's '']'' describes Italy as the entire peninsula south of the Alps.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Carlà-Uhink|first=Filippo|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dSY-DwAAQBAJ&q=cato+italy+south+of+the+Alps&pg=PT49|title=The "Birth" of Italy: The Institutionalization of Italy as a Region, 3rd–1st Century BCE|date=25 September 2017|publisher=Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG|isbn=978-3-1105-4478-7}}; {{Cite book|last=Levene|first=D. S.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aLsRDAAAQBAJ&q=cato+walls+of+Italy&pg=PA108|title=Livy on the Hannibalic War|date=17 June 2010|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-1981-5295-8|access-date=12 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240328152752/https://books.google.com/books?id=aLsRDAAAQBAJ&q=cato+walls+of+Italy&pg=PA108#v=snippet&q=cato%20walls%20of%20Italy&f=false|archive-date=28 March 2024|url-status=live}}</ref> In 264 BC, Roman Italy extended from the ] and ] rivers of the centre-north to the entire south. The northern area, ], considered geographically part of Italy, was occupied by Rome in the 220s BC,<ref>{{Cite book|last=Carlà-Uhink|first=Filippo|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dSY-DwAAQBAJ&q=Tota+Italia+essays&pg=PT454|title=The "Birth" of Italy: The Institutionalization of Italy as a Region, 3rd–1st Century BCE|date=25 September 2017|publisher=Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG|isbn=978-3-1105-4478-7|access-date=12 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240211000755/https://books.google.com/books?id=dSY-DwAAQBAJ&q=Tota+Italia+essays&pg=PT454#v=snippet&q=Tota%20Italia%20essays&f=false|archive-date=11 February 2024|url-status=live}}</ref> but remained politically separated. It was legally merged into the administrative unit of Italy in 42 BC.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Williams|first=J. H. C.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RPj_FkEeVO4C&q=beyond+the+Rubicon|title=Beyond the Rubicon: Romans and Gauls in Republican Italy – J. H. C. Williams – Google Books|date=22 May 2020|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-1981-5300-9|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200522000630/https://books.google.it/books?id=RPj_FkEeVO4C&dq=beyond+the+Rubicon&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiI5YrC6rbkAhUvDmMBHXZOCMAQ6AEIKTAA|archive-date=22 May 2020}}; {{Cite book|last=Long|first=George|title=Decline of the Roman republic: Volume 2|year=1866}}; {{Cite web|last=Aurigemma|first=Salvatore|title=Gallia Cisalpina|url=http://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/gallia-cisalpina_(Enciclopedia-Italiana)|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230404054511/https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/gallia-cisalpina_(Enciclopedia-Italiana)|archive-date=4 April 2023|access-date=14 October 2014|website=treccani.it|publisher=Enciclopedia Italiana|language=it}}</ref> Sardinia, ], Sicily, and ] were added to Italy by ] in 292 AD,<ref>{{Cite web|title=Italy (ancient Roman territory)|url=https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/297743/Italy|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131110232259/https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/297743/Italy|archive-date=10 November 2013|access-date=10 November 2013|website=Encyclopædia Britannica}}</ref> which made late-ancient Italy coterminous with the modern ].<ref>{{Cite web|title=La riorganizzazione amministrativa dell'Italia. Costantino, Roma, il Senato e gli equilibri dell'Italia romana|url=https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/la-riorganizzazione-amministrativa-dell-italia-costantino-roma-il-senato-e-gli-equilibri-dell-italia-romana_%28Enciclopedia-Costantiniana%29|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211119225335/https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/la-riorganizzazione-amministrativa-dell-italia-costantino-roma-il-senato-e-gli-equilibri-dell-italia-romana_(Enciclopedia-Costantiniana)|archive-date=19 November 2021|access-date=19 November 2021|language=it}}</ref>
==History==

The Latin ''Italicus'' was used to describe "a man of Italy" as opposed to a ''provincial'', or one from the ].<ref>''Letters'' 9.23</ref> The adjective ''italianus'', from which ''Italian'' was derived, is from ] and was used alternatively with ''Italicus'' during the ].<ref>''ytaliiens'' (1265) {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181029191636/http://www.cnrtl.fr/etymologie/italien|date=29 October 2018}}</ref> After the ], the ] of Italy was created. After the ] invasions, ''Italia'' was retained as the name for their kingdom, and its ] within the ].<ref>{{Cite web|title=IL COMUNE MEDIEVALE|url=https://www.homolaicus.com/storia/medioevo/comune_medievale.htm|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120318214257/http://www.homolaicus.com/storia/medioevo/comune_medievale.htm|archive-date=18 March 2012|website=homolaicus.com}}</ref>

== History ==
{{Main|History of Italy}} {{Main|History of Italy}}
{{See also|Historical states of Italy}}


===Prehistory and Roman Empire=== === Prehistory and antiquity ===
{{Main|Prehistoric Italy|Italic peoples|Etruscan civilisation|Greek colonisation|Magna Graecia}}
] fresco in the ], 5th century BC]]


] artefacts, dating back 850,000 years, have been recovered from ].<ref>{{Cite web|last=Society|first=National Geographic|title=Erano padani i primi abitanti d'Italia|url=http://www.nationalgeographic.it/scienza/2012/01/20/news/erano_padani_iprimi_abitanti_ditalia-807204|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190626220707/http://www.nationalgeographic.it/scienza/2012/01/20/news/erano_padani_iprimi_abitanti_ditalia-807204|archive-date=26 June 2019|access-date=11 March 2019|website=National Geographic}}</ref> Excavations throughout Italy revealed a ] presence in the Middle Palaeolithic period 200,000 years ago,<ref>Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers 2001, ch. 2. {{ISBN|0-3064-6463-2}}.</ref> while ] appeared about 40,000 years ago at ].<ref>42.7–41.5 ka (]).
{{Main|Prehistoric Italy|Ancient Rome}}
{{Cite journal|last=Douka|first=Katerina|display-authors=etal|year=2012|title=A new chronostratigraphic framework for the Upper Palaeolithic of Riparo Mochi (Italy)|journal=Journal of Human Evolution|volume=62|issue=2|pages=286–299|doi=10.1016/j.jhevol.2011.11.009|pmid=22189428|bibcode=2012JHumE..62..286D }}; {{Cite web|date=29 January 2010|title=Istituto Italiano di Preistoria e Protostoria|url=http://www.iipp.it|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131015231105/http://www.iipp.it|archive-date=15 October 2013|publisher=IIPP}}</ref>


The ] of pre-Roman Italy were ], specifically the ]. The main historic peoples of possible non-Indo-European or ] heritage include the ], the ] and ] of Sicily, and the prehistoric ], who gave birth to the ]. Other ancient populations include the ] and ], known for their ].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Rock Drawings in Valcamonica|url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/94|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100703183257/http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/94|archive-date=3 July 2010|access-date=29 June 2010|publisher=UNESCO World Heritage Centre}}</ref> A natural mummy, ], dated 3400–3100 BC, was discovered in the ] glacier in 1991.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Bonani|first1=Georges|last2=Ivy|first2=Susan D.|display-authors=etal|year=1994|title=AMS {{SimpleNuclide|Carbon|14}} Age Determination of Tissue, Bone and Grass Samples from the Ötzal Ice Man|url=http://digitalcommons.library.arizona.edu/objectviewer?o=http%3A%2F%2Fradiocarbon.library.arizona.edu%2FVolume36%2FNumber2%2Fazu_radiocarbon_v36_n2_247_250_v.pdf|url-status=live|journal=Radiocarbon|volume=36|issue=2|pages=247–250|doi=10.1017/s0033822200040534|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100720211402/https://digitalcommons.library.arizona.edu/objectviewer?o=http%3A%2F%2Fradiocarbon.library.arizona.edu%2FVolume36%2FNumber2%2Fazu_radiocarbon_v36_n2_247_250_v.pdf|archive-date=20 July 2010|access-date=4 February 2016|doi-access=free}}</ref>
] in Rome, ca. 70 - 80 CE.]]


The first colonisers were the ]ns, who established ]s on the coasts of Sicily and Sardinia. Some became small urban centers and developed parallel to ].<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Raclot|first1=Thierry|last2=Oudart|first2=Hugues|date=January 2000|title=CORPS GRAS ET OBESITE Acides gras alimentaires et obésité: aspects qualitatifs et quantitatifs|journal=Oléagineux, Corps gras, Lipides|volume=7|issue=1|pages=77–85|doi=10.1051/ocl.2000.0077|issn=1258-8210|doi-access=free}}</ref> During the 8th and 7th centuries, Greek colonies were established at ], eventually extending along the south of the Italian Peninsula and the coast of Sicily, an area later known as ].<ref>Emilio Peruzzi, ''Mycenaeans in early Latium'', (Incunabula Graeca 75), Edizioni dell'Ateneo & Bizzarri, Roma, 1980</ref> ], ] colonists, ]s, and the ] founded various cities. ] placed the ] in contact with democratic forms of government and high artistic and cultural expressions.<ref>{{Cite web|title=II 1987: Uomini e vicende di Magna Grecia |url=https://www.bpp.it/Apulia/html/archivio/1987/II/art/R87II015.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210204123345/https://www.bpp.it/Apulia/html/archivio/1987/II/art/R87II015.html|archive-date=4 February 2021|access-date=31 January 2021|website=bpp.it}}</ref>
Excavations throughout Italy reveal a modern human presence dating back to the ] period, some 200,000&nbsp;years ago.<ref>Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers 2001, ch. 2. ISBN 0306464632.</ref> In the 8th and 7th centuries BC ] were established all along the coast of ] and the southern part of the Italian Peninsula became known as ]. Ancient Rome was at first a small agricultural community founded circa the 8th century BC that grew over the course of the centuries into a colossal ] encompassing the whole ], in which ] and Roman cultures merged into one civilization. This civilization was so influential that parts of it survive in modern ], ], ] and ], forming the ground that ] is based upon. In steady decline since the 2nd century AD, the empire finally broke into two parts in 285 AD: the ] and the ] in the East. The western part under the pressure of ] finally dissolved, leaving the Italian peninsula divided into small independent kingdoms and feuding ]s for the next 14 centuries, and leaving the ] sole heir to the Roman legacy.


===Middle Ages=== === Ancient Rome ===
{{Main|Italy in the Middle Ages}} {{Main|Ancient Rome|Roman expansion in Italy|Roman Italy}}
{{Multiple image
| align = right
| direction = vertical
| width = 220
| image1 = Colosseo 2020.jpg
| caption1 = The ], one of the great works of architecture and engineering of ancient history
| image2 = Roman Empire Trajan 117AD.png|275
| caption2 = {{legend|#b23938|] in AD 117 at its greatest extent<ref>{{Cite book|last=Bennett, Julian|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qk_tofvS8EsC|title=Trajan: Optimus Princeps : a Life and Times|publisher=Routledge|year=1997|isbn=978-0-415-16524-2}}.</ref>}} {{legend|#d28989|]s}}
}}


Ancient Rome, a settlement on the river ] in central Italy, ] in 753 BC, was ruled for 244 years by a monarchical system. In 509 BC, the Romans, favouring a government of the Senate and the People (]), ] and established an oligarchic republic.
]. Clockwise, starting from the upper left: ], ], ], ].]]


The Italian Peninsula, named ''Italia'', was consolidated into a unified entity during Roman expansion, the conquest of new territories often at the expense of the ], ], ], and ]. A permanent association, with most of the local tribes and cities, was formed, and Rome began the conquest of Western Europe, North Africa, and the ]. In the wake of ]'s assassination in 44 BC, Rome grew into a massive empire stretching from ] to the borders of ], engulfing the whole Mediterranean basin, in which Greek, Roman, and other cultures merged into a powerful civilisation. The long reign of the first emperor, ], began an age of peace and prosperity. Roman Italy remained the ] of the empire, homeland of the Romans and territory of the capital.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Morcillo|first=Marta García|title=The Glory of Italy and Rome's Universal Destiny in Strabo's Geographika, in: A. Fear – P. Liddel (eds), Historiae Mundi. Studies in Universal History. Duckworth: London 2010: 87-101. |url=https://www.academia.edu/362374|url-status=live|journal=Historiae Mundi: Studies in Universal History|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220114073554/https://www.academia.edu/362374|archive-date=14 January 2022|access-date=20 November 2021}}; {{Cite book|last=Keaveney|first=Arthur|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ojoOAAAAQAAJ|title=Arthur Keaveney: ''Rome and the Unification of Italy''|date=January 1987|publisher=Croom Helm|isbn=978-0-7099-3121-8|access-date=20 November 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240211000835/https://books.google.com/books?id=ojoOAAAAQAAJ|archive-date=11 February 2024|url-status=live}}; {{Cite book|last=Billanovich|first=Giuseppe|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fVylk1KUS84C&dq=Italia+domina+provinciarum&pg=PR13|title=Libreria Universitaria Hoepli, Lezioni di filologia, Giuseppe Billanovich e Roberto Pesce: ''Corpus Iuris Civilis, Italia non erat provincia, sed domina provinciarum'', Feltrinelli, p.363|publisher=Roberto Pesce|year=2008|isbn=978-8-8965-4309-2|language=it|access-date=20 November 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240211000801/https://books.google.com/books?id=fVylk1KUS84C&dq=Italia+domina+provinciarum&pg=PR13#v=onepage&q=Italia%20domina%20provinciarum&f=false|archive-date=11 February 2024|url-status=live}}</ref>
In the 6th century the ] ] reconquered Italy from the ]. The invasion of a new wave of ], the ], doomed his attempt to resurrect the ] but the repercussions of Justinian's failure resounded further still. For the next 13 centuries, whilst new ]s arose in the lands north of the Alps, the Italian political landscape was a patchwork of feuding ]s, petty tyrannies, and foreign invaders.


As ] were being established throughout the Mediterranean, Italy maintained a special status which made it {{lang|la|] provinciarum}} ('ruler of the provinces'),<ref>{{Cite book|chapter-url=https://www.academia.edu/362374|chapter=The Glory of Italy and Rome's Universal Destiny in Strabo's Geographika|editor1=A. Fear|editor2=P. Liddel|title=Historiae Mundi. Studies in Universal History|publisher=Duckworth|location=London|year=2010|pages=87–101|access-date=20 November 2021|archive-date=14 January 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220114073554/https://www.academia.edu/362374|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ojoOAAAAQAAJ|title=Arthur Keaveney: ''Rome and the Unification of Italy''|isbn=9780709931218|access-date=20 November 2021|last1=Keaveney|first1=Arthur|date=January 1987|publisher=Croom Helm|archive-date=2 October 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241002210931/https://books.google.com/books?id=ojoOAAAAQAAJ|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fVylk1KUS84C&dq=Italia+domina+provinciarum&pg=PR13|title=Libreria Universitaria Hoepli, Lezioni di filologia, Giuseppe Billanovich e Roberto Pesce: ''Corpus Iuris Civilis, Italia non erat provincia, sed domina provinciarum'', Feltrinelli, p.363|isbn=9788896543092|access-date=20 November 2021|language=it|last1=Billanovich|first1=Giuseppe|year=2008|publisher=Roberto Pesce|archive-date=2 October 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241002210932/https://books.google.com/books?id=fVylk1KUS84C&dq=Italia+domina+provinciarum&pg=PR13#v=onepage&q=Italia%20domina%20provinciarum&f=false|url-status=live}}</ref> and—especially in relation to the ]—{{lang|la|rectrix mundi}} ('governor of the world')<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OXqfCgAAQBAJ&dq=Italia+roman+homeland&pg=PT375|title=Italy: the absolute center of the Republic and the Roman Empire|isbn=9780241003909|access-date=20 November 2021|last1=Bleicken|first1=Jochen|date=15 October 2015|publisher=Penguin UK|archive-date=2 October 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241002211034/https://books.google.com/books?id=OXqfCgAAQBAJ&dq=Italia+roman+homeland&pg=PT375#v=onepage&q=Italia%20roman%20homeland&f=false|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hb6OAQAAQBAJ&dq=Rectrix+mundi+omnium+terrarum+parens&pg=PA97|last=Morcillo|first=Martha García|chapter=The Roman Italy: ''Rectrix Mundi'' and ''Omnium Terrarum Parens''|editor1=A. Fear|editor2=P. Liddel|title=Historiae Mundi. Studies in Universal History|location=London|year=2010|publisher=Bloomsbury|isbn=9781472519801|access-date=20 November 2021|archive-date=2 October 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241002210933/https://books.google.com/books?id=hb6OAQAAQBAJ&dq=Rectrix+mundi+omnium+terrarum+parens&pg=PA97#v=onepage&q=Rectrix%20mundi%20omnium%20terrarum%20parens&f=false|url-status=live}}</ref> and {{lang|la|omnium terrarum parens}} ('parent of all lands').<ref>{{Cite book|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=hb6OAQAAQBAJ&dq=Rectrix+mundi+omnium+terrarum+parens&pg=PA97|title= Altri nomi e appellativi relazionati allo status dell'Italia in epoca romana|date= 20 November 2013|publisher= Bloomsbury|isbn= 9781472519801|access-date= 20 November 2021|language= it|archive-date= 2 October 2024|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20241002210933/https://books.google.com/books?id=hb6OAQAAQBAJ&dq=Rectrix+mundi+omnium+terrarum+parens&pg=PA97#v=onepage&q=Rectrix%20mundi%20omnium%20terrarum%20parens&f=false|url-status= live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.abebooks.it/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=22910180903&searchurl=sortby%3D20%26tn%3Ditalia%2Bomnium%2Bterrarum%2Bparens&cm_sp=snippet-_-srp1-_-title1|title=Antico appellativo dell'Italia romana: ''Italia Omnium Terrarum Parens''|access-date=20 November 2021|language=it|archive-date=9 September 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240909021454/https://www.abebooks.it/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=22910180903&searchurl=sortby%3D20%26tn%3Ditalia%2Bomnium%2Bterrarum%2Bparens&cm_sp=snippet-_-srp1-_-title1|url-status=live}}</ref>
It was during this vacuum of authority that the region saw the rise of the ] and the ]. In the anarchic conditions that often prevailed in medieval Italian city-states, people looked to strong men to restore order and disarm the feuding elites. Italy during this period was also characterized by its merchant ]. These city-states, ] in reality, had a dominant merchant class which under relative ] nurtured academic and artistic advancement. The four classic ] in Italy were ], ], ] and ]. Venice and Genoa were Europe's gateways to trade with the East, with the former producer of the renowned ]. Florence was the capital of ], ], banks and ]. The Maritime Republics were heavily involved in the ], taking advantage of the new political and trading opportunities, most evidently in the conquest of ] and ] funded by Venice.


The Roman Empire was among the largest in history, wielding great economical, cultural, political, and military power. At its greatest extent, it had an area of {{Convert|5|e6km2|abbr=off}}.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Taagepera|first=Rein|author-link=Rein Taagepera|year=1979|title=Size and Duration of Empires: Growth-Decline Curves, 600 B.C. to 600 A.D|journal=Social Science History|volume=3|issue=3/4|pages=115–138|doi=10.2307/1170959|jstor=1170959}}; {{Cite journal|last1=Turchin|first1=Peter|last2=Adams|first2=Jonathan M.|last3=Hall|first3=Thomas D|year=2006|title=East–West Orientation of Historical Empires|url=http://peterturchin.com/PDF/Turchin_Adams_Hall_2006.pdf|url-status=live|journal=Journal of World-Systems Research|volume=12|issue=2|page=222|doi=10.5195/JWSR.2006.369|issn=1076-156X|archive-url=http://arquivo.pt/wayback/20160517210851/http://peterturchin.com/PDF/Turchin_Adams_Hall_2006.pdf|archive-date=17 May 2016|access-date=6 February 2016|doi-access=free}}</ref> The Roman ] has deeply influenced Western civilisation shaping the modern world. The widespread use of ] derived from Latin, ], modern Western alphabet and calendar, and the emergence of Christianity as a world religion, are among the many legacies of Roman dominance.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Richard|first=Carl J.|title=Why we're all Romans: the Roman contribution to the western world|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield|year=2010|isbn=978-0-7425-6779-5|edition=1st pbk.|location=Lanham, MD|pages=xi–xv}}</ref>
===Renaissance (15-16th century)===
{{Main|Italian Renaissance}}


=== Middle Ages ===
]'' by ].]]
{{Main|Italy in the Middle Ages}}
After the ], Italy fell under the ], and was seized by the ].<ref>{{Cite book|last=Sarris|first=Peter|title=Empires of faith: the fall of Rome to the rise of Islam, 500–700|publisher=Oxford UP|year=2011|isbn=978-0-1992-6126-0|edition=1st. pub.|location=Oxford|page=118}}</ref> Invasions resulted in a chaotic succession of kingdoms and the supposed "]". The invasion of another ] in the 6th century, the Lombards, reduced Byzantine presence and ended political unity of the peninsula. The north formed the Lombard kingdom, central-south was also controlled by the Lombards, and other parts remained Byzantine.<ref>{{Cite web|title=History of Italy|url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Italy/Lombards-and-Byzantines|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220929150112/https://www.britannica.com/place/Italy/Lombards-and-Byzantines|archive-date=29 September 2022|access-date=29 September 2022|website=Encyclopædia Britannica}}</ref>
], 13th-century explorer]]


The Lombard kingdom was absorbed into ] by ] in the late 8th century and became the Kingdom of Italy.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Carolingian and post-Carolingian Italy, 774–962|url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Italy/Carolingian-and-post-Carolingian-Italy-774-962|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221007160553/https://www.britannica.com/place/Italy/Carolingian-and-post-Carolingian-Italy-774-962|archive-date=7 October 2022|access-date=7 October 2022|website=Encyclopædia Britannica}}</ref> The Franks helped form the ]. Until the 13th century, politics was dominated by relations between the ]s and the Papacy, with city-states siding with the former (]) or with the latter (]) for momentary advantage.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Nolan|first=Cathal J.|title=The age of wars of religion, 1000–1650: an encyclopedia of global warfare and civilization |publisher=Greenwood Press|year=2006|isbn=978-0-3133-3045-2|edition=1. publ.|location=Westport (Connecticut)|page=360}}</ref> The Germanic emperor and Roman pontiff became the ]s of medieval Europe. However, conflict over the ] and between Guelphs and Ghibellines ended the imperial-feudal system in the north, where cities gained independence.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Jones|first=Philip|author-link=Philip Jones (historian)|title=The Italian city-state: from Commune to Signoria|publisher=Clarendon Press|year=1997|isbn=978-0-1982-2585-0|location=Oxford|pages=55–77}}</ref> In 1176, the ] of city-states, defeated Holy Roman Emperor ], ensuring their independence.
The ] ] in 1348 left its mark on Italy by killing one third of the population.<ref>Stéphane Barry and Norbert Gualde, "The Biggest Epidemics of History" (La plus grande épidémie de l'histoire, in L'Histoire n°310, June 2006, pp.45–46</ref><ref>"". Brown.edu.</ref> However, the recovery from the disaster of the Black Death led to a resurgence of cities, trade and economy which greatly stimulated the successive phase of the ] and ], that best known for its cultural achievements. Accounts of ] usually begin with ] (best known for the elegantly polished vernacular ] sequence of the '']'' and for the craze for book collecting that he initiated) and his friend and contemporary ] (author of the ]). Famous vernacular poets of the 15th century include the renaissance epic authors ] (]), ] (]), and ] (]). Fifteenth century writers such as the poet ] and the Platonist philosopher ] made extensive translations from both Latin and Greek. In the early 16th century, ] ('']'') laid out his vision of the ideal gentleman and lady, while ] cast a jaundiced eye on "''la verita effetuale delle cose''"{{mdash}}the actual truth of things{{mdash}}in '']'', composed, humanist style, chiefly of parallel ancient and modern examples of ]. ] exercised a dominant influence on subsequent European painting (see ]) for centuries afterwards, with artists such as ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], and ]. The same is true for ], as practiced by ], ], ], and ]. Their works include ], ] in Rome, and the ] in Rimini (to name a only a few, not to mention many splended private residences: see ]). Finally, the Aldine Press, founded by the printer ], active in Venice, developed ] and the small, relatively portable and inexpensive printed book that could be carried in one's pocket, as well as being the first to publish editions of books in Ancient Greek.


City-states—e.g. ], Florence, ]—played a crucially innovative role in financial development by devising banking practices, and enabling new forms of social organisation.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Niall|first=Ferguson|title=The Ascent of Money: The Financial History of the World|publisher=Penguin|year=2008}}</ref> In coastal and southern areas, maritime republics dominated the Mediterranean and monopolised trade to the Orient. They were independent ] city-states, in which merchants had considerable power. Although oligarchical, the relative political freedom they afforded was conducive to academic and artistic advancement.<ref name="Lane">{{Cite book|last=Lane|first=Frederic C.|title=Venice, a maritime republic|publisher=Johns Hopkins University Press|year=1991|isbn=978-0-8018-1460-0|edition=4. print.|location=Baltimore|page=73}}</ref> The best-known maritime republics were Venice, ], ], and ].<ref>G. Benvenuti – Le Repubbliche Marinare. Amalfi, Pisa, Genova, Venezia – Newton & Compton editori, Roma 1989; Armando Lodolini, ''Le repubbliche del mare'', Biblioteca di storia patria, 1967, Roma. {{Cite book|last=Peris|first=Persi|title=Conoscere l'Italia|publisher=Istituto Geografico De Agostini|year=1982|pages=74}}; {{Cite web|title=Repubbliche Marinare|url=http://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/repubbliche-marinare|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190829104758/http://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/repubbliche-marinare|archive-date=29 August 2019|access-date=13 September 2019|website=Treccani.it|publisher=Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana|language=it}}; {{Cite web|title=Repubbliche marinare|url=https://thes.bncf.firenze.sbn.it/termine.php?id=29771|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200101131949/https://thes.bncf.firenze.sbn.it/termine.php?id=29771|archive-date=1 January 2020|access-date=13 September 2019|website=thes.bncf.firenze.sbn.it|publisher=]|language=it}}</ref> Each had dominion over overseas lands, islands, lands on the Adriatic, Aegean, and Black seas, and commercial colonies in the Near East and North Africa.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Zorzi|first=Alvise|author-link=Alvise Zorzi|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IP5OAAAAMAAJ&q=%22even+in+countries+where+aid+is+near+at+hand+%22+%22attack+from+the+sea%22|title=Venice: The Golden Age, 697 – 1797 |publisher=Abbeville Press|year=1983|isbn=0-8965-9406-8|location=New York|page=255|access-date=16 September 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230202182132/https://books.google.com/books?id=IP5OAAAAMAAJ&q=%22even+in+countries+where+aid+is+near+at+hand+%22+%22attack+from+the+sea%22|archive-date=2 February 2023|url-status=live}}</ref>
===Foreign domination and Napoleon Wars (17th–19th centuries)===


{{Multiple image
{{Main|History of Italy (1559–1814)}}
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| image1 = Naval Jack of Italy.svg
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| alt2 = Map
| footer = Left: flag of the ]. Clockwise, from upper left: the coat of arms of ], ], ] and ].<br/>Right: trade routes, colonies of the ] and ].
}}


Venice and Genoa were Europe's gateways to the East, and producers of fine glass, while Florence was a centre of silk, wool, banking, and jewellery. The wealth generated meant large public and private artistic projects could be commissioned. The republics participated in the ], providing support, transport, but mostly taking political and trading opportunities.<ref name=Lane/> Italy first felt the economic changes which led to the ]: Venice was able to ] and finance ]'s voyages to Asia; the first universities were formed in Italian cities, and scholars such as ] obtained international fame; capitalism and banking families emerged in Florence, where ] and ] were active around 1300.<ref name="See"/> In the south, Sicily had become an ] in the 9th century, thriving until the ] conquered it in the late 11th century, together with most of the Lombard and Byzantine principalities of southern Italy.<ref>{{cite book |last=Ali |first=Ahmed Essa with Othman |title=Studies in Islamic civilization: the Muslim contribution to the Renaissance |year=2010 |publisher=International Institute of Islamic Thought |location=Herndon, VA |isbn=978-1-56564-350-5 |pages=38–40}}</ref> The region was subsequently divided between the ] and ].{{efn|Kingdom of Naples is used by historians, but not by its rulers, who kept the original 'Kingdom of Sicily' (i.e., there existed two Kingdoms of Sicily).}}<ref>Eleni Sakellariou, ''Southern Italy in the Late Middle Ages: Demographic, Institutional and Economic Change in the Kingdom of Naples, c.1440–c.1530'' (Brill, 2012), pp. 63–64.</ref> The ] of 1348 killed perhaps a third of Italy's population.<ref>Stéphane Barry and Norbert Gualde, "The Biggest Epidemics of History" (La plus grande épidémie de l'histoire), in ''L'Histoire'' n° 310, June 2006, pp. 45–46; "". Brown University. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090831003435/http://www.brown.edu/Departments/Italian_Studies/dweb/plague/effects/death_toll.shtml|date=31 August 2009}}</ref>
].]]


=== Early modern period ===
The history of Italy in the ] was characterized by foreign domination: following the ] (1494 to 1559), Italy saw a long period of relative peace, first under ] (1559 to 1713) and then under ] (1713 to 1796).
{{Main|Italian Renaissance|History of early modern Italy}}
] before the ] in 1494]]


During the 1400s and 1500s, Italy was the birthplace and heart of the ]. This era marked the transition from the medieval period to the modern age and was fostered by the wealth accumulated by merchant cities and the patronage of dominant families.<ref name="strathern">Strathern, Paul ''The Medici: Godfathers of the Renaissance'' (2003)</ref> Italian polities were now regional states effectively ruled by princes, in control of trade and administration, and their courts became centres of the arts and sciences. These princedoms were led by political dynasties and merchant families, such as the ] of Florence. After the end of the ], newly elected ] returned to the ] and restored Italy as the sole centre of Western Christianity. The ] was made the credit institution of the Papacy, and significant ties were established between the Church and new political dynasties.<ref name="strathern"/><ref> {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110511133416/http://www.florentine-society.ru/Medici_Chapel_Mysteries.htm|date=11 May 2011}}. {{ISBN|5-8505-0825-2}}</ref>
The ] repeatedly returned to haunt Italy throughout the 14th to 17th centuries. The plague of 1575–77 claimed some 50,000 victims in ].<ref>, Texas Department of State Health Services</ref> In the first half of the 17th century a plague claimed some 1,730,000 victims, or about 14% of Italy’s population.<ref>Karl Julius Beloch, ''Bevölkerungsgeschichte Italiens'', volume 3, pp. 359–360.</ref> The ] occurred from 1629 through 1631 in northern Italy, with the cities of ] and ] experiencing particularly high death rates. In 1656 the plague killed about half of ]' 300,000 inhabitants.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://faculty.ed.umuc.edu/~jmatthew/naples/goldenage.htm |title=Naples in the 1600s |publisher=Faculty.ed.umuc.edu |date= |accessdate=2008-11-03}}</ref>
], quintessential ], in a self-portrait ({{circa}} 1512)]]


In 1453, despite activity by ] to support the Byzantines, the city of ] fell to the ]. This led to the migration of ] and texts to Italy, fuelling the rediscovery of Greek ].<ref>Encyclopædia Britannica, ''Renaissance'', 2008, O.Ed.; Har, Michael H. ''History of Libraries in the Western World'', Scarecrow Press Incorporate, 1999, {{ISBN|0-8108-3724-2}}; Norwich, John Julius, ''A Short History of Byzantium'', 1997, Knopf, {{ISBN|0-6794-5088-2}}</ref> Humanist rulers such as ] and ] worked to establish ], founding ] and ]. ] wrote the '']'', considered the manifesto of the Renaissance. In the arts, the Italian Renaissance exercised a dominant influence on European art for centuries, with artists such as ], ], ], ], ], ], and ], and architects such as ], ], and ]. Italian ] and navigators from the maritime republics, eager to find an alternative route to the Indies to bypass the Ottomans, offered their services to monarchs of Atlantic countries and played a key role in ushering the ] and colonization of the Americas. The most notable were: ], who opened the Americas for conquest by Europeans;<ref>Encyclopædia Britannica, 1993 ed., Vol. 16, pp. 605ff / Morison, ''Christopher Columbus'', 1955 ed., pp. 14ff</ref> ], the first European to explore North America since the ];<ref>{{Cite web|year=2007|title=''Catholic Encyclopedia'' "John & Sebastian Cabot"|url=http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/03126d.htm|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200518005335/https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/03126d.htm|archive-date=18 May 2020|access-date=17 May 2008|publisher=newadvent}}</ref> and ], for whom the continent of ] is named.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Eric Martone|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MHJ1DQAAQBAJ&pg=PA109|title=Italian Americans: The History and Culture of a People|publisher=ABC-CLIO|year=2016|isbn=978-1-6106-9995-2|page=504|access-date=22 November 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240211001055/https://books.google.com/books?id=MHJ1DQAAQBAJ&pg=PA109|archive-date=11 February 2024|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Greene|first=George Washington|author-link=George Washington Greene|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1qsuAAAAYAAJ&pg=PAPA13|title=The Life and Voyages of Verrazzano|publisher=Folsom, Wells, and Thurston|year=1837|location=Cambridge University|page=13|access-date=18 August 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240211000806/https://books.google.com/books?id=1qsuAAAAYAAJ&pg=PAPA13#v=onepage&q&f=false|archive-date=11 February 2024|url-status=live|via=Google Books}}</ref>
During the ], the northern part of the country was invaded and reorganized as anew ], that was a ] of the ] from 1796 to 1814, while the southern half of the peninsula was administered by ], Napoleon's brother in law, that was crowned as ]. The ] (1814) restored the situation of the late 18th century, which was however quickly overturned by the incipient movement of ].


A defensive alliance known as the ] was formed between Venice, Naples, Florence, Milan, and the Papacy. ] was the Renaissance's greatest patron, his support allowed the League to ] by the Turks. The alliance, however, collapsed in the 1490s; the invasion of ] initiated a series of wars in the peninsula. During the ], popes such as ] (1503–1513) fought for control of Italy against foreign monarchs; ] (1534–1549) preferred to mediate between the European powers to secure peace. In the middle of such conflicts, the Medici popes ] (1513–1521) and ] (1523–1534) faced the ] in Germany, England and elsewhere.
===Italian unification and Liberal Italy (1861-1922) ===
{{Main|Italian unification|Italy in World War I}}


In 1559, at the end of the ] between France and the Habsburgs, about half of Italy (the southern Kingdoms of ], ], ], and the ]) was under Spanish rule, while the other half remained independent (many states continued to be formally part of the Holy Roman Empire). The Papacy launched the ], whose key events include: the ] (1545–1563); adoption of the ]; the ]; the ]; end of the ] (1618–1648); and the ]. The Italian economy declined in the 1600s and 1700s.
] and ].]]


], the first ] adopted by a sovereign Italian state (1797)]]
The creation of the ] was the result of efforts by Italian nationalists and monarchists loyal to the ] to establish a united kingdom encompassing the entire ]. In the context of the ] that swept through Europe, an unsuccessful ] on ]. ] led the Italian republican drive for unification in southern Italy,<ref>(Mack Smith, Denis (1997). ''Modern Italy; A Political History''. Ann Arbor: The University of Michigan Press. ISBN 0472108956, p. 15.</ref> while the northern Italian monarchy of the ] whose government was led by ], had the ambition of establishing a united Italian state under its rule. The kingdom successfully challenged the ] in the ] with the help of ], liberating the ]. It established ] as capital of the newly formed state. In 1865 the capital was moved to ].
During the ] (1700–1714), Austria acquired most of the Spanish domains in Italy, namely Milan, Naples and Sardinia; the latter was given to the House of Savoy in exchange for Sicily in 1720. Later, a branch of the Bourbons ascended to the throne of Sicily and Naples. During the ], north and central Italy were reorganised as ] of France and, later, as a ].<ref>Napoleon Bonaparte, "The Economy of the Empire in Italy: Instructions from Napoleon to Eugène, Viceroy of Italy", ''Exploring the European Past: Texts & Images'', Second Edition, ed. Timothy E. Gregory (Mason: Thomson, 2007), 65–66.</ref> The south was administered by ], Napoleon's brother-in-law. 1814's ] restored the situation of the late 18th century, but the ideals of the ] could not be eradicated, and re-surfaced during the ]s that characterised the early 19th century. The first adoption of the ] by an Italian state, the ], occurred during ], following the French Revolution, which advocated national ].<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Maiorino|first1=Tarquinio|title=Il tricolore degli italiani. Storia avventurosa della nostra bandiera|last2=Marchetti Tricamo|first2=Giuseppe|last3=Zagami|first3=Andrea|publisher=Arnoldo Mondadori Editore|year=2002|isbn=978-8-8045-0946-2|page=156|language=it}}; .Getting to Know Italy, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (retrieved 5 October 2008) {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080223131121/http://www.esteri.it/MAE/EN/Benvenuti_in_Italia/Conoscere_Italia/bandieraInno.htm|date=23 February 2008}}</ref> This event is celebrated by ].<ref>Article 1 of the law n. 671 of 31 December 1996 ("National celebration of the bicentenary of the first national flag")</ref>


=== Unification ===
In 1866, ] aligned the kingdom with ] during the ], waging the ] which allowed Italy to annex Venice. In 1870, as France during the disastrous ] abandoned its positions in Rome, Italy rushed to fill the power gap by taking over the ] from French sovereignty. ].]] Italian unification finally was achieved, and shortly afterwards Italy's capital was moved from ] to Rome. Whilst keeping the monarchy, the government became a parliamentary system, dominated by the ].
{{Main|Unification of Italy}}
The ] was the result of efforts of Italian nationalists and monarchists loyal to the ] to establish a united kingdom encompassing the entire ]. By the mid-19th century, rising ] led to revolution.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Risorgimento in 'Dizionario di Storia'|url=https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/risorgimento_(Dizionario-di-Storia)|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220922035556/https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/risorgimento_(Dizionario-di-Storia)|archive-date=22 September 2022|access-date=22 September 2022|website=treccani.it|language=it-IT}}</ref> Following the ] in 1815, the political and social Italian unification movement, or ], emerged to unite Italy by consolidating the states and liberating them from foreign control. A radical figure was the patriotic journalist ], founder of the political movement ] in the 1830s, who favoured a unitary republic and advocated a broad nationalist movement. 1847 saw the first public performance of "]", which became the national anthem in 1946.<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Maiorino|first1=Tarquinio|last2=Marchetti Tricamo|first2=Giuseppe|last3=Zagami|first3=Andrea|title=Il tricolore degli italiani. Storia avventurosa della nostra bandiera|year=2002|publisher=Arnoldo Mondadori Editore|language=it|isbn=978-8-8045-0946-2|page=18}}; {{Cite web|title=Fratelli d'Italia|url=https://www.quirinale.it/page/inno|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230426052752/https://www.quirinale.it/page/inno|archive-date=26 April 2023|access-date=1 October 2021|language=it}}</ref>
{{Multiple image
| align = right
| image1 = Giuseppe Mazzini.jpg
| width1 = 173
| image2 = Giuseppe Garibaldi 1861.jpg
| width2 = 138
| footer = ] (left), highly influential leader of the Italian revolutionary movement; and ] (right), celebrated as one of the greatest generals of modern times<ref name="scholar and patriot">{{cite web |url={{Google books|iWK7AAAAIAAJ |page=PA133 |keywords=Garibaldi+one+of+the+greatest+generals+of+modern+time |text= |plainurl=yes}}|title=Scholar and Patriot|publisher=Manchester University Press|via=Google Books}}</ref> and as the "Hero of the Two Worlds" because of his military enterprises in South America and Europe,<ref>{{Cite web|title=Giuseppe Garibaldi (Italian revolutionary)|url=https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/225978/Giuseppe-Garibaldi|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140226091529/https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/225978/Giuseppe-Garibaldi|archive-date=26 February 2014|access-date=6 March 2014}}</ref> who fought in many military campaigns that led to ]
}}


The most famous member of Young Italy was the revolutionary and general ]<ref>Denis Mack Smith, ''Modern Italy: A Political History'', (University of Michigan Press, 1997) p. 15. A literary echo may be found in the character of Giorgio Viola in Joseph Conrad's '']''.</ref> who led the republican drive for unification in southern Italy. However, the Italian monarchy of the House of Savoy, in the ], whose government was led by ], also had ambitions of establishing a united Italian state. In the context of the ] that swept Europe, an unsuccessful ] was declared against ]. In 1855, Sardinia became an ally of Britain and France in the ].<ref>Enrico Dal Lago, "Lincoln, Cavour, and National Unification: American Republicanism and Italian Liberal Nationalism in Comparative Perspective". ''The Journal of the Civil War Era'' 3#1 (2013): 85–113.; William L. Langer, ed., ''An Encyclopedia of World Cup History''. 4th ed. 1968. pp 704–7.</ref> Sardinia fought the Austrian Empire in the ] of 1859, with the aid of France, resulting in liberating ]. On the basis of the ], the Sardinia ceded ] and ] to France, an event that caused the ].<ref>{{Cite web|date=28 August 2017|title="Un nizzardo su quattro prese la via dell'esilio" in seguito all'unità d'Italia, dice lo scrittore Casalino Pierluigi|url=https://www.montecarlonews.it/2017/08/28/notizie/argomenti/altre-notizie-1/articolo/un-nizzardo-su-quattro-prese-la-via-dellesilio-in-seguito-allunita-ditalia-dice-lo-scrittore.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200219165302/http://www.montecarlonews.it/2017/08/28/notizie/argomenti/altre-notizie-1/articolo/un-nizzardo-su-quattro-prese-la-via-dellesilio-in-seguito-allunita-ditalia-dice-lo-scrittore.html|archive-date=19 February 2020|access-date=14 May 2021|language=it}}</ref>
As ] became ] and ], ] and rural areas of the north remained under-developed and stagnant, forcing millions of people to migrate to the emerging ] or abroad. The Sardinian ] of 1848, extended to the whole ] in 1861, provided for basic freedoms, but the electoral laws excluded the non-propertied and uneducated classes from voting. In 1913, male universal suffrage was adopted. The ] increased in strength, challenging the traditional liberal and conservative organisations. The highest point of ] was reached in 1913, when 872,598 persons left Italy.<ref>{{cite journal
|last = Monticelli
|first = Giuseppe Lucrezio
|title = Italian Emigration: Basic Characteristic and Trends with Special Reference to the Last Twenty Years.
|journal = International Migration Review
|volume = 1
|issue = 3, Special issue, The Italian Experience in Emigration
|pages = 10–24
|date = Summer, 1967
|id= ISSN 01979183
|doi = 10.2307/3002737
|url = http://jstor.org/stable/3002737
|publisher = The Center for Migration Studies of New York, Inc.
}}</ref>


In 1860–1861, Garibaldi led the drive for unification in Naples and Sicily.<ref>Mack Smith, Denis (1997). ''Modern Italy; A Political History''. Ann Arbor: The University of Michigan Press. {{ISBN|0-4721-0895-6}}.</ref> ] was the site of a famous meeting between Garibaldi and ], the last king of Sardinia, during which Garibaldi shook Victor Emanuel's hand and hailed him as ]. Cavour agreed to include Garibaldi's southern Italy in a union with the Kingdom of Sardinia in 1860. This allowed the Sardinian government to ] on 17 March 1861,<ref>{{Cite news|date=17 March 2017|title=Everything you need to know about March 17th, Italy's Unity Day|url=https://www.thelocal.it/20170317/everything-to-know-about-march-17th-italys-unity-unification-risorgimento-day|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170617212538/https://www.thelocal.it/20170317/everything-to-know-about-march-17th-italys-unity-unification-risorgimento-day|archive-date=17 June 2017|access-date=17 July 2017}}</ref> with Victor Emmanuel II as its first king. In 1865, the kingdom's capital was moved from Turin to Florence. In 1866, Victor Emmanuel II, allied with ] during the ], waged the ], which resulted in Italy annexing ]. Finally, in 1870, as France abandoned Rome during the ], the Italians ], unification was completed, and the capital moved to Rome.<ref name="scholar and patriot"/>
Starting from the last two decades of the 19th century, Italy developed into a colonial power by forcing ], ] and later ] and the ] under its rule.<ref>(Bosworth (2005), pp. 49.)</ref> During ], Italy at first stayed neutral but in 1915 signed the ], entering ] on the promise of receiving ], ], ], ] and parts of ]. During the war, more than 650,000 Italian soldiers died{{Ref|Mortara|20,28-29}}, and the economy collapsed. Under the ], Italy obtained just a few border territories, in a victory described as "mutilated" by the nationalists.


=== Fascist Italy (1922-1945) === === Liberal period ===
{{Main|Kingdom of Italy|Italian diaspora|Italian Empire|Military history of Italy during World War I}}
{{Multiple image
| align = left
| image1 = VictorEmmanuel2.jpg
| width1 = 125
| image2 = Tuminello, Lodovico (1824-1907) - Cavour cropped.jpg
| width2 = 141
| footer = ] (left) and ] (right), leading figures in unification, became respectively the first King and prime minister of unified Italy.
}}


Sardinia's constitution was extended to all of Italy in 1861, and provided basic freedoms for the new state; but electoral laws excluded the non-propertied classes. The new kingdom was governed by a parliamentary constitutional monarchy dominated by liberals. As northern Italy quickly industrialised, southern and northern rural areas remained underdeveloped and overpopulated, forcing millions to migrate and fuelling a ]. The ] increased in strength, challenging the traditional liberal and conservative establishment. In the last two decades of the 19th century, Italy developed into a ] by subjugating ], ], ], and ] in Africa.<ref>(Bosworth (2005), p. 49.)</ref> In 1913, male universal suffrage was adopted. The pre-] period was dominated by ], prime minister five times between 1892 and 1921.
{{Main|Italian Fascism|Italy in World War II}}
] is a ]. It is the largest war memorial in Italy and one of the largest in the world.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.rai.it/ufficiostampa/assets/template/us-articolo.html?ssiPath=/articoli/2021/10/Redipuglia-Il-sacrario-della-Grande-Guerra-c1dc61c5-9a1c-44c8-b203-9d16d943d7ec-ssi.html#:~:text=Il%20sacrario%20militare%20di%20Redipuglia,caduti%20durante%20la%20Grande%20Guerra.|title=Redipuglia. Il sacrario della Grande Guerra|language=it|access-date=23 June 2024|archive-date=25 June 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240625213329/https://www.rai.it/ufficiostampa/assets/template/us-articolo.html?ssiPath=/articoli/2021/10/Redipuglia-Il-sacrario-della-Grande-Guerra-c1dc61c5-9a1c-44c8-b203-9d16d943d7ec-ssi.html#:~:text=Il%20sacrario%20militare%20di%20Redipuglia,caduti%20durante%20la%20Grande%20Guerra.|url-status=live}}</ref>]]


] in 1915 with the aim of completing national unity, so it is also considered the Fourth Italian War of Independence,<ref>{{Cite web|date=6 March 2015|title=Il 1861 e le quattro Guerre per l'Indipendenza (1848–1918) |url=http://www.piacenzaprimogenita150.it/index.php?it%2F176%2Fil-1861-e-le-quattro-guerre-per-lindipendenza-1848-1918|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220319075828/http://www.piacenzaprimogenita150.it/index.php?it%2F176%2Fil-1861-e-le-quattro-guerre-per-lindipendenza-1848-1918|archive-date=19 March 2022|access-date=12 March 2021|language=it}}</ref> from a historiographical perspective, as the conclusion of the ].<ref>{{Cite web|title=La Grande Guerra nei manifesti italiani dell'epoca|url=http://www.beniculturali.it/mibac/export/MiBAC/sito-MiBAC/Contenuti/MibacUnif/Eventi/visualizza_asset.html_1239896580.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923183754/http://www.beniculturali.it/mibac/export/MiBAC/sito-MiBAC/Contenuti/MibacUnif/Eventi/visualizza_asset.html_1239896580.html|archive-date=23 September 2015|access-date=12 March 2021|language=it}}; {{Cite book|last=Genovesi|first=Piergiovanni|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_LntMIUOXngC&q=%22quarta+guerra+d%27indipendenza%22&pg=PA41|title=Il Manuale di Storia in Italia, di Piergiovanni Genovesi|date=11 June 2009|publisher=FrancoAngeli|isbn=978-8-8568-1868-0|language=it|access-date=12 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240116110143/https://books.google.com/books?id=_LntMIUOXngC&q=%22quarta+guerra+d%27indipendenza%22&pg=PA41#v=snippet&q=%22quarta%20guerra%20d'indipendenza%22&f=false|archive-date=16 January 2024|url-status=live}}</ref> Italy, nominally allied with ] and the ] empires in the ], in 1915 joined the ], entering World War I with a ] of substantial territorial gains that included west ], the former ], and ], as well as parts of the ]. The country's contribution to the Allied victory earned it a place as one of the "]" powers. Reorganisation of the army and conscription led to Italian victories. In October 1918, the Italians launched a massive offensive, culminating in victory at the ].<ref>Burgwyn, H. James: ''Italian foreign policy in the interwar period, 1918–1940.'' Greenwood Publishing Group, 1997. p. 4.
] in 1940.]]
{{ISBN|0-2759-4877-3}}; Schindler, John R.: ''Isonzo: The Forgotten Sacrifice of the Great War.'' Greenwood Publishing Group, 2001. p. 303.
{{ISBN|0-2759-7204-6}}; Mack Smith, Denis: ''Mussolini.'' Knopf, 1982. p. 31. {{ISBN|0-3945-0694-4}}</ref> This marked the end of war on the Italian Front, secured dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and was instrumental in ] the war less than two weeks later.


During the war, more than 650,000 Italian soldiers and as many civilians died,<ref>{{Cite book|last=Mortara|first=G|title=La Salute pubblica in Italia durante e dopo la Guerra|publisher=Yale University Press|year=1925|location=New Haven}}</ref> and the kingdom was on the brink of bankruptcy. The ] (1919) and ] (1920) allowed for annexation of ], the ], ], the ], and the Dalmatian city of ]. The subsequent ] (1924) led to annexation of ] by Italy. Italy did not receive other territories promised by the Treaty of London, so this outcome was denounced as a "]", by ], which helped lead to the ]. Historians regard "mutilated victory" as a "political myth", used by fascists to fuel ].<ref>G.Sabbatucci, ''La vittoria mutilata'', in AA.VV., ''Miti e storia dell'Italia unita'', Il Mulino, Bologna 1999, pp.101–106</ref> Italy gained a permanent seat in the ]'s executive council.
The turbulence that followed the devastation of World War I, inspired by the ], led to turmoil and anarchy. The liberal establishment, fearing a ] revolution, started to endorse the small ], led by ]. In October 1922 the fascists attempted a ] (the ''Marcia su Roma'', "]"), supported by king ]. Over the next few years, Mussolini banned all political parties and curtailed personal liberties, thus forming a dictatorship. In 1935, Mussolini invaded ], resulting in an international alienation and leading to Italy's withdrawal from the ]. Consequently, Italy allied with ] and ] and strongly supported Franco in the ]. In 1939, Italy occupied ], a ''de facto'' protectorate for decades, and entered ] in 1940 on the side of the ]. Mussolini, wanting a quick victory like Hitler's ]s in Poland and France, invaded ] in October 1940 but was forced to accept a humiliating stalemate after a few months. At the same time, Italy, after initially conquering ] and parts of ], saw an allied counter-attack lead to the loss of all possessions in the ] and in ].


=== Fascist regime and World War II ===
Italy was then ] in July 1943, leading to the collapse of the Fascist regime and the fall of Mussolini. In September 1943, Italy ]. The country remained a ], as the allies were moving up from the south as the north was the base for loyalist Italian fascist and German Nazi forces, fought also by the ]. The Nazis left the country on 25 April 1945 and the remaining Italian fascist forces eventually disbanded. Nearly half a million Italians (including civilians) died in the conflict,<ref>"". Encyclopædia Britannica.</ref> and the Italian economy had been all but destroyed; per capita income in 1944 was at its lowest point since the beginning of the 20th century.<ref>Adrian Lyttelton (editor), ''"Liberal and fascist Italy, 1900-1945"'', Oxford University Press, 2002. pp. 13</ref>
{{Main|Fascist Italy|Military history of Italy during World War II|Italian Civil War|Italian campaign (World War II)}}
] titled himself '']'' and ruled the country from 1922 to 1943.]]


The ] that followed the devastation of the Great War, inspired by the ], led to counter-revolution and repression throughout Italy. The liberal establishment, fearing a Soviet-style revolution, started to endorse the small ], led by Mussolini. In October 1922, the ] of the National Fascist Party organised a ] and the "]" ]. King ] appointed Mussolini as prime minister, transferring power to the fascists without armed conflict.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Lyttelton|first=Adrian|title=The Seizure of Power: Fascism in Italy, 1919–1929 |date=2008|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-0-4155-5394-0|location=New York|pages=75–77}}; {{Cite news|title=March on Rome {{!}} Italian history|url=https://www.britannica.com/event/March-on-Rome|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150504055509/http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/508871/March-on-Rome|archive-date=4 May 2015|access-date=25 July 2017|work=Encyclopædia Britannica}}</ref> Mussolini banned political parties and curtailed personal liberties, establishing a dictatorship. These actions attracted international attention and inspired similar dictatorships in ] and ].
===Italian Republic (1946–present)===
{{Main|History of the Italian Republic}}
] parading in ] after the liberation of the city in 1945.]]


] was based upon Italian nationalism and imperialism, seeking to expand Italian possessions via irredentist claims based on the legacy of the Roman and Venetian empires.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Rodogno|first=Davide|author-link=Davide Rodogno|title=Fascism's European Empire: Italian Occupation during the Second World War|date=2006|publisher=Cambridge University Press|location=Cambridge, England|page=88}}; {{Cite book|last=Kallis|first=Aristotle A.|title=Fascist ideology: territory and expansionism in Italy and Germany, 1922–1945 |date=2000|publisher=Routledge|location=London, England; New York City, USA|pages=41}}; {{Cite book|last1=Ball|first1=Terence|title=The Cambridge History of Twentieth-Century Political Thought|last2=Bellamy|first2=Richard|pages=133}}; {{Cite book|last=Stephen J. Lee|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=u-mm5UDlzBEC&pg=PA157|title=European Dictatorships, 1918–1945 |date=2008|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-0-4154-5484-1|pages=157–158|access-date=8 February 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240211001320/https://books.google.com/books?id=u-mm5UDlzBEC&pg=PA157#v=onepage&q&f=false|archive-date=11 February 2024|url-status=live}}</ref> For this reason the fascists engaged in ]. In 1935, Mussolini ] and founded ], resulting in international isolation and leading to Italy's withdrawal from the ]. Italy then ] and the ], and strongly supported ] in the ]. In 1939, Italy ].
In 1946, ]'s son, ], was forced to abdicate. ] after a ] held on 2 June 1946, a day celebrated since as ]. This was also the first time in Italy that Italian women were entitled to vote.<ref>{{it icon}} </ref> The Republican Constitution was approved and came into force on 1 January 1948. Under the ] of 1947, the eastern border area was lost to ], and, later, the free territory of ] was divided between the two states.


Italy entered World War II on 10 June 1940. At different times, Italians advanced in ], ], the ], and eastern fronts. They were, however, ] as well as in the ] and ] campaigns, losing their territories in Africa and the Balkans. ] included ]s and ]<ref>James H. Burgwyn (2004). {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130921054155/http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/routledg/rmis/2004/00000009/00000003/art00005|date=21 September 2013}}, Journal of Modern Italian Studies, Volume 9, Number 3, pp. 314–329(16)</ref> by deportation of about 25,000 people—mainly Yugoslavs—to ] and elsewhere. ] perpetrated their own crimes against the ethnic Italian population during and after the war, including the ]. An ] began in July 1943, leading to the ] on 25 July. Mussolini was deposed and arrested by order of King Victor Emmanuel III. On 8 September, Italy signed the ], ending its war with the Allies. The Germans, with the assistance of Italian fascists, succeeded in taking control of north and central Italy. The country remained a battlefield, with the Allies moving up from the south.
Fears in the Italian electorate of a possible ] takeover proved crucial for the first universal suffrage electoral outcome on the 18th of April 1948 when the ], under the leadership of ], won the election with 48 percent of the vote.
] in Milan during the final insurrection leading to the ] in April 1945]]
In the 1950s Italy became a member of ] and allied itself with the United States. The ] helped revive the Italian economy which, until the 1960s, enjoyed a period of sustained economic growth commonly called the "Economic Miracle". In 1957, Italy was a founder member of the ] (EEC), which became the ] (EU) in 1993.


In the north, the Germans set up the ] (RSI), a Nazi ] and ] regime with Mussolini installed as leader after he was ] by German paratroopers. What remained of the Italian troops was organised into the ], which fought alongside the Allies, while other Italian forces, loyal to Mussolini, opted to fight alongside the Germans in the ]. German troops, with RSI collaboration, committed massacres and deported thousands of Jews to death camps. The post-armistice period saw the emergence of the ], who fought a guerrilla war against the ] and collaborators.<ref>G. Bianchi, ''La Resistenza'', in: AA.VV., ''Storia d'Italia'', vol. 8, pp. 368-369.</ref> This has been described as an Italian civil war due to fighting between partisans and fascist RSI forces.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Storia della guerra civile in Italia|url=http://www.istitutobiggini.it/storia_pisano.pdf|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221013183444/https://www.istitutobiggini.it/storia_pisano.pdf|archive-date=13 October 2022|access-date=28 August 2023}}; See the books from Italian historian ] ''Storia della guerra civile in Italia'', 1943–1945, 3 voll., Milano, FPE, 1965 and the book ''L'Italia della guerra civile'' ("Italy of civil war"), published in 1983 by the Italian writer and journalist ] as the fifteen volume of the ''Storia d'Italia'' ("History of Italy") by the same author.</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Pavone|first=Claudio|title=Una guerra civile. Saggio storico sulla moralità della Resistenza|date=1991|publisher=Bollati Boringhieri|isbn=8-8339-0629-9|location=Torino|page=238|language=it}}</ref> In April 1945, with defeat looming, Mussolini attempted to escape north,<ref>{{Citation|last=Viganò|first=Marino|title=Un'analisi accurata della presunta fuga in Svizzera|date=2001|work=Nuova Storia Contemporanea|volume=3|language=it}}</ref> but was captured and ] by partisans.<ref>{{Cite news|date=28 April 1945|title=1945: Italian partisans kill Mussolini |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/april/28/newsid_3564000/3564529.stm|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111126075555/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/april/28/newsid_3564000/3564529.stm|archive-date=26 November 2011|access-date=17 October 2011|publisher=BBC News}}</ref>
From the late 1960s till late 1980s the country experienced a hard economic crisis and the ], a period characterized by widespread social conflicts and terrorist acts carried out by extra-parliamentary movements. The Years of Lead culminated in the assassination of the ] leader ] in 1978, bringing to an end the "]" between the DC and the ]. In the 1980s, for the first time since 1945, two governments were led by non-Christian-Democrat premiers: a republican (]) and a socialist (]); the Christian Democrats remained, however, the main force supporting the government. The ] (PSI), led by ], became more and more critical of the Communists and of the ]; Craxi himself pushed in favour of US president ]'s positioning of ] missiles in Italy, a move the Communists hotly contested.


Hostilities ended on 29 April 1945, ]. Nearly half a million Italians died in the conflict,<ref>{{Cite encyclopedia|title=Italy – Britannica Online Encyclopedia|encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica|url=https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/297474/Italy|access-date=2 August 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120306095718/https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/297474/Italy|archive-date=6 March 2012|url-status=live}}</ref> society was divided, and the economy all but destroyed—per capita income in 1944 was at its lowest point since 1900.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Liberal and fascist Italy, 1900–1945 |date=2002|publisher=Oxford University Press|editor-last=Lyttelton|editor-first=Adrian|page=13}}</ref> The aftermath left Italy angry with the monarchy for its endorsement of the Fascist regime, contributing to a revival of Italian republicanism.<ref>{{Cite encyclopedia|title=Italia|encyclopedia=Dizionario enciclopedico italiano|publisher=]|date=1970|volume=VI|page=456|language=it}}</ref>
] signing ceremony.]]


=== Republican era ===
From 1992 to 1994, Italy faced significant challenges, as voters, disenchanted with past political paralysis, massive government debt and an extensive corruption system (collectively called ] after being uncovered by the ']' investigation ), demanded political, economic, and ethical reforms. The scandals involved all major parties, but especially those in the government coalition: between 1992 and 1994 the ] underwent a severe crisis and was dissolved, splitting up into several pieces, while also the ] and the other governing minor parties also dissolved. The Communists reorganized as a ] force.
{{Main|History of the Italian Republic}}
Italy became a republic after the ]<ref>{{Cite AV media|url=https://archive.org/details/1946-06-06_Damage_Foreshadows_A-Bomb_Test|title=Damage Foreshadows A-Bomb Test, 1946/06/06 (1946) |publisher=]|year=1946|access-date=22 February 2012}}</ref> held on 2 June, a day celebrated since as '']''. This was the first time women voted nationally.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Italia 1946: le donne al voto, dossier a cura di Mariachiara Fugazza e Silvia Cassamagnaghi |url=http://www.insmli.it/pubblicazioni/35/Voto%20donne%20versione%20def.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110520041048/http://www.insmli.it/pubblicazioni/35/Voto%20donne%20versione%20def.pdf|archive-date=20 May 2011|access-date=30 May 2011}}; {{Cite news|title=La prima volta in cui le donne votarono in Italia, 75 anni fa|url=https://www.ilpost.it/2021/03/10/primo-voto-italia-donne-10-marzo-1946|access-date=24 August 2021|work=Il Post|date=10 March 2021|language=it-IT|archive-date=23 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210823162103/https://www.ilpost.it/2021/03/10/primo-voto-italia-donne-10-marzo-1946|url-status=live}}</ref> Victor Emmanuel III's son, ], was forced to abdicate. The ] was approved in 1948. Under the ], areas next to the ] were annexed by ], resulting in the ], which involved the emigration of around 300,000 ] and ].<ref>{{Cite web|last=Tobagi|first=Benedetta|title=La Repubblica italiana &#124; Treccani, il portale del sapere|url=http://www.treccani.it/scuola/lezioni/storia/la_repubblica_italiana.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305001726/http://www.treccani.it/scuola/lezioni/storia/la_repubblica_italiana.html|archive-date=5 March 2016|access-date=28 January 2015|publisher=Treccani.it}}</ref> Italy lost all colonial possessions, ending the ].
], ] republican ] and one of the ]]]


Fears of a Communist takeover proved crucial in ], when the ], under ], won a landslide victory.<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Lawrence S. Kaplan|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UV-ti1sYcbcC|title=NATO 1948: The Birth of the Transatlantic Alliance |last2=Morris Honick|date=2007|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield|isbn=978-0-7425-3917-4|pages=52–55|access-date=5 January 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240116110143/https://books.google.com/books?id=UV-ti1sYcbcC|archive-date=16 January 2024|url-status=live}}; {{Cite book|author=Robert Ventresca|title=From Fascism to Democracy: Culture and Politics in the Italian Election of 1948 |publisher=University of Toronto Press|date=2004|pages=236–37}}</ref> Consequently, in 1949 Italy became a member of ]. The ] revived the economy, which, until the late 1960s, enjoyed a period called the ]. In the 1950s, Italy became a founding country of the ], a forerunner of the European Union. From the late 1960s until the early 1980s, the country experienced the '']'', characterised by economic difficulties, especially after the ]; social conflicts; and terrorist massacres.<ref>{{Cite web|year=1995|title=Commissione parlamentare d'inchiesta sul terrorismo in Italia e sulle cause della mancata individuazione dei responsabili delle stragi (Parliamentary investigative commission on terrorism in Italy and the failure to identify the perpetrators)|url=http://www.isn.ethz.ch/php/documents/collection_gladio/report_ital_senate.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060819211212/http://www.isn.ethz.ch/php/documents/collection_gladio/report_ital_senate.pdf <!-- Bot retrieved archive -->|archive-date=19 August 2006|access-date=2 May 2006|language=it}}; {{In lang|en|it|fr|de}} {{Cite web|title=Secret Warfare: Operation Gladio and NATO's Stay-Behind Armies|url=http://www.isn.ethz.ch/php/collections/coll_gladio.htm#Documents|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060425182721/http://www.isn.ethz.ch/php/collections/coll_gladio.htm|archive-date=25 April 2006|access-date=2 May 2006|publisher=Swiss Federal Institute of Technology / International Relation and Security Network}}; {{Cite web|date=24 June 2000|title=Clarion: Philip Willan, Guardian, 24 June 2000, p. 19 |url=http://www.cambridgeclarion.org/press_cuttings/us.terrorism_graun_24jun2000.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100329113138/http://www.cambridgeclarion.org/press_cuttings/us.terrorism_graun_24jun2000.html|archive-date=29 March 2010|access-date=24 April 2010|publisher=Cambridgeclarion.org}}</ref>
The 1994 elections put media magnate ] into the Prime Minister's seat. However, he was forced to step down in December of that year when the '']'' Party withdrew its support. In April 1996, national elections led to the victory of a centre-left coalition under the leadership of ]. Prodi's first government became the third-longest to stay in power before he narrowly lost a vote of confidence, by three votes, in October 1998. A new government was formed by ], but in April 2000 he resigned.


The economy recovered and Italy became the world's fifth-largest industrial nation after it gained entry into the ] in the 1970s. However, national debt skyrocketed past 100% of GDP. Between 1992 and 1993, Italy faced terror attacks perpetrated by the ] as a consequence of new anti-mafia measures by the government.<ref>{{Cite web|date=8 March 2012|title=New Arrests for Via D'Amelio Bomb Attack|url=https://www.corriere.it/International/english/articoli/2012/03/08/borsellino.shtml|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121013204755/http://www.corriere.it/International/english/articoli/2012/03/08/borsellino.shtml|archive-date=13 October 2012|access-date=9 February 2019|website=Corriere della Sera}}</ref> Voters—disenchanted with political paralysis, massive public debt and extensive corruption uncovered by the ] investigation—demanded radical reform. The Christian Democrats, who had ruled for almost 50 years, underwent a crisis and disbanded, splitting into factions.<ref>The so-called "Second Republic" was born by forceps: not with a revolt of Algiers, but formally under the same Constitution, with the mere replacement of one ruling class by another: {{Cite journal|last=Buonomo|first=Giampiero|year=2015|title=Tovaglie pulite|journal=Mondoperaio Edizione Online}}</ref> The Communists reorganised as a ] force. During the 1990s and 2000s, ] (dominated by media magnate ]) and ] coalitions (led by professor ]) alternately governed.
In 2001, ] led to the victory of a centre-right coalition under the leadership of ], who became prime minister once again. Mr. Berlusconi was able to remain in power for a complete five-year mandate, but with two different governments. The first one (2001–2005) became the longest-lived government in post-war Italy. Under that government, Italy joined the ]. The ] were won by the centre-left, allowing Prodi to form his second government, but in early 2008 he resigned after losing a confidence vote in Parliament. Mr. Berlusconi won the ensuing ] to form a government for a third time.


In 2011, amidst the ], Berlusconi ] and was replaced by the technocratic cabinet of ].<ref>{{Cite news|last=Hooper|first=John|date=16 November 2011|title=Mario Monti appoints technocrats to steer Italy out of economic crisis|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/nov/16/mario-monti-technocratic-cabinet-italy|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200319230844/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/nov/16/mario-monti-technocratic-cabinet-italy|archive-date=19 March 2020|access-date=19 March 2020|work=The Guardian}}</ref> In 2014, ] became ] and the government started constitutional reform. This was rejected in a 2016 ] and ] became prime minister.<ref>{{Cite news|date=12 December 2016|title=New Italian PM Paolo Gentiloni sworn in|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-38295549|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191129122857/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-38295549|archive-date=29 November 2019|access-date=19 March 2020|publisher=BBC News}}</ref>
==Geography==
{{Main|Geography of Italy}}
{{See also|List of Italian regions by area}}


During the ] of the 2010s, Italy was the entry point and leading destination for most asylum seekers entering the EU. Between 2013 and 2018, it took in over 700,000 migrants,<ref>{{Cite news|date=21 May 2018|title=What will Italy's new government mean for migrants?|url=https://www.thelocal.it/20180521/what-will-italys-new-government-mean-for-migrants|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190401231010/https://www.thelocal.it/20180521/what-will-italys-new-government-mean-for-migrants|archive-date=1 April 2019|access-date=8 June 2018|work=The Local Italy}}</ref> mainly from sub-Saharan Africa,<ref>{{Cite news|date=18 July 2017|title=African migrants fear for future as Italy struggles with surge in arrivals|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-italy-migrants-africa/african-migrants-fear-for-future-as-italy-struggles-with-surge-in-arrivals-idUSKBN1A30QD|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190402002627/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-italy-migrants-africa/african-migrants-fear-for-future-as-italy-struggles-with-surge-in-arrivals-idUSKBN1A30QD|archive-date=2 April 2019|access-date=8 June 2018|work=Reuters}}</ref> which put a strain on the public purse and led to a surge in support for far-right or euro-sceptic parties.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Italy starts to show the strains of migrant influx|url=http://www.thelocal.it/20150519/migrant-surge-tests-italys-humanitarian-instincts|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170429061446/https://www.thelocal.it/20150519/migrant-surge-tests-italys-humanitarian-instincts|archive-date=29 April 2017|access-date=10 January 2017|work=]}}; {{Cite news|title=Italy's far right jolts back from dead|url=http://www.politico.eu/article/italys-other-matteo-salvini-northern-league-politicians-media-effettosalvini|access-date=10 January 2017|work=Politico|date=3 February 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170119122156/http://www.politico.eu/article/italys-other-matteo-salvini-northern-league-politicians-media-effettosalvini|archive-date=19 January 2017}}</ref> After the ], ] became prime minister of a ].<ref>{{Cite news|date=24 May 2018|title=Opinion – The Populists Take Rome|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/24/opinion/populists-rome-five-star-movement.html|url-access=subscription|url-status=live|archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220103/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/24/opinion/populists-rome-five-star-movement.html|archive-date=3 January 2022|access-date=2 June 2018|work=The New York Times}}{{Cbignore}}</ref>
===Topography===
{{See also|Glaciers of Italy|List of lakes in Italy|List of rivers of Italy|List of valleys of Italy|List of islands of Italy}}


With almost 200,000 victims, Italy was one of the countries with the most deaths in the ]<ref>{{Cite news|last=Ellyatt|first=Holly|date=19 March 2020|title=Italy's lockdown will be extended, prime minister says as death toll spikes and hospitals struggle|url=https://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/19/italys-death-rate-reaches-record-high-hospitals-in-lombardy-struggle.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200319084719/https://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/19/italys-death-rate-reaches-record-high-hospitals-in-lombardy-struggle.html|archive-date=19 March 2020|access-date=19 March 2020|publisher=CNBC}}</ref> and one of the most affected ].<ref> {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200527124958/https://www.agi.it/economia/news/2020-04-14/coronavirus-fmi-crisi-economica-8331041|date=27 May 2020}}, AGI</ref> In February 2021, after a ], Conte resigned. ], former president of the ], formed a ] supported by most main parties,<ref>{{Cite news|date=12 February 2021|title=Mario Draghi sworn in as Italy's new prime minister|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-56049115|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220319075829/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-56049115|archive-date=19 March 2022|access-date=13 February 2021}}</ref> pledging to implement an economic stimulus to face the crisis caused by the pandemic.<ref>{{Cite web|date=12 February 2021|title=Mario Draghi's new government to be sworn in on Saturday|url=http://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/feb/12/mario-draghis-new-italian-government-to-be-sworn-in-on-saturday|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210419104552/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/feb/12/mario-draghis-new-italian-government-to-be-sworn-in-on-saturday|archive-date=19 April 2021|access-date=19 February 2021|website=The Guardian}}</ref> In 2022, ] was sworn in as Italy's first female prime minister.<ref>{{Cite news|date=21 October 2022|title=Who is Giorgia Meloni? The rise to power of Italy's new far-right PM|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-63351655|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221024023546/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-63351655|archive-date=24 October 2022|access-date=24 October 2022|publisher=BBC News}}</ref>
Italy is located in ] and comprises the boot-shaped ] and a number of islands including the two largest, ] and ].

Although the country occupies the Italian peninsula and most of the southern Alpine basin, some of Italy's territory extends beyond the Alpine basin and some islands are located outside the ]n continental shelf. These territories are the ''comuni'' of: ], ], ], ] (in part), ], ], ] (in part), which are all part of the ], while the ] constitutes part of the ]'s basin and the island ] is on the African ].
== Geography ==
] image of Italy.]]
{{Main|Geography of Italy}}
The country's total area is 301,230&nbsp;km², of which 294,020&nbsp;km² is land and 7,210&nbsp;km² is water.
{{Further|Geology of Italy|Volcanism of Italy|List of rivers of Italy|List of lakes of Italy|List of islands of Italy|Italy (geographical region)}}
]


Italy, whose territory largely coincides with the ],<ref name="Treccani"/> is located in Southern Europe (and is also considered part of Western Europe<ref name="DGACM"/>) between latitudes ] and ], and longitudes ] and ]. To the north, from west to east, Italy borders France, Switzerland, Austria, and Slovenia, and is roughly delimited by the ], enclosing the ] and the ]. It consists of the entirety of the ], Sicily and Sardinia (the ] of the Mediterranean), and ]. Some of Italy's territory extends beyond the Alpine basin, and some islands are located outside the ]n continental shelf.
Including the islands, Italy has a coastline and border of 7,600&nbsp;km on the ], ], ] seas (740&nbsp;km), and borders shared with France (488&nbsp;km), Austria (430&nbsp;km), ] (232&nbsp;km) and Switzerland; ] (39&nbsp;km) and ] (3.2&nbsp;km), both enclaves, account for the remainder.


The country's area is {{Convert|301230|km2|0|abbr=out}}, of which {{Convert|294020|km2|0|abbr=on}} is land and {{Convert|7210|km2|0|abbr=on}} is water.<ref name="Area">{{Cite web|date=30 October 2014|title=Principali dimensioni geostatistiche e grado di urbanizzazione del Paese|url=https://www.istat.it/it/archivio/137001|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141117054950/https://www.istat.it/it/archivio/137001|archive-date=17 November 2014|access-date=22 March 2019|website=istat.it}}</ref> Including the islands, Italy has a coastline of {{Convert|7600|km|0|abbr=off}} on the ], the ] and ] seas,<ref>{{Cite encyclopedia|title=Tyrrhenian Sea|encyclopedia=]|publisher=Cambridge University Press|url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Tyrrhenian-Sea|access-date=18 July 2017|editor-last=Chisholm|editor-first=Hugh|editor-link=Hugh Chisholm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180711020502/https://www.britannica.com/place/Tyrrhenian-Sea|archive-date=11 July 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> the ],<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://iho.int/uploads/user/pubs/standards/s-23/S-23_Ed3_1953_EN.pdf|title=Limits of Oceans and Seas|publisher=]|year=1953|edition=3rd|access-date=28 December 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111008191433/http://www.iho.int/iho_pubs/standard/S-23/S-23_Ed3_1953_EN.pdf|archive-date=8 October 2011|issue=28}}</ref> and the ].{{Sfn|Cushman-Roisin|Gačić|Poulain|2001|pp=1–2}} Its border with France runs for {{Convert|488|km|0|abbr=on}}; Switzerland, {{Convert|740|km|0|abbr=on}}; Austria, {{Convert|430|km|0|abbr=on}}; and Slovenia, {{Convert|232|km|0|abbr=on}}. The sovereign states of ] and ] (the smallest country in the world and headquarters of the worldwide ] under the governance of the ]) are ] within Italy,<ref>{{Cite encyclopedia|year=2012|title=San Marino|encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica|url=https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/521449/San-Marino|access-date=1 March 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110511180105/http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/521449/San-Marino|archive-date=11 May 2011|url-status=live}}; {{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-17994868|title=Vatican country profile|year=2018|publisher=BBC News|access-date=24 August 2018|archive-date=25 August 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180825011001/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-17994868|url-status=live}}</ref> while ] is an Italian ] in Switzerland.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Democracy in Figures|url=http://demo.istat.it/index_e.php|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210126215040/http://demo.istat.it/index_e.php|archive-date=26 January 2021|access-date=28 May 2021|website=]}}</ref> The border with San Marino is {{Convert|39|km|0|abbr=on}} long, that with Vatican City, {{Convert|3.2|km|1|abbr=on}}.<ref name=Area/>
The ] form the peninsula's backbone, the Alps form its northern boundary. The ], Italy's longest river, flows from the Alps on the western border with France and crosses the ] on its way to the Adriatic Sea.
The five largest lakes are, in order of diminishing size:<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.iii.to.cnr.it/limnol/cicloac/lagit.htm|title=Morphometric and hydrological characteristics of some important Italian lakes|publisher=Istituto per lo Studio degli Ecosistemi|accessdate=3 March 2010|location=Largo Tonolli 50, 28922 Verbania Pallanza }}</ref>


] (''Monte Bianco'') in ], the highest point in the European Union]]
*] ({{convert|367.94|km2|sqmi|0|abbr=on|disp=s}})
Over 35% of Italian territory is mountainous.<ref name="eug92">{{Cite book|last=Riganti|first=dir. da Alberto|title=Enciclopedia universale Garzanti.|publisher=Garzanti|year=1991|isbn=8-8115-0459-7|edition=Nuova ed. aggiornata e ampliata.|location=Milano}}</ref> The ] form the peninsula's backbone, and the Alps form most of its northern boundary, where Italy's highest point is located on the summit of ] (''Monte Bianco'') at {{Cvt|4810|m|ft}}. Other well-known mountains include the ] (''Monte Cervino'') in the western Alps, and the ] in the eastern Alps. Many parts of ]. Most small islands and archipelagos in the south are ]s. There are active volcanoes: ] in Sicily (the largest in Europe), ], ], and ].
*] ({{convert|212.51|km2|sqmi|0|abbr=on|disp=s}})
*] ({{convert|145.9|km2|sqmi|0|abbr=on|disp=s}})
*] ({{convert|124.29|km2|sqmi|0|abbr=on|disp=s}})
*] ({{convert|113.55|km2|sqmi|0|abbr=on|disp=s}})


Most ] drain into the Adriatic or Tyrrhenian Sea.<ref>{{Cite web|title=List of Italian rivers|url=http://www.comuni-italiani.it/fiumi|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170916010640/http://www.comuni-italiani.it/fiumi|archive-date=16 September 2017|access-date=30 July 2018|publisher=comuni-italiani.it}}</ref> The longest is the ], which flows from the Alps on the western border, and crosses the ] to the Adriatic.<ref>{{Cite magazine|last=Zwingle|first=Erla|date=May 2002|title=Italy's Po River Punished for centuries by destructive floods, northern Italians stubbornly embrace their nation's longest river, which nurtures rice fields, vineyards, fisheries—and legends|url=http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0205/feature6|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071223133709/http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0205/feature6|archive-date=23 December 2007|access-date=6 April 2009|magazine=National Geographic}}</ref> The Po Valley is the largest plain, with {{Convert|46000|km2|abbr=on}}, and contains over 70% of the country's ].<ref name=eug92/> The largest lakes are, in descending size: ] ({{Convert|367.94|km2|sqmi|0|abbr=on|disp=or}}), ] ({{Convert|212.51|km2|sqmi|0|abbr=on|disp=or}}), and ] ({{Convert|145.9|km2|sqmi|0|abbr=on|disp=or}}).<ref>{{Cite web|title=Morphometric and hydrological characteristics of some important Italian lakes|url=http://www.iii.to.cnr.it/limnol/cicloac/lagit.htm|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100205043503/http://www.iii.to.cnr.it/limnol/cicloac/lagit.htm|archive-date=5 February 2010|access-date=3 March 2010|publisher=Istituto per lo Studio degli Ecosistemi|location=Verbania Pallanza}}</ref>
The country is situated at the meeting point of the Eurasian Plate and the African Plate, leading to considerable seismic and ]. There are ], three of which are active: ] (the traditional site of ]’s smithy), ] and ]. Vesuvius is the only active volcano in mainland Europe and is most famous for the destruction of ] and ]. Several islands and hills have been created by volcanic activity, and there is still a large active ], the ] north-west of Naples.


===Climate=== === Climate ===
{{Main|Climate of Italy}} {{Main|Climate of Italy}}
] map of Italy<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Beck|first1=Hylke E.|last2=Zimmermann|first2=Niklaus E.|last3=McVicar|first3=Tim R.|last4=Vergopolan|first4=Noemi|last5=Berg|first5=Alexis|last6=Wood|first6=Eric F.|author-link6=Eric Franklin Wood|date=30 October 2018|title=Present and future Köppen-Geiger climate classification maps at 1-km resolution|journal=Scientific Data|volume=5|page=180214|bibcode=2018NatSD...580214B|doi=10.1038/sdata.2018.214|pmc=6207062|pmid=30375988}}</ref>]]
The climate of Italy is highly diverse and can be far from the stereotypical ], depending on location. Most of the inland northern regions of Italy, for example ], ] and ], have a ] (] Cfa). The coastal areas of ] and most of the peninsula south of ] generally fit the Mediterranean stereotype (] Csa). Conditions on peninsular coastal areas can be very different from the interior's higher ground and valleys, particularly during the winter months when the higher altitudes tend to be cold, wet, and often snowy. The coastal regions have mild winters and warm and generally dry summers, although lowland valleys can be quite hot in summer.


The climate is influenced by the seas that surround Italy on every side except the north, which constitute a reservoir of heat and humidity. Within the southern temperate zone, they determine a Mediterranean climate with local differences.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Che cosa significa clima temperato e cosa significa clima continentale|url=https://www.ideegreen.it/cosa-significa-clima-temperato-cosa-significa-clima-continentale-141457.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220308180036/https://www.ideegreen.it/cosa-significa-clima-temperato-cosa-significa-clima-continentale-141457.html|archive-date=8 March 2022|access-date=8 March 2022|language=it}}</ref> Because of the length of the peninsula and the mostly mountainous hinterland, the climate is highly diverse. In most inland northern and central regions, the climate ranges from ] to ] and ]. The Po Valley is mostly humid subtropical, with cool winters and hot summers.<ref>Adriana Rigutti, ''Meteorologia'', Giunti, p. 95, 2009.; Thomas A. Blair, ''Climatology: General and Regional'', Prentice Hall pp. 131–132</ref> The coastal areas of ], Tuscany, and most of the south generally fit the Mediterranean climate stereotype, as in the ].
==Environment==
{{See also|List of national parks of Italy|List of regional parks of Italy}}
], in the ].]]
After its quick industrial growth, Italy took a long time to confront its environmental problems. After several improvements, it now ranks 84th in the world for ecological sustainability.<ref name="ReferenceC">{{cite web|url=http://dev.prenhall.com/divisions/hss/worldreference/IT/environment.html |title=Italy - Environment |publisher=Dev.prenhall.com |accessdate=2010-08-02}}</ref> and the Italian ]s cover about five percent of the country<ref>{{cite web|title=National Parks in Italy|publisher=Parks.it|date=1995-2010|url=http://www.parks.it/indice/NatParks.html|accessdate=15 March 2010}}</ref> In the last decade, Italy also became one of the world's largest producers of ], ranking as the world’s fifht largest ] producer in 2009.<ref name="REN21">{{citeweb|url=http://www.ren21.net/globalstatusreport/REN21_GSR_2010_full.pdf|title=Renewables 2010 Global Status Report|author=]|publisher=]|date=2010-07-15|accessdate=2010-07-16}}</ref><ref name="BaroPhoto2010"></ref> and the sixth largest producer of ] in 2008<ref name="gwec"> Global Wind Energy Council 6.2.2008</ref>


Conditions on the coast are different from those in the interior, particularly during winter when the higher altitudes tend to be cold, wet, and often snowy. The coastal regions have mild winters, and hot and generally dry summers; lowland valleys are hot in summer. Winter temperatures vary from {{Convert|0|C}} in the Alps to {{Convert|12|C}} in Sicily; so, average summer temperatures range from {{Convert|20|C}} to over {{Convert|25|C}}. Winters can vary widely with lingering cold, foggy, and snowy periods in the north, and milder, sunnier conditions in the south. Summers are hot across the country, except at high altitude, particularly in the south. Northern and central areas can experience strong thunderstorms from spring to autumn.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Climate Atlas of Italy|url=http://clima.meteoam.it/atlanteClimatico.php?ling=eng|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121114223307/http://clima.meteoam.it/atlanteClimatico.php?ling=eng|archive-date=14 November 2012|access-date=30 September 2012|publisher=Network of the Air Force Meteorological Service}}</ref>
However, ] is still a severe problem, especially in the industrialised north, reaching the tenth worldwide highest level of industrial carbon dioxide emissions in the 1990s.<ref name="Encyclopedia of the Nations">{{cite web|url=http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/Europe/Italy-ENVIRONMENT.html|title=Italy - Environment |publisher=Encyclopedia of the Nations|accessdate=7 April 2010}}</ref> Italy is the twelfth largest ] producer.<ref>United Nations Statistics Division, Millennium Development Goals indicators: (collected by CDIAC)</ref><ref>Human-produced, direct emissions of carbon dioxide only. Excludes other greenhouse gases; land-use, land-use-change and forestry (LULUCF); and natural background flows of {{CO2}} (See also: ])</ref>
Extensive traffic and congestion in the largest metropolitan areas continue to cause severe environmental and health issues, even if ] levels have decreased dramatically since the 1970s and 80s, and the presence of smog is becoming an increasingly rarer phenomenon and levels of ] are decreasing.<ref>{{Dead link|date=August 2010}}</ref>


=== Biodiversity ===
Many watercourses and coastal stretches have also been contaminated by industrial and agricultural activity, while due to rising water levels ] has been regularly flooded throughout recent years. Waste from industrial activity is not always disposed of by legal means and has led to permanent health effects on inhabitants of affected areas, as in the case of the ]. The country has also operated several nuclear reactors between 1963–1990 but, after the ] and a ] the nuclear program was terminated, a decision that was overturned by the government in 2008. A deal was signed with France in 2009 for the construction of up to four new nuclear plants. Deforestation, illegal building developments and poor land management policies have led to significant erosion all over Italy's mountainous regions, leading to major ecological disasters like the 1963 ] flood, the 1998 ]<ref name="Sicily mudslide leaves scores dead">{{cite news|author=Nick Squires|url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/italy/6255575/Sicily-mudslide-leaves-scores-dead.html#|title=Sicily mudslide leaves scores dead|date=2 October 2009|accessdate=2 October 2009|publisher=The Daily Telegraph|location=London}}</ref> and 2009 ] ]s.
{{Main|Fauna of Italy|Flora of Italy}}
{{Further|Italian garden}}
Italy's varied geography, including the ], ], central Italian woodlands, and southern Italian ] and ], contribute to habitat diversity. As the peninsula is in the centre of the Mediterranean, forming a corridor between Central Europe and North Africa, and having {{Cvt|8,000|km}} of coastline, Italy has received species from the ], Eurasia, and the Middle East. Italy has probably the highest level of ]l ] in Europe, with over 57,000 species recorded, representing more than a third of all European fauna,<ref>{{Cite web|title=Italy's Fifth National Report to the Convention on Biological Diversity|url=http://www.minambiente.it/sites/default/files/archivio/allegati/biodiversita/italian_fifth_report_cbd.pdf|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150518094031/http://www.minambiente.it/sites/default/files/archivio/allegati/biodiversita/italian_fifth_report_cbd.pdf|archive-date=18 May 2015|access-date=17 May 2015|publisher=Italian Ministry for the Environment, Land and Sea|page=7}}</ref> and the highest level of biodiversity of animal and plant species within the EU.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Italy – Main Details|url=https://www.cbd.int/countries/profile/?country=it|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120512013114/http://www.cbd.int/countries/profile.shtml?country=it|archive-date=12 May 2012|access-date=10 September 2023|publisher=Convention on Biological Diversity}}</ref>


], the national animal of Italy]]
==Government and politics==
The ] includes 4,777 ] animal species,<ref>{{Cite web|title=Checklist E Distribuzione Della Fauna Italiana|url=https://faunaitalia.it/documents/CKmap_ITA.pdf|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230109172951/https://faunaitalia.it/documents/CKmap_ITA.pdf|archive-date=9 January 2023|access-date=10 March 2022|page=29|language=it}}</ref> which include the ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], and ]. There are 119 ],<ref>{{Cite web|title=Mammiferi d'Italia – Ministero della Transizione Ecologica|url=https://www.mite.gov.it/sites/default/files/archivio/biblioteca/qcn_14.pdf|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220529064555/https://www.mite.gov.it/sites/default/files/archivio/biblioteca/qcn_14.pdf|archive-date=29 May 2022|access-date=11 March 2022|page=7|language=it}}</ref> 550 ],<ref>{{Cite web|title=Uccelli|url=https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/uccelli|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220311153732/https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/uccelli|archive-date=11 March 2022|access-date=11 March 2022|language=it}}</ref> 69 ],<ref>{{Cite web|last1=Peter Uetz|last2=Jakob Hallermann|last3=Jiri Hosek|title=Distribution: italy|url=https://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/advanced_search?location=italy&submit=Search|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230109172951/https://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/advanced_search?location=italy&submit=Search|archive-date=9 January 2023|access-date=22 June 2021|website=The Reptile Database}}</ref> 39 ],<ref>{{Cite web|title=Quali sono gli anfibi autoctoni?|url=http://www.legambienteanimalhelp.it/anfibi-autoctoni|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220319075835/http://www.legambienteanimalhelp.it/anfibi-autoctoni|archive-date=19 March 2022|access-date=11 March 2022|language=it}}</ref> 623 fish species,<ref>{{Cite web|title=All fishes reported from Italy|url=http://www.fishbase.us/country/CountryChecklist.php?what=list&trpp=50&c_code=380&csub_code=&cpresence=present&sortby=alpha2&vhabitat=all2|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240116110724/http://www.fishbase.us/country/CountryChecklist.php?what=list&trpp=50&c_code=380&csub_code=&cpresence=present&sortby=alpha2&vhabitat=all2|archive-date=16 January 2024|access-date=10 March 2022}}</ref> and 56,213 invertebrate species, of which 37,303 are insect species.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Dove operiamo|url=https://www.cittametropolitana.mi.it/gev/dove_operiamo/index.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230109172951/https://www.cittametropolitana.mi.it/gev/dove_operiamo/index.html|archive-date=9 January 2023|access-date=11 March 2022|language=it}}</ref>
{{Main|Politics of Italy}}{{See also|List of Prime Ministers of Italy|List of Presidents of the Italian Republic|History of Italian citizenship|Constitution of Italy|Parliament of Italy|Senate of Italy|Referendums in Italy|List of political parties in Italy|List of legislatures of the Italian Republic|Italian Chamber of Deputies|Elections in Italy|Constitutional Court of Italy}}
].]]
The politics of Italy take place in a framework of a ], ] ], and of a ]. ] is exercised collectively by the Council of Ministers, which is led by a ] (''Presidente del Consiglio dei Ministri''), informally referred to as "premier" or ''primo ministro'' (that is, "prime minister"). ] is vested in the two houses of ] primarily, and secondarily in the Council of Ministers. The ] is independent of the executive and the legislative. Italy has been a democratic republic since 2 June 1946, when the ] was abolished by popular ] (see "]"). The ] was promulgated on 1 January 1948.


The ] was traditionally estimated to comprise about 5,500 ] species.<ref>Pignatti, S. (1982). ''Flora d'Italia''. Edagricole, Bologna, vol. 1–3, 1982</ref> However, {{As of|2005|lc=y}}, 6,759 species are recorded in the ''Data bank of Italian vascular flora''.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Riccardo Guarino, Sabina Addamiano, Marco La Rosa, Sandro Pignatti ''Flora Italiana Digitale'':an interactive identification tool for the Flora of Italy|url=http://www.openstarts.units.it/dspace/bitstream/10077/3767/1/Guarino%20et%20al,%20bioidentify.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161226162840/https://www.openstarts.units.it/dspace/bitstream/10077/3767/1/Guarino%20et%20al%2C%20bioidentify.pdf|archive-date=26 December 2016}}</ref> Italy has 1,371 endemic plant species and subspecies,<ref>{{Cite web|title=An inventory of vascular plants endemic to Italy|url=http://biotaxa.org/Phytotaxa/article/view/phytotaxa.168.1.1|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200624045915/https://www.biotaxa.org/Phytotaxa/article/view/phytotaxa.168.1.1|archive-date=24 June 2020|access-date=12 March 2022}}</ref> which include ], ], ], ], and ]. Italy is a signatory to the ] and the ].
] is the ], whilst ] is the nation's ] (President of the Council of Ministers).


Italy has many botanical and historic gardens.<ref>{{Cite web|title=I parchi fioriti e gli orti botanici più belli d'Italia|url=https://initalia.virgilio.it/i-parchi-fioriti-e-gli-orti-botanici-piu-belli-ditalia-3693|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230109172952/https://initalia.virgilio.it/i-parchi-fioriti-e-gli-orti-botanici-piu-belli-ditalia-3693|archive-date=9 January 2023|access-date=14 March 2022|language=it}}; {{Cite web|url=https://www.casevacanza.it/idee/i-giardini-piu-belli-d-italia|title=Top10: i giardini più belli d'Italia|access-date=15 March 2022|language=it|archive-date=9 January 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230109172951/https://www.casevacanza.it/idee/i-giardini-piu-belli-d-italia|url-status=live}}</ref> The ] is stylistically based on symmetry, axial geometry, and the principle of imposing order on nature. It influenced the ], especially ] and ] gardens.<ref>{{Cite web|date=11 March 2022|title=Alla scoperta delle meraviglie del giardino all'italiana|url=https://www.tuttogreen.it/giardino-all-italiana|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230109172951/https://www.tuttogreen.it/giardino-all-italiana|archive-date=9 January 2023|access-date=28 March 2022|language=it}}</ref> The Italian garden was influenced by ] and ] gardens.
The ] (''Presidente della Repubblica'') is elected for seven years by the parliament sitting jointly with a small number of regional delegates. As the ], the President of the Republic represents the unity of the nation and has many of the duties previously given to the ]. The president serves as a point of connection between the three branches of power: he is elected by the lawmakers, he appoints the executive, he is the president of the judiciary and he is also the commander-in-chief of the armed forces.
], official residence of the ].]]


The ] is the national animal of Italy,<ref>{{Cite web|last=Sheri Foster|date=January 2021|title=What is Italy national animal?|url=https://it.yourtripagent.com/4052-what-is-italy-s-national-animal|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230109172951/https://it.yourtripagent.com/4052-what-is-italy-s-national-animal|archive-date=9 January 2023|access-date=15 November 2021|website=Yourtrip.com}}; {{Cite web|url=https://www.affaritaliani.it/culturaspettacoli/il-lupo-grigio-degli-appennini-e-l-animale-dell-italia-544778.html|title=Il lupo grigio degli appennini e l animale dell Italia|author=James Hansen|date=June 2018|access-date=15 November 2021|archive-date=26 November 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221126224852/https://www.affaritaliani.it/culturaspettacoli/il-lupo-grigio-degli-appennini-e-l-animale-dell-italia-544778.html|url-status=live}}</ref> while the national tree is the ].<ref name="altovastese">{{Cite web|date=3 October 2011|title=Il corbezzolo simbolo dell'Unità d'Italia. Una specie che resiste agli incendi|url=http://www.altovastese.it/cultura/il-corbezzolo-simbolo-unita-italia-specie-che-resiste-agli-incendi|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160205120852/http://www.altovastese.it/cultura/il-corbezzolo-simbolo-unita-italia-specie-che-resiste-agli-incendi|archive-date=5 February 2016|access-date=25 January 2016|language=it}}</ref> The reasons for this are that the Italian wolf, which inhabits the ] and the Western Alps, features prominently in Latin and Italian cultures, such as the legend of the founding of Rome,<ref>{{Cite book|last=Livy|title=The history of Rome|publisher=Printed for A. Strahan|others=George Baker (trans.)|year=1797}}</ref> while the green leaves, white flowers, and red berries of the strawberry tree, native to the Mediterranean, recall the colours of the flag.<ref name="altovastese"/> The national bird is the ],<ref>{{cite web|title=Passero Italiano: L'uccello nazionale d'Italia|date=18 December 2022|url=https://www.concaternanaoggi.it/passero-italiano-luccello-nazionale-ditalia/|publisher=Conca Ternana Oggi|access-date=22 August 2024|archive-date=22 August 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240822123815/https://www.concaternanaoggi.it/passero-italiano-luccello-nazionale-ditalia/|url-status=live}}</ref> while the national flower is the flower of the strawberry tree.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.msn.com/it-it/notizie/mondo/qual-%C3%A8-il-fiore-nazionale-dei-paesi-del-mondo/ss-AA1eWqXE#image=25|title=Il fiore nazionale dell'Italia (e quello degli altri Paesi del mondo)|website=]|access-date=26 August 2024|language=it|archive-date=2 October 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241002211951/https://www.msn.com/it-it/notizie/mondo/qual-%C3%A8-il-fiore-nazionale-dei-paesi-del-mondo/ss-AA1eWqXE#image=25|url-status=live}}</ref>
The president nominates the ], who proposes the other ministers (formally named by the president). The Council of Ministers must obtain a confidence vote from both houses of Parliament. Legislative bills may originate in either house and must be passed by a majority in both.


=== Environment ===
Italy elects a ] consisting of ], the ] (''Camera dei Deputati''), which has 630 members and the ] (''Senato della Repubblica''), comprising 315 elected members and a small number of ]). ] may originate in either house and must be passed in identical form by a majority in each. The houses of ] are popularly and directly elected through a complex electoral system (latest amendment in 2005) which combines proportional representation with a majority prize for the largest coalition. All ] 18 years of age and older can vote. However, to vote for the Senate, the voter must be 25 or older.
{{See also|List of national parks of Italy|List of regional parks of Italy|List of Marine Protected Areas of Italy}}
]


After its quick industrial growth, Italy took time to address its environmental problems. After improvements, Italy now ranks 84th in the world for ecological sustainability.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Italy – Environment|url=http://dev.prenhall.com/divisions/hss/worldreference/IT/environment.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090701064224/http://dev.prenhall.com/divisions/hss/worldreference/IT/environment.html|archive-date=1 July 2009|access-date=2 August 2010|publisher=Dev.prenhall.com}}</ref> The total area protected by national parks, regional parks, and nature reserves covers about 11% of Italian territory,<ref>{{Cite web|title=Regione e aree protette|url=https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/regione-e-aree-protette_%28L%27Italia-e-le-sue-Regioni%29|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220111173345/https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/regione-e-aree-protette_%28L%27Italia-e-le-sue-Regioni%29|archive-date=11 January 2022|access-date=11 January 2022|language=it}}</ref> and 12% of Italy's coastline is ].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Le aree protette in Italia|url=http://www.uccellidaproteggere.it/La-conservazione/Cosa-fa-l-Italia-Le-azioni/Le-aree-protette-in-Italia|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220302220957/http://www.uccellidaproteggere.it/La-conservazione/Cosa-fa-l-Italia-Le-azioni/Le-aree-protette-in-Italia|archive-date=2 March 2022|access-date=2 March 2022|language=it}}</ref>
The electoral system for the ] is based upon ] representation. As of 17 August 2010 there are six ] (of which two are former Presidents). Both houses are elected for a maximum of five years, but both may be dissolved by the President before the expiration of their normal term if the Parliament is unable to elect a stable government. In post-war history, this has happened in 1972, 1976, 1979, 1983, 1994, 1996, and 2008.


Italy has been one of the world's leading producers of ], in 2010 ranking as the fourth largest provider of installed ] capacity<ref>{{Cite web|date=15 July 2010|title=Renewables 2010 Global Status Report |url=http://www.ren21.net/Portals/97/documents/GSR/REN21_GSR2011.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110820095506/http://www.ren21.net/Portals/97/documents/GSR/REN21_GSR2011.pdf|archive-date=20 August 2011|access-date=16 July 2010|publisher=]}}; {{Cite web|title=Photovoltaic energy barometer 2010 – EurObserv'ER |url=https://www.eurobserv-er.org/pdf/baro196.pdf|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101011224419/http://www.eurobserv-er.org/pdf/baro196.pdf|archive-date=11 October 2010|access-date=30 October 2010}}</ref> and sixth largest of ] capacity.<ref>{{Cite web|date=February 2011|title=World Wind Energy Report 2010 |url=http://www.wwindea.org/home/images/stories/pdfs/worldwindenergyreport2010_s.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110904232058/http://www.wwindea.org/home/images/stories/pdfs/worldwindenergyreport2010_s.pdf|archive-date=4 September 2011|access-date=8 August 2011|publisher=]}}</ref> Renewable energy provided approximately 37% Italy's energy consumption in 2020.<ref>{{Cite web|date=25 May 2021|title=Renewables provided 37% of Italy's energy in 2020 – English |url=https://www.ansa.it/english/news/2021/05/25/renewables-provided-37-of-italys-energy-in-2020_1a075060-c823-4076-a338-79367427dfd2.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211023040922/https://www.ansa.it/english/news/2021/05/25/renewables-provided-37-of-italys-energy-in-2020_1a075060-c823-4076-a338-79367427dfd2.html|archive-date=23 October 2021|access-date=28 May 2021|website=ANSA.it}}</ref>
A peculiarity of the ] is the representation given to ] permanently living abroad (about 2.7&nbsp;million people). Among the 630 Deputies and the 315 Senators there are respectively 12 and 6 elected in four distinct ]. These members of Parliament were elected for the first time in April 2006, and they have the same powers as those of members elected in Italy.


The country operated nuclear reactors between 1963 and 1990 but, after the ] and ], the nuclear programme was terminated, a decision overturned by the government in 2008, with plans to build up to four nuclear power plants. This was in turn struck down by a referendum following the ].<ref>{{Cite web|last=Duncan Kennedy|date=14 June 2011|title=Italy nuclear: Berlusconi accepts referendum blow|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-13741105|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110612112154/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-13741105|archive-date=12 June 2011|access-date=20 April 2013|publisher=BBC News}}</ref>
===Law===
{{Main|Judiciary of Italy}}
{{See also|Law enforcement in Italy|Nationality law of Italy|Capital punishment in Italy}}
The Italian judicial system is based on ] modified by the ] and later statutes. The ] is the court of last resort for most disputes. The ] (''Corte Costituzionale'') rules on the conformity of laws with the ] and is a post-World War II innovation.


Air pollution remains severe, especially in the industrialised north. Italy is the ].<ref>United Nations Statistics Division, Millennium Development Goals indicators: {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091225014715/http://mdgs.un.org/unsd/mdg/SeriesDetail.aspx?srid=749&crid=|date=25 December 2009}} (collected by CDIAC); Human-produced, direct emissions of carbon dioxide only. Excludes other greenhouse gases; land-use, land-use-change and forestry (LULUCF); and natural background flows of {{CO2}} (See also: ])</ref> Extensive traffic and congestion in large cities continue to cause environmental and health issues, even if smog levels have decreased since the 1970s and 1980s, with smog becoming an increasingly rare phenomenon and levels of ] decreasing.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Environment and Health in Italy – Executive Summary|url=https://www.euro.who.int/en/home|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100303051309/http://www.euro.who.int/document/hms/ehiexes_e.pdf|archive-date=3 March 2010|publisher=World Health Organization}}</ref>
==Foreign relations==
{{Main|Foreign relations of Italy}}
{{See also|Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs}}
] meets with Italian Prime Minister ]]]
Italy was a founding member of the European Community&mdash;now the ] (EU). Italy was admitted to the ] in 1955 and is a member and strong supporter of the ] (NATO), the ] (OECD), the ]/] (GATT/WTO), the ] (OSCE), the ], and the ]. Its recent turns in the rotating Presidency of international organisations include the ] (CSCE), the forerunner of the OSCE, in 1994; ]; and the EU in 2001 and from July to December 2003.


Deforestation, illegal building, and poor land-management policies have led to significant erosion in Italy's mountainous regions, leading to ecological disasters such as the 1963 ] flood, the 1998 ],<ref>{{Cite news|last=Nick Squires|date=2 October 2009|title=Sicily mudslide leaves scores dead|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/italy/6255575/Sicily-mudslide-leaves-scores-dead.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091006082824/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/italy/6255575/Sicily-mudslide-leaves-scores-dead.html|archive-date=6 October 2009|access-date=2 October 2009|work=The Daily Telegraph|location=London}}</ref> and the 2009 ]s.
Italy supports the United Nations and its international security activities. Italy deployed troops in support of UN peacekeeping missions in ], ], and East Timor and provides support for NATO and UN operations in ], ] and ]. Italy deployed over 2,000 troops to ] in support of ] (OEF) in February 2003. Italy still supports international efforts to reconstruct and stabilize ], but it has withdrawn its ] of some 3,200 troops as of November 2006, maintaining only humanitarian workers and other civilian personnel.
In August 2006 Italy sent about 2,450 soldiers to ] for the ]' ] ].<ref name="NewsMax" >" Corriere della Sera, 30 August 2006</ref> Furthermore, since 2 February 2007 an Italian, ], is the commander of the UN force in the country.


==Military== == Politics ==
{{Main|Military of Italy}} {{Main|Politics of Italy}}
Italy has been a unitary ] since 1946, when the monarchy ]. The ], ] since 2015, is Italy's head of state. The president is elected for a single seven-year term by the ] and regional voters in joint session. Italy has a written democratic ] that resulted from a ] formed by representatives of the ] forces that contributed to the defeat of Nazi and Fascist forces during the liberation of Italy, in World War II.<ref>Smyth, Howard McGaw Italy: From Fascism to the Republic (1943–1946) ''The Western Political Quarterly'' vol. 1 no. 3 (pp. 205–222), September 1948.{{JSTOR|442274}}</ref>
{{See also|Military history of Italy|List of wars involving Italy}}


=== Government ===
The ] are under the command of the Supreme Defence Council, presided over by the ]. In 2008 the military had 186,798 personnel on active duty, along with 114,778 in the national gendarmerie.<ref>{{it icon}} {{cite web |url=http://www.difesa.it/NR/rdonlyres/5EF11493-59DD-4FB7-8485-F4258D9F5891/0/Nota_Aggiuntiva_2009.pdf |title=Nota aggiuntiva allo stato di previsione per la Difesa per l'anno 2009|author=]|accessdate=27 April 2009}}</ref> As part of ] Italy also hosts 90 United States ], located in the ] and ] air bases.<ref>.</ref> Total military spending in 2007 was $33.1 billion, equal to 1.8% of national GDP.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sipri.org/contents/milap/milex/mex_major_spenders.pdf|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20080708225321/http://www.sipri.org/contents/milap/milex/mex_major_spenders.pdf|archivedate=8 July 2008|work=Stockholm International Peace Research Institute Website|title=The fifteen major spenders in 2006|accessdate=29 December 2008}}</ref>
{{Main|Government of Italy}}
{{Multiple image
| align = right
| caption_align = center
| image1 = Sergio Mattarella Official (cropped).jpg
| width1 = 154
| caption1 = ]<br/>{{Small|]<br/>since 2015}}
| image2 = Giorgia Meloni Official 2023 crop.jpg
| width2 = 150
| caption2 = ]<br/>{{Small|]<br/>since 2022}}
}}


Italy has a parliamentary government based on a mixed ] and majoritarian voting system. The parliament is perfectly ]; each house has the same powers. The two houses: the ] meets in ], and the ] in ]. A peculiarity of the ] is the representation given to ] permanently living abroad: 8 Deputies and 4 Senators are elected in four distinct ]. There are ], appointed by the president "for outstanding patriotic merits in the social, scientific, artistic or literary field". Former presidents are ''ex officio'' life senators.
The Italian ] are divided into four branches:
] in Rome, seat of the ], the upper house of the ]]]
===Army===
{{Main|Italian Army}}
] ] on exercise.]]
The ] (''Esercito Italiano'') is the ground defence force of the Italian Republic. It has recently become a professional all-volunteer force of ] personnel, numbering 109,703 in 2008. Its best-known combat vehicles are the ] ], the ] ] and the ] ], and among its aircraft the ] ], recently deployed in UN missions. The ''Esercito Italiano'' also has at its disposal a large number of ] and ] armored vehicles.


The ] is head of government and has executive authority, but must receive a vote of approval from the Council of Ministers to execute most policies. The prime minister and cabinet are appointed by the president, and confirmed by a vote of confidence in parliament. To remain as prime minister, one has to pass votes of confidence. The role of prime minister is similar to most other ]s, but they are not authorised to dissolve parliament. Another difference is that the political responsibility for intelligence is with the prime minister, who has exclusive power to coordinate intelligence policies, determine financial resources, strengthen cybersecurity, apply and protect State secrets, and authorise agents to carry out operations, in Italy or abroad.<ref>{{Cite web|title=About us – Sistema di informazione per la sicurezza della Repubblica|url=http://www.sicurezzanazionale.gov.it/sisr.nsf/english/about-us.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150329090926/http://www.sicurezzanazionale.gov.it/sisr.nsf/english/about-us.html|archive-date=29 March 2015|access-date=19 November 2015|website=sicurezzanazionale.gov.it}}</ref>
===Navy===
{{Main|Marina Militare}}
].]]
The ] (''Marina Militare'') in 2008 had a strength of 43,882 and ships of every type, such as ]s, ]s, modern ]s, submarines, amphibious ships, and other smaller ships such as oceanographic research ships<ref>{{it icon}} </ref> The ''Marina Militare'' is now equipping itself with a bigger ], (the '']''), new ]s, submarines and multipurpose ]s. In modern times the Italian Navy, being a member of the ] (NATO), has taken part in many coalition peacekeeping operations around the world.


The major political parties are the Brothers of Italy, ], and Five Star Movement. During the 2022 general election, these three and their coalitions won 357 of the 400 seats in the Chamber of Deputies, and 187 of 200 in the Senate. The centre-right coalition, which included Giorgia Meloni's Brothers of Italy, ]'s League, Silvio Berlusconi's {{Lang|it|]|italic=no}}, and ]'s ], won most seats in parliament. The rest were taken by the centre-left coalition, which included the Democratic Party, the ], ], ], ], the Five Star Movement, ], ], ], and the ].
===Air Force===
{{Main|Aeronautica Militare}}
] is built by a consortium of Italy and three other countries.]]


=== Law and criminal justice ===
The ] in 2008 has a strength of 43,882 and operates 585 aircraft, including 219 combat jets and 114 helicopters. As a stopgap and as replacement for leased ] ADV interceptors, the AMI has leased 30 ]A Block 15 ADF and four F-16B Block 10 Fighting Falcons, with an option for more.
{{Main|Law of Italy|Judiciary of Italy|Law enforcement in Italy}}
], Rome]]


The law of Italy has several sources. These are hierarchical: the law or regulation from a lower source cannot conflict with the rule of an upper source (hierarchy of sources).<ref>{{Cite web|title=GERARCHIA DELLE FONTI|url=https://www.dirittoeconomia.net/diritto/fonti_diritto/gerarchia_fonti.htm|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220117194800/https://www.dirittoeconomia.net/diritto/fonti_diritto/gerarchia_fonti.htm|archive-date=17 January 2022|access-date=26 March 2022|language=it}}</ref> The ] is the highest source.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Guide to Law Online: Italy &#124; Law Library of Congress|url=https://www.loc.gov/law/help/guide/nations/italy.php|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210508132418/https://www.loc.gov/law/help/guide/nations/italy.php|archive-date=8 May 2021|access-date=26 March 2022|website=loc.gov}}</ref> The ] rules on the conformity of laws with the constitution. The judiciary bases their decisions on ] modified by the ] and later statutes. The ] is the highest court for both criminal and civil appeals.
The coming years also will see the introduction of 121 ], replacing the leased F-16 Fighting Falcons. Further updates are foreseen in the Tornado IDS/IDT and ] fleets. A transport capability is guaranteed by a fleet of 22 ]s and ]s of which 12 are being replaced with the newly developed G.222 variant called the ].


Italy lags behind other Western European nations in ].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Country Ranking – Rainbow Europe|url=https://rainbow-europe.org/country-ranking|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190521004552/https://rainbow-europe.org/country-ranking|archive-date=21 May 2019|access-date=28 October 2021|website=rainbow-europe.org}}</ref> Italy's law prohibiting torture is considered behind international standards.<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Struggle against Torture in Italy – The Failure of the Italian Law – English|url=https://www.menschenrechte.org/en/2018/03/06/the-struggle-against-torture-in-italy-the-failure-of-the-italian-law|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190608005803/https://www.menschenrechte.org/en/2018/03/06/the-struggle-against-torture-in-italy-the-failure-of-the-italian-law|archive-date=8 June 2019|access-date=2019-06-08|website=menschenrechte.org}}</ref>
===Gendarmerie===
{{Main|Carabinieri}}
An autonomous corps of the military, the ] are the ] and ] of Italy, policing the military and civilian population alongside ]. While the different branches of the Carabinieri report to separate ministries for each of their individual functions, the corps reports to the Ministry of Internal Affairs when maintaining public order and security.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.carabinieri.it/Internet/Multilingua/EN/GoverningBodies/|title=The Carabinieri Force is linked to the Ministry of Defence|publisher=Carabinieri|accessdate=14 May 2010}}</ref> At the ] of the ] in 2004, the Carabinieri were given the mandate to establish a Center of Excellence for Stability Police Units (CoESPU) to spearhead the development of training and doctrinal standards for civilian police units attached to international peacekeeping missions.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.usip.org/pubs/usipeace_briefings/2006/coespu.pdf|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20080709134756/http://www.usip.org/pubs/usipeace_briefings/2006/coespu.pdf|archivedate=9 July 2008|title=Center of Excellence for Stability Police Units |author=] |accessdate=29 December 2008}}</ref>


Law enforcement is complex with multiple police forces.<ref name="Walters">{{Cite journal|last=Reece Walters|year=2013|editor2-last=Matthew Ball|editor3-last=Erin O'Brien|editor4-last=Juan Tauri|title=Eco Mafia and Environmental Crime|journal=Crime, Justice and Social Democracy: International Perspectives|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan|page=286|doi=10.1057/9781137008695_19|isbn=978-1-3494-3575-3|editor1=Kerry Carrington}}</ref> The national policing agencies are the '']'' ('State Police'), the ], the '']'' ('Financial Police'), and the '']'' ('Prison Police'),<ref name="BuonannoMastrobuoni">{{Cite book|last1=Paulo Buonanno|title=Lessons from the Economics of Crime: What Reduces Offending?|last2=Giovanni Mastrobuoni|publisher=MIT Press|year=2013|isbn=978-0-2620-1961-3|editor-last=Philip J. Cook|page=193|chapter=Centralized versus Decentralized Police Hiring in Italy and the United States|doi=10.7551/mitpress/9780262019613.001.0001|editor-last2=Stephen Machin|editor-last3=Olivier Marie|editor-last4=Giovanni Mastrobuoni}}</ref> as well as the '']'' (']').<ref name=Walters/> Although policing is primarily provided on a national basis,<ref name="BuonannoMastrobuoni"/> there are also the ] and ] police.<ref name="Walters"/>
==Administrative divisions==
{{Main|Regions of Italy|Provinces of Italy|Municipalities of Italy}}


Since their appearance in the middle of the 19th century, ] and criminal organisations have infiltrated the social and economic life of many regions in southern Italy; the most notorious is the Sicilian Mafia, which expanded into foreign countries, including the US. Mafia receipts may reach 9%<ref>{{Cite web|last=Claudio Tucci|date=11 November 2008|title=Confesercenti, la crisi economica rende ancor più pericolosa la mafia|url=http://www.ilsole24ore.com/art/SoleOnLine4/Economia%20e%20Lavoro/2008/11/confesercenti-mafia-racket-pizzo.shtml?uuid=20ff3b9c-afe7-11dd-8057-9c09c8bfa449|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110427081220/http://www.ilsole24ore.com/art/SoleOnLine4/Economia%20e%20Lavoro/2008/11/confesercenti-mafia-racket-pizzo.shtml?uuid=20ff3b9c-afe7-11dd-8057-9c09c8bfa449|archive-date=27 April 2011|access-date=21 April 2011|website=Confesercenti|publisher=Ilsole24ore.com|language=it}}; {{Cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/italy/6957240/Italy-claims-finally-defeating-the-mafia.html|title=Italy claims finally defeating the mafia|author=Nick Squires|date=9 January 2010|work=The Daily Telegraph|location=London|access-date=21 April 2011|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110429173631/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/italy/6957240/Italy-claims-finally-defeating-the-mafia.html|archive-date=29 April 2011}}</ref> of GDP.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Kiefer|first=Peter|date=22 October 2007|title=Mafia crime is 7% of GDP in Italy, group reports|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/22/world/europe/22iht-italy.4.8001812.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110501085052/http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/22/world/europe/22iht-italy.4.8001812.html|archive-date=1 May 2011|access-date=19 April 2011|work=The New York Times}}</ref> A 2009 report identified 610 ] which have a strong Mafia presence, where 13 million Italians live and 15% of GDP is produced.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Maria Loi|date=1 October 2009|title=Rapporto Censis: 13 milioni di italiani convivono con la mafia|url=http://www.antimafiaduemila.com/content/view/20052/78|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110429082416/http://www.antimafiaduemila.com/content/view/20052/78|archive-date=29 April 2011|access-date=21 April 2011|website=Censis|publisher=Antimafia Duemila|language=it}}; {{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2009/oct/01/mafia-influence-hovers-over-italians|work=The Guardian|location=London|title=Mafia's influence hovers over 13{{spaces}}m Italians, says report|first=Tom|last=Kington|date=1 October 2009|access-date=5 May 2010| url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130908050448/http://www.theguardian.com/world/2009/oct/01/mafia-influence-hovers-over-italians|archive-date=8 September 2013}}</ref> The Calabrian ], probably the most powerful crime syndicate of Italy, accounts alone for 3% of GDP.<ref>{{Cite web|last=ANSA|date=14 March 2011|title=Italy: Anti-mafia police arrest 35 suspects in northern Lombardy region|url=http://mafiatoday.com/sicilian-mafia-ndrangheta/italy-anti-mafia-police-arrest-35-suspects-in-northern-lombardy-region|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110429100220/http://mafiatoday.com/sicilian-mafia-ndrangheta/italy-anti-mafia-police-arrest-35-suspects-in-northern-lombardy-region|archive-date=29 April 2011|access-date=21 April 2011|website=adnkronos.com|publisher=Mafia Today}}</ref>
Italy is subdivided into 20 regions (''regioni'', singular ''regione''). Five of these regions have a ] that enables them to enact legislation on some of their local matters; these are marked by an asterisk (*) in the table below. The country is further divided into 110 provinces (''province'') and 8,100 municipalities (''comuni'').


At 0.013 per 1,000 people, Italy has the 47th highest murder rate,<ref>{{Cite web|title=Crime Statistics – Murders (per capita) (more recent) by country|url=http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/cri_mur_percap-crime-murders-per-capita|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080929181837/http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/cri_mur_percap-crime-murders-per-capita|archive-date=29 September 2008|access-date=4 April 2010|publisher=NationMaster.com}}</ref> compared to 61 countries, and the 43rd highest number of rapes per 1,000 people, compared to 64 countries in the world. These are relatively low figures among developed countries.
{{Italy Labelled Map|float=left}}


=== Foreign relations ===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
{{Main|Foreign relations of Italy}}
|-
] leaders at the ] in ], Sicily]]
! style="width:125px;"| ]
! style="width:80px;"| ]
! style="width:90px;"| ] (km²)
! style="width:80px;"| ]
|-
| ]
| ]
| style="text-align:right"|{{nts|10794}}
| style="text-align:right"|{{nts|1324000}}
|-
| ]*
| ]
| style="text-align:right"|{{nts|3263}}
| style="text-align:right"|{{nts|126000}}
|-
| ]
| ]
| style="text-align:right"|{{nts|19362}}
| style="text-align:right"|{{nts|4076000}}
|-
| ]
| ]
| style="text-align:right"|{{nts|9992}}
| style="text-align:right"|{{nts|591000}}
|-
| ]
| ]
| style="text-align:right"|{{nts|15080}}
| style="text-align:right"|{{nts|2007000}}
|-
| ]
| ]
| style="text-align:right"|{{nts|13595}}
| style="text-align:right"|{{nts|5811000}}
|-
| ]
| ]
| style="text-align:right"|{{nts|22124}}
| style="text-align:right"|{{nts|4276000}}
|-
| ]*
| ]
| style="text-align:right"|{{nts|7855}}
| style="text-align:right"|{{nts|1222000}}
|-
| ]
| ]
| style="text-align:right"|{{nts|17207}}
| style="text-align:right"|{{nts|5561000}}
|-
| ]
| ]
| style="text-align:right"|{{nts|5421}}
| style="text-align:right"|{{nts|1610000}}
|-
| ]
| ]
| style="text-align:right"|{{nts|23861}}
| style="text-align:right"|{{nts|9642000}}
|-
| ]
| ]
| style="text-align:right"|{{nts|9694}}
| style="text-align:right"|{{nts|1553000}}
|-
| ]
| ]
| style="text-align:right"|{{nts|4438}}
| style="text-align:right"|{{nts|320000}}
|-
| ]
| ]
| style="text-align:right"|{{nts|25399}}
| style="text-align:right"|{{nts|4401000}}
|-
| ]*
| ]
| style="text-align:right"|{{nts|24090}}
| style="text-align:right"|{{nts|1666000}}
|-
| ]*
| ]
| style="text-align:right"|{{nts|25708}}
| style="text-align:right"|{{nts|5030000}}
|-
| ]
| ]
| style="text-align:right"|{{nts|22997}}
| style="text-align:right"|{{nts|3677000}}
|-
| ]*
| ]
| style="text-align:right"|{{nts|13607}}
| style="text-align:right"|{{nts|1007000}}
|-
| ]
| ]
| style="text-align:right"|{{nts|8456}}
| style="text-align:right"|{{nts|884000}}
|-
| ]
| ]
| style="text-align:right"|{{nts|18391}}
| style="text-align:right"|{{nts|4832000}}
|}


Italy is a founding member of the ] (EEC), now the European Union (EU), and of ]. Italy was admitted to the United Nations in 1955, and is a member and strong supporter of international organisations, such as the ], the ]/] (GATT/WTO), the ] (OSCE), the ], and the ]. Its turns in the rotating presidencies of international organisations include the ] in 2018, ] in 2017, and the ] in 2014. Italy is a recurrent ] of the ].
==Demographics==
{{Main|Demography of Italy}}


Italy strongly supports multilateral international politics, endorsing the UN and its international security activities. In 2013, Italy had 5,296 troops deployed abroad, engaged in 33 UN and NATO missions in 25 countries.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Missioni/Attivita' Internazionali DAL 1 October 2013 AL 31 December 2013 – Situazione AL 11 December 2013 |url=http://www.difesa.it/OperazioniMilitari/Documents/SIT%20ANNO%202013%20al%2011%20dicembre%202013.pdf|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140201175427/http://www.difesa.it/OperazioniMilitari/Documents/SIT%20ANNO%202013%20al%2011%20dicembre%202013.pdf|archive-date=1 February 2014|access-date=27 January 2014|publisher=Italian Ministry of Defence}}</ref> Italy deployed troops in support of UN peacekeeping missions in ], ], and ]. Italy provides support for NATO and UN operations in ], ], and ], and deployed over 2,000 troops to Afghanistan in support of ] (OEF) from 2003.
===Population===
]


Italy supported international efforts to reconstruct and stabilise Iraq, but it had withdrawn its ] of 3,200 troops by 2006. In August 2006, Italy deployed about 2,450 troops for the ].<ref> {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060902001118/http://www.corriere.it/Primo_Piano/Cronache/2006/08_Agosto/29/libano.shtml|date=2 September 2006}} Corriere della Sera, 30 August 2006</ref> Italy is one of the largest financiers of the ], contributing €60 million in 2013 alone.<ref>{{Cite news|date=4 September 2013|title=Italy donates 60 million euros to PA|url=http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=626926|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141018104825/http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=626926|archive-date=18 October 2014|access-date=27 January 2014|agency=]}}</ref>
At the end of 2008, the Italian population surpassed 60 million.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/cache/ITY_OFFPUB/KS-QA-08-049/EN/KS-QA-08-049-EN.PDF|title=First demographic estimates for 2008|author=]|date=10 December 2008|accessdate=10 May 2009}}</ref> Italy has the fourth-largest population in the ] and the 23rd-largest population worldwide. Italy's population density, at 199.2 persons per square kilometre, is the fifth highest in the European Union. The highest density is in ], as that one-third of the country contains almost half of the total population.
After ], Italy enjoyed a prolonged economic boom which caused a major rural exodus to the cities, and at the same time transformed the nation from a massive emigration country to a net immigrant-receiving country. High fertility persisted until the 1970s, when it plunged below the replacement rates, so that as of 2008, one in five Italians was over 65 years old.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/cache/ITY_OFFPUB/KS-SF-08-072/EN/KS-SF-08-072-EN.PDF|title=Ageing characterises the demographic perspectives of the European societies - Issue number 72/2008|author=]|accessdate=28 April 2009}}</ref>


=== Military ===
Despite this, thanks mainly to the massive immigration of the last two decades, in the 2000s, Italy experienced a growth in the crude birth rate (especially in the northern regions) for the first time in many years.<ref>{{it icon}} {{cite web|url=http://demo.istat.it/altridati/indicatori/2008/Tab_1.pdf|title=Crude birth rates, mortality rates and marriage rates 2005-2008|author=]|accessdate=10 May 2009}}</ref> The ] has also significantly grown in the past few years, thanks to rising births among both in foreign-born and Italian women, as it climbed from 1.32 children per woman in 2005 to 1.41 in 2008.<ref>{{it icon}} {{cite web|url=http://demo.istat.it/altridati/indicatori/2008/Tab_4.pdf |title=Average number of children born per woman 2005-2008|author=]|accessdate=3 May 2009}}</ref>
{{Main|Italian Armed Forces|Military history of Italy}}
{{See also|List of wars involving Italy}}
], the ] of the ]]]
] during a patrol in ] as part of ]]]


The ] chronicles a vast time period, lasting from the military conflicts fought by the ], most notably the conquest of the Mediterranean world by the ], through the expansion of the Italian ] and ] during the medieval period and the involvement of the ] in the ] and the ], to the Napoleonic period, the ], the campaigns of the ], the two ], and into the modern day, with world ] operations under the aegis of ], the ] or the ].
===Cities and metropolitan areas===
{{See also|Metropolitan areas in Italy|List of cities in Italy by population|Main cities of Italy}}
{{Largest cities of Italy}}
According to Censis Foundation,<!--Censis stands for 'CENtro Studi Investimenti Sociali'--><ref>{{it icon}} {{cite web |url=http://www.censis.it/files/Rapporto_annuale/2008/2_societa_italiana_2008.pdf|title=Censis report|accessdate=11-12-2008}}</ref> the largest ]es in Italy are:
{| {{Tablabonita}}
|- style="background:lightsteelblue;"
!align=center|N°
!align=center|Metroplex/ Metropolitan area
!align=center|Population <br />
!align=center|Area <br /> (in km²)
!align=center|Density <br /> (people/km²)
|-
| '''1''' ||] (Lombardy mega region) ||align=right| 8,047,125 ||align=right| 8,362.1 ||align=right| 965.6
|- style="background:#efefef;"
| '''2''' ||] ||align=right| 4,996,084 ||align=right| 3,841.7 ||align=right| 1,300.5
|-
| '''3''' ||] ||align=right| 4,339,112 ||align=right| 4,766.3 ||align=right| 910.4
|- style="background:#efefef;"
| '''4''' ||]–]–] (Veneto mega region) ||align=right| 3,267,420 ||align=right| 6,679.6 ||align=right| 489.2
|-
| '''5''' ||]–]–] (Low adriatic linear system) ||align=right| 2,603,831 ||align=right| 6,127.7 ||align=right| 424.9
|- style="background:#efefef;"
| '''6''' ||]–]–] (High adriatic linear system) ||align=right| 2,359,068 ||align=right| 5,404.8 ||align=right| 436.5
|-
| '''7''' ||] ||align=right| 1,997,975 ||align=right| 1,976.8 ||align=right| 1,010.7
|- style="background:#efefef;"
| '''8''' ||]–] ||align=right| 1,944,401 ||align=right| 3,923.6 ||align=right| 495,6
|- style="background:#efefef;"
| '''9''' ||] ||align=right| 1,760,737||align=right| 3,795.9 ||align=right| 629.8
|- style="background:#efefef;"
| '''10''' ||]–]–] (Eastern Sicilian linear system) ||align=right| 1,693,173||align=right| 2,411.7 ||align=right| 702.1
|}


The ], ], ], and ] collectively form the Italian Armed Forces, under the command of the ], presided over by the president, per the ]. According to Article 78, the ] has the authority to declare a state of war and vest the necessary war-making powers in the government.
===Immigration===


Despite not being a branch of the armed forces, the '']'' has military status and is organised along military lines.{{Efn|The Guardia di Finanza operates a large fleet of ships, aircraft and helicopters, enabling it to patrol Italy's waters and to participate in warfare scenarios.}} Since 2005, military service has been voluntary.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Law n°226 of&nbsp;August 23, 2004 |url=http://www.camera.it/parlam/leggi/04226l.htm|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130117013103/http://www.camera.it/parlam/leggi/04226l.htm|archive-date=17 January 2013|access-date=13 July 2012|publisher=Camera.it}}</ref> In 2010, the Italian military had 293,202 personnel on active duty,<ref>"The Military Balance 2010", pp. 141–145. ], 3 February 2010.</ref> of which 114,778 are Carabinieri.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Italian Ministry of Defence|author-link=Ministry of Defence (Italy)|title=Nota aggiuntiva allo stato di previsione per la Difesa per l'anno 2009 |url=http://www.difesa.it/NR/rdonlyres/5EF11493-59DD-4FB7-8485-F4258D9F5891/0/Nota_Aggiuntiva_2009.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110504073613/http://www.difesa.it/NR/rdonlyres/5EF11493-59DD-4FB7-8485-F4258D9F5891/0/Nota_Aggiuntiva_2009.pdf|archive-date=4 May 2011|access-date=11 July 2014|language=it}}</ref> As part of NATO's ] strategy, Italy hosts 90 US ]s located at the ] and ] air bases.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Hans M. Kristensen / Natural Resources Defense Council|year=2005|title=NRDC: U.S. Nuclear Weapons in Europe – part 1|url=http://www.nrdc.org/nuclear/euro/euro_pt1.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110101060355/http://www.nrdc.org/nuclear/euro/euro_pt1.pdf|archive-date=1 January 2011|access-date=30 May 2011}}</ref>
{{Main|Immigration to Italy}}


The Army is the national ground defence force. It was formed in 1946, when Italy became a republic, from what remained of the "]". Its best-known combat vehicles are the ] ], the ] ], and the ] ], and among its aircraft are the ] ], deployed on EU, NATO, and UN missions. It has at its disposal ] and ] armoured vehicles.
]


The Italian Navy is a ]. It was also formed in 1946 from what remained of the '']'' (the 'Royal Navy'). The Navy, being a member of the EU and NATO, has taken part in coalition peacekeeping operations around the world. In 2014, the Navy operated 154 vessels in service, including minor auxiliary vessels.<ref>{{Cite web|title=La Marina Militare OGGI|url=http://flpdifesa.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Linee-intervento-del-Capo-di-SMM.pdf|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220525043355/http://flpdifesa.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Linee-intervento-del-Capo-di-SMM.pdf|archive-date=25 May 2022|access-date=28 April 2022|language=it}}</ref>
At the start of 2010 there were 4,279,000 foreign nationals resident in Italy and registered with the authorities.<ref>"". Africa News. 5 March 2010.</ref> This amounted to 7.1% of the country’s population and represented a year-on-year increase of 388,000.<ref>"". ]. 21 February 2010.</ref> These figures include more than half a million children born in Italy to foreign nationals—second generation immigrants are becoming an important element in the demographic picture—but exclude foreign nationals who have subsequently acquired Italian nationality; this applied to 53,696 people in 2008.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.istat.it/salastampa/comunicati/non_calendario/20091008_00/testointegrale20091008.pdf |title=La popolazione straniera residente in Italia al 1° gennaio 2009|publisher= ]| pages = 1–3|language = Italian|trans_title = The Foreign Poulation Resident in Italy on 1 January 2009|format=PDF |date= 8 October 2009|accessdate=27 October 2009}}</ref> They also exclude illegal immigrants, the so-called ''clandestini'' whose numbers are difficult to determine. In May 2008 '']'' quoted an estimate of 670,000 for this group.<ref>Elisabeth Rosenthal, "". ]. 16 May 2008.</ref>


The Italian Air Force was founded as an independent service arm in 1923 by King Victor Emmanuel III as the '']'' ('Royal Air Force'). After World War II, it was renamed as the ''Regia Aeronautica''. In 2021, the Italian Air Force operated 219 combat jets. A transport capability is guaranteed by a fleet of 27 ] and ]. The acrobatic display team is the '']'' ('Tricolour Arrows').
Since the expansion of the ], the most recent wave of migration has been from surrounding European nations, particularly ], and increasingly Asia,<ref>"". BBC News. 13 April 2007.</ref> replacing ] as the major immigration area. Some 950,000 ], around 10 percent of them being ],<ref>"". ] ipsnews.net.</ref> are officially registered as living in Italy, replacing Albanians and Moroccans as the largest ethnic minority group. The number unregistered Romanians is difficult to estimate, but the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network suggested that in 2007 that there might half been half a million or more.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.birn.eu.com/en/111/15/5745/ |title=Balkan Investigative Reporting Network |publisher=Birn.eu.com |date=08 11 2007 |accessdate=4 November 2008}}</ref>


An autonomous corps of the military, the Carabinieri are the ] and ] of Italy, policing the military and civilian population alongside ]. While different branches of the Carabinieri report to separate ministries, the corps reports to the Ministry of Internal Affairs when maintaining public order and security.<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Carabinieri Force is linked to the Ministry of Defence|url=http://www.carabinieri.it/Internet/Multilingua/EN/GoverningBodies|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110430214042/http://www.carabinieri.it/Internet/Multilingua/EN/GoverningBodies|archive-date=30 April 2011|access-date=14 May 2010|publisher=Carabinieri}}</ref>
As of 2009, the foreign born population origin of Italy was subdivided as follows: Europe (53.5%), Africa (22.3%), Asia (15.8%), the ] (8.1%) and ] (0.06%). The disribution of foreign born population is largely uneven in Italy: 87.3% of immigrants live in the northern and central parts of the country (the most economically developed areas), while only 12.8% live in the southern half of the peninsula.


==={{Anchor|Constituent entities}}Administrative divisions===
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:left;"
<!-- This Anchor tag serves to provide a permanent target for incoming section links. Please do not remove or modify it, except to add another appropriate anchor. If you modify the section title, please anchor the old title. It is always best to anchor an old section header that has been changed so that links to it will not be broken. See ] for details. This template is {{Subst:Anchor comment}}. -->
|-
{{Main|Regions of Italy|Provinces of Italy|Metropolitan cities of Italy|Comune}}
! style="width:200px;"| Origin !! Population !!
{{Italy Labelled Map Scalable|image-width=400}}
|-
|| ] || {{Commas|56153773}} || 93.52%</tr>
|| ] || {{Commas|796477}} || 1.32%</tr>
|| ]n || {{Commas|606556}} || 1.01%</tr>
|| ] || {{Commas|441396}} || 0.73%</tr>
|| ] || {{Commas|170265}} || 0.28%</tr>
|| ] || {{Commas|153998}} || 0.26%</tr>
|| ] (non-Chinese) || {{Commas|445795}} || 0.74%</tr>
|| ]n || {{Commas|298860}} || 0.50%</tr>
|| ]n || {{Commas|264570}} || 0.44%</tr>
|| Other || {{Commas|713378}} || 1.19%</tr>
|-
| colspan="3" style="text-align:left;"| {{Smaller|*Percentage of total Italy population as of 1 January 2009}}
|}


Italy is constituted of 20 regions ('']'')—five of which have ] which enables them to enact legislation on additional matters.<ref name="tuttitalia">{{Cite news|title=Regioni italiane|url=http://www.tuttitalia.it/regioni|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220509133929/https://www.tuttitalia.it/regioni|archive-date=9 May 2022|access-date=30 April 2022|language=it}}</ref>
] in New York, ca.1900]]


{{Div col}}
===Italian diaspora===
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
{{Div col end}}


The ''regioni'' contain 107 provinces ('']'') or metropolitan cities ('']''), and 7,904 municipalities ('']'').<ref name="tuttitalia"/>
{{Main|Italian diaspora}}


== Demographics ==
Italy became a country of mass emigration soon after national reunification in the late 19th century. Between 1898 and 1914, the peak years of Italian diaspora, approximately 750,000 Italians emigrated each year.<ref></ref> Italian communities once thrived in the former African colonies of ] (nearly 100,000 at the beginning of World War II),<ref></ref> ] and ] (150,000 Italians settled in Libya, constituting about 18% of the total population).<ref>. Britannica Online Encyclopedia.</ref> All of Libya's Italians were expelled from the North African country in 1970.<ref>. BBC News. 27 October 2005.</ref>
{{Main|Demographics of Italy}}
{{See also|Italians|Internal migration in Italy|Italian diaspora|Genetic history of Italy|List of cities in Italy}}
]
] in the world]]


In 2020, Italy had 60,317,116 inhabitants.<ref>{{Cite web|date=8 April 2022|title=Indicatori demografici|url=https://www.istat.it/it/archivio/269158|access-date=27 July 2022|website=istat.it|language=it|archive-date=13 July 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220713112932/https://www.istat.it/it/archivio/269158|url-status=live}}</ref> The population density, of {{Convert|202|PD/km2}}, is higher than most West European countries. However, distribution is uneven: the most densely populated areas are the Po Valley (almost half the population) and the metropolitan areas of Rome and Naples, while vast regions such as the Alps and Apennine highlands, the plateaus of Basilicata, and the island of Sardinia, as well as much of Sicily, are sparsely populated.
In the decade after World War II, up to 350,000 ethnic Italians left ] (see ]).<ref>. The New York Times. 6 June 1987.</ref> Large numbers of people with full or significant ] ancestry are found in
] (25 million),<ref> . Retrieved 10 September 2008.</ref> ] (20 million),<ref>{{es}} {{cite web |url=http://www.asteriscos.tv/dossier-3.html |title=Unos 20 millones de personas que viven en la Argentina tienen algún grado de descendencia italiana |accessdate=27 June 2008 |last=Lee |first=Adam |date=3 April 2006 |language=Spanish}}</ref> ] (17.8 million),<ref></ref> ] (5 million),<ref>"''''". Robin Cohen (1995). ]. p.143. ISBN 0521444055</ref> ] (1.5 million),<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.hotelsclick.com/hoteles/UY/Uruguay-DEMOGRAF%C3%ADA-5.html
|title=Ethnic origins, 2006 counts, for Uruguay, provinces and territories - 20% sample data}}</ref> ] (1.4 million),<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www12.statcan.ca/english/census06/data/highlights/ethnic/pages/Page.cfm?Lang=E&Geo=PR&Code=01&Data=Count&Table=2&StartRec=1&Sort=3&Display=All&CSDFilter=5000 |title=Ethnic origins, 2006 counts, for Canada, provinces and territories - 20% sample data}}</ref> ] (900,000)<ref>Santander Laya-Garrido, Alfonso. ''Los Italianos forjadores de la nacionalidad y del desarrollo economico en Venezuela''. Editorial Vadell. Valencia, 1978</ref> and ] (800,000).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.censusdata.abs.gov.au/ABSNavigation/prenav/ViewData?action=404&documentproductno=0&documenttype=Details&order=1&tabname=Details&areacode=0&issue=2006&producttype=Census%20Tables&javascript=true&textversion=false&navmapdisplayed=true&breadcrumb=LPTD&&collection=Census&period=2006&productlabel=Ancestry%20by%20Country%20of%20Birth%20of%20Parents%20-%20Time%20Series%20Statistics%20(2001,%202006%20Census%20Years)&producttype=Census%20Tables&method=Place%20of%20Usual%20Residence&topic=Ancestry&|title=20680-Ancestry by Country of Birth of Parents - Time Series Statistics (2001, 2006 Census Years) - Australia|publisher=]|date=27 June 2007|accessdate=30 December 2008}}</ref>


Italy's population almost doubled during the 20th century, but the pattern of growth was uneven because of large-scale ], a consequence of the ] of the 1950–1960s. High fertility and birth rates persisted until the 1970s, after which they started to decline; the ] (TFR) reached an all-time low of 1.2 children per woman in 1995, well below the replacement rate of 2.1 and considerably below the high of 5 in 1883.<ref>{{Citation|last=Max Roser|title=Total Fertility Rate around the world over the last centuries|work=], ]|year=2014|url=https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/children-born-per-woman?year=1800&country=ITA|access-date=7 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180807185906/https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/children-born-per-woman?year=1800&country=ITA|archive-date=7 August 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref> Since 2008, when the rate climbed slightly to 1.4,<ref>{{Cite web|last=ISTAT|author-link=Istituto Nazionale di Statistica|title=Average number of children born per woman 2005–2008 |url=http://demo.istat.it/altridati/indicatori/2008/Tab_4.pdf|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110810171708/http://demo.istat.it/altridati/indicatori/2008/Tab_4.pdf|archive-date=10 August 2011|access-date=3 May 2009|language=it}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=ISTAT|author-link=Istituto Nazionale di Statistica|title=Crude birth rates, mortality rates and marriage rates 2005–2008 |url=http://demo.istat.it/altridati/indicatori/2008/Tab_1.pdf|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110810171721/http://demo.istat.it/altridati/indicatori/2008/Tab_1.pdf|archive-date=10 August 2011|access-date=10 May 2009|language=it}}</ref> the number of births has consistently declined every year, reaching a record low of 379,000 in 2023—the fewest since 1861.<ref name="www.reuters.com">| Reuters</ref> Although the TFR was expected to reach 1.6–1.8 in 2030,<ref>{{Cite web|title=Previsioni della popolazione, 2011–2065, dati al 1° gennaio |url=http://demo.istat.it/uniprev2011/index.html?lingua=ita|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130306125456/http://demo.istat.it/uniprev2011/index.html?lingua=ita|archive-date=6 March 2013|access-date=12 March 2013|publisher=Demo.istat.it}}</ref> as of 2024, it stood at 1.2.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Jones|first=Tobias|date=2024-01-03|title=Boosting Italy's birthrate has become a patriotic cause for the far right. But it's an idea that's doomed|url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/jan/03/italy-birthrate-far-right-population-immigration-giorgia-meloni|access-date=2024-05-29|work=The Guardian|language=en-GB|issn=0261-3077}}</ref>
=== Languages ===


As a result of these trends, Italy's population is rapidly aging and gradually shrinking. Nearly one in four Italians is over 65,<ref name="www.reuters.com" /> and the country has the ], with a median age of 48 and an average age of 46.6.<ref name="cia.gov" /><ref>{{Cite web|title=Aging population of Italy|url=https://www.statista.com/topics/8379/aging-population-of-italy/|access-date=2024-05-29|website=Statista|language=en|archive-date=29 May 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240529041428/https://www.statista.com/topics/8379/aging-population-of-italy/|url-status=live}}</ref> The overall population has been falling steadily since 2014 and is estimated to have fallen just below 59 million in 2024, representing a cumulative loss of more than 1.36 million people over the span of a decade.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Mortensen|first=Barbie Latza Nadeau, Valentina Di Donato, Antonia|date=2023-05-17|title='Low fertility trap': Why Italy's falling birth rate is causing alarm|url=https://www.cnn.com/2023/05/17/europe/italy-record-low-birth-rate-intl-cmd/index.html|access-date=2024-05-29|website=CNN|language=en|archive-date=29 May 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240529041430/https://www.cnn.com/2023/05/17/europe/italy-record-low-birth-rate-intl-cmd/index.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
{{Main|Languages of Italy}}


From the late 19th century to the 1960s, Italy was a country of mass emigration. Between 1898 and 1914, the peak years of ], approximately 750,000 Italians emigrated annually.<ref>{{Cite web|date=15 August 1999|title=Causes of the Italian mass emigration|url=http://library.thinkquest.org/26786/en/articles/view.php3?arKey=4&paKey=7&loKey=0&evKey=&toKey=&torKey=&tolKey=|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090701010600/http://library.thinkquest.org/26786/en/articles/view.php3?arKey=4&paKey=7&loKey=0&evKey=&toKey=&torKey=&tolKey=|archive-date=1 July 2009|access-date=11 August 2014|publisher=ThinkQuest Library}}</ref> The diaspora included more than 25 million Italians and is considered the greatest mass migration of recent times.<ref>Favero, Luigi e Tassello, Graziano. ''Cent'anni di emigrazione italiana (1861–1961)'' Introduction</ref>
]


=== Largest cities ===
Italy's official language is ]. ] has estimated that there are about 55 million speakers of the language in Italy and a further 6.7&nbsp;million outside of the country.<ref name="ethnologue.com" > - Gordon, Raymond G., Jr. (ed.), 2005. Ethnologue: Languages of the World, Fifteenth edition. Dallas, Tex.: SIL International. Online version</ref> However, between 120 and 150 million people use Italian as a second or cultural language, worldwide.<ref> ''Discovery Media'.' Retrieved 2010-05-16.</ref>
{{Largest cities of Italy}}


=== Immigration ===
Italian, adopted by the state after the ], is based on the ] variety of ] and is somewhat intermediate between the ] of the ] and the ] ]. Its development was also influenced by the Germanic languages of the ].
{{Main|Immigration to Italy}}
]


In the 1980s, until then a linguistically and culturally homogeneous society, Italy began to attract substantial flows of immigrants.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Allen|first=Beverly|url=https://archive.org/details/revisioningitaly00beve|title=Revisioning Italy national identity and global culture|date=1997|publisher=University of Minnesota Press|isbn=978-0-8166-2727-1|location=Minneapolis|page=|url-access=registration}}</ref> After the ], and enlargements of the EU, waves of migration originated from the former socialist countries of East Europe. Another source of immigration is neighbouring North Africa, with arrivals soaring as a consequence of the ]. Growing migration fluxes from Asia-Pacific (notably China<ref>" {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171010205822/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6550725.stm|date=10 October 2017}}". BBC News. 13 April 2007.</ref> and the Philippines) and Latin America have been recorded.
Unlike most other Romance languages, Italian has retained the contrast between short and ] which existed in Latin. As in most ], ] is distinctive. Among the Romance languages, Italian is considered to be the closest to Latin in terms of ].<ref>{{cite book |last= Grimes |first= Barbara F. |editor= Barbara F. Grimes |others= Consulting Editors: Richard S. Pittman & Joseph E. Grimes |title= Ethnologue: Languages of the World |edition= thirteenth |year= 1996 |month= October |publisher= ] |location= Dallas, Texas |isbn= 1-55671-026-7}}</ref>


As of 2010, the foreign-born population was from the following regions: Europe (54%), Africa (22%), Asia (16%), the Americas (8%), and Oceania (0.06%). The distribution of the foreign population is geographically varied: in 2020, 61% of foreign citizens lived in the north, 24% in the centre, 11% in the south, and 4% on the islands.<ref>{{Cite web|title=XXIX Rapporto Immigrazione 2020|url=https://www.migrantes.it/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2020/10/RICM_2020_DEF.pdf|access-date=31 December 2021|language=it|archive-date=31 December 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211231222417/https://www.migrantes.it/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2020/10/RICM_2020_DEF.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>
Italy has numerous dialects spoken all over the country and some Italians cannot speak Italian language at all.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/297241/Italian-language |title=Italian language - Britannica Online Encyclopedia |publisher=Britannica.com |date=3 November 2008 |accessdate=19 November 2009}}</ref> However, the establishment of a national education system has led to decrease in variation in the languages spoken across the country. Standardisation was further expanded in the 1950s and 1960s thanks to economic growth and the rise of ] and ] (the state broadcaster ] helped set an Italian standard).


In 2021, Italy had about 5.2 million foreign residents,<ref name="id2020"/><ref>{{Cite web|title=Population on 1 January by sex, country of birth and broad group of citizenship|url=https://appsso.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/nui/submitViewTableAction.do|access-date=28 August 2023|archive-date=21 January 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230121154457/https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/main/eurostat/web/main/help/faq/data-services|url-status=live}}</ref> making up 9% of the population. The figures include more than half a million children born in Italy to foreign nationals, but exclude foreign nationals who have subsequently acquired Italian citizenship;<ref>{{Cite web|title=Immigrants.Stat|url=http://stra-dati.istat.it/Index.aspx|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170709143540/http://stra-dati.istat.it/Index.aspx|archive-date=9 July 2017|access-date=15 June 2017|publisher=]}}</ref> in 2016, about 201,000 people became Italian citizens.<ref>{{Cite web|title=National demographic balance 2016|url=https://www.istat.it/en/archive/201143|access-date=15 June 2017|publisher=]|archive-date=10 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171010180410/https://www.istat.it/en/archive/201143|url-status=live}}</ref> The official figures also exclude illegal immigrants, which was estimated to be 670,000 as of 2008.<ref>Elisabeth Rosenthal, " {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130821061114/http://www.boston.com/news/world/europe/articles/2008/05/16/italy_cracks_down_on_illegal_immigration|date=21 August 2013}}". '']''. 16 May 2008.</ref> About one million ] citizens are registered as living in Italy, representing the largest migrant population.
Other historic Romance languages spoken in Italy include ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ] and ].

=== Languages ===
{{Main|Languages of Italy|Italian language|Regional Italian|Geographical distribution of Italian speakers}}
]]]


Italy's official language is Italian.<ref name="lang">{{Cite web|title=Legge 15 Dicembre 1999, n. 482 "Norme in materia di tutela delle minoranze linguistiche storiche" pubblicata nella Gazzetta Ufficiale n. 297 del 20 dicembre 1999 |url=http://www.camera.it/parlam/leggi/99482l.htm|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150512051856/http://www.camera.it/parlam/leggi/99482l.htm|archive-date=12 May 2015|access-date=2 December 2014|publisher=]}}</ref><ref>Statuto Speciale per il Trentino-Alto Adige, Art. 99</ref> There are an estimated 64 million native Italian speakers around the world,<ref> {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150730230004/http://www.ethnologue.com/language/ita|date=30 July 2015}} Ethnologue.com; {{Cite web|date=February 2006|title=Eurobarometer – Europeans and their languages|url=http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/ebs/ebs_243_sum_en.pdf|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110430202903/http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/ebs/ebs_243_sum_en.pdf|archive-date=30 April 2011|format=485{{spaces}}KB}}; ] "Världens 100 största språk 2007" The World's 100 Largest Languages in 2007</ref> and another 21 million use it as a second language.<ref> {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140502004444/http://www2.le.ac.uk/departments/modern-languages/lal/languages%20at%20lal/italian|date=2 May 2014}} University of Leicester</ref> Italian is often natively spoken as a ], not to be confused with Italy's regional and minority languages;<ref>{{Cite web|title=UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in danger|url=http://www.unesco.org/languages-atlas/index.php|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161218184822/http://www.unesco.org/languages-atlas/index.php|archive-date=18 December 2016|access-date=2 January 2018|publisher=UNESCO}}; {{Cite encyclopedia|url=https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/297241/Italian-language|title=Italian language|encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica|date=3 November 2008|access-date=19 November 2009|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091129081859/https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/297241/Italian-language|archive-date=29 November 2009}}</ref> however, during the 20th century, the establishment of a national education system led to a decrease in regional dialects. Standardisation was further expanded in the 1950s and 1960s, due to economic growth and the rise of ] and television.
Minority languages include ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], and ]. A law enacted in 1999 recognises the existence of twelve linguistic minorities, guaranteeing them protection.


Twelve "historical minority languages" are formally recognised: Albanian, ], German, Greek, Slovene, Croatian, French, Franco-Provençal, Friulian, ], ], and Sardinian.<ref name="lang"/> Four of these enjoy co-official status in their respective regions: French in the Aosta Valley;<ref>L.cost. 26 febbraio 1948, n. 4, Statuto speciale per la Valle d'Aosta</ref> German in ], and ] as well in some parts of the same province and in parts of the neighbouring Trentino;<ref>L.cost. 26 febbraio 1948, n. 5, Statuto speciale per il Trentino-Alto Adige</ref> and ] in the provinces of ], ], and ].<ref>L. cost. 31 gennaio 1963, n. 1, Statuto speciale della Regione Friuli-Venezia Giulia</ref> Other Ethnologue, ISO, and UNESCO languages are not recognised under Italian law. Like France, Italy has signed the ], but has not ratified it.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Ready for Ratification|url=https://rm.coe.int/European-centre-for-minority-issues-vol-1-/1680737191|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180103133317/https://rm.coe.int/European-centre-for-minority-issues-vol-1-/1680737191|archive-date=3 January 2018|publisher=European Centre for Minority Issues}}</ref>
===Recognized ethnic minorities and minority languages===
Several ethnic groups are legally recognized,<ref></ref> and a number of minority languages have co-official status alongside Italian in various parts of the country. French is co-official in the ]—although in fact ] is more commonly spoken there. German has the same status in the ] as, in some parts of that province and in parts of the neighbouring ], does ]. ] is officially recognised in the provinces of ], ] and ] in ].


Due to recent immigration, Italy has sizeable populations whose native language is not Italian, nor a regional language. According to the ], Romanian is the most common mother tongue among foreign residents: almost 800,000 people speak Romanian as their first language (22% of foreign residents aged 6 and over). Other prevalent mother tongues are Arabic (spoken by over 475,000; 13% of foreign residents), Albanian (380,000), and Spanish (255,000).<ref>{{Cite web|date=24 July 2014|title=Linguistic diversity among foreign citizens in Italy|url=http://www.istat.it/en/archive/129304|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140730134706/http://www.istat.it/en/archive/129304|archive-date=30 July 2014|access-date=27 July 2014|publisher=Italian National Institute of Statistics}}</ref>
In these regions official documents are bilingual (trilingual in Ladin communities), or available upon request in either Italian or the co-official language. Traffic signs are also multilingual, except in the Valle d’Aosta where—with the exception of ] itself which has retained its Latin form in Italian as in English—French toponyms are generally used, attempts to ] them during the Fascist period having been abandoned. Education is possible in minority languages where such schools are operating.


=== Religion === === Religion ===
{{Main|Religion in Italy}} {{Main|Religion in Italy}}
{{See also|Freedom of religion in Italy|List of Italian religious minority politicians|Witchcraft in Italy}} {{See also|List of cathedrals in Italy}}
], viewed from the ], the ] in the back and ] to the right, ] (both the basilica and the hill are part of the ] of ], the ] of the ])]]


The ], the ], contains the government of ] and the worldwide ]. It is recognised as a ] entity, headed by the pope, who is also the Bishop of Rome, with which diplomatic relations can be maintained.<ref>Text taken directly from {{Cite web|title=Country Profile: Vatican City State|url=http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/travel-and-living-abroad/travel-advice-by-country/country-profile/europe/holy-see|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101231084624/http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/travel-and-living-abroad/travel-advice-by-country/country-profile/europe/holy-see|archive-date=31 December 2010|access-date=5 February 2016}} (viewed on 14 December 2011), on the website of the British Foreign & Commonwealth Office.</ref>{{Efn|The Holy See's sovereignty has been recognised explicitly in many international agreements and is particularly emphasised in article 2 of the ] of 11 February 1929, in which "Italy recognises the sovereignty of the Holy See in international matters as an inherent attribute in conformity with its traditions and the requirements of its mission to the world" ().}}
] is by far the largest religion in the country, although the Catholic Church is no longer officially the ]. Fully 87.8% of Italians identified themselves as Roman Catholic,<ref>{{it icon}} {{cite news|url=http://www.corriere.it/Primo_Piano/Cronache/2006/01_Gennaio/17/cattolici.shtml|title=Italy: 88% of Italians declare themselves Catholic|publisher=Corriere della Sera|date=18 January 2006|accessdate = 10 May 2009}}</ref> although only about one-third of these described themselves as active members (36.8%).


Although historically dominated by Catholicism, ] is declining.<ref name="Dell'orto">{{Cite web|last=Dell'orto|first=Giovanna|date=5 October 2023|title=The Nones: Italy|url=https://projects.apnews.com/features/2023/the-nones/the-nones-italy.html|access-date=6 October 2023|work=]|archive-date=5 October 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231005133701/https://projects.apnews.com/features/2023/the-nones/the-nones-italy.html|url-status=live}}; {{Cite web|last=Dell'orto|first=Giovanna|date=2023-10-05|title=From cradle to casket, life for Italians changes as Catholic faith loses relevance|url=https://apnews.com/article/italy-nonreligious-catholic-life-changes-fb808ce37daba3ce222e57a51c7d9187|access-date=2023-10-06|work=Associated Press News|archive-date=7 October 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231007220721/https://apnews.com/article/italy-nonreligious-catholic-life-changes-fb808ce37daba3ce222e57a51c7d9187|url-status=live}}</ref> Most Catholics are nominal; the Associated Press describes ] as "nominally embraced but rarely lived".<ref name="Dell'orto"/> Italy has the world's ] and the largest in Europe.<ref>{{Cite web|date=13 February 2013|title=The Global Catholic Population|url=https://www.pewforum.org/2013/02/13/the-global-catholic-population|website=Pew Research Center's Religion & Public Life Project|access-date=21 November 2020|archive-date=25 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201125003604/https://www.pewforum.org/2013/02/13/the-global-catholic-population/|url-status=live}}</ref> Since 1985, Catholicism is no longer the official religion.<ref>{{Cite news|date=4 June 1985|title=Catholicism No Longer Italy's State Religion|url=http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/1985-06-04/news/8501220260_1_italian-state-new-agreement-church|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131020143004/http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/1985-06-04/news/8501220260_1_italian-state-new-agreement-church|archive-date=20 October 2013|access-date=7 September 2013|work=]}}</ref>
Most Italians believe in God, or a form of a spiritual life force. According to the most recent ] 2005:<ref></ref>
*'''74%''' of Italian citizens responded that ''they believe there is a God'';
*'''16%''' answered that ''they believe there is some sort of spirit or life force'';
*'''6%''' answered that ''they do not believe there is any sort of spirit, God, or life force''.


In 2011, minority Christian faiths included an estimated 1.5 million Orthodox Christians, while ] has been growing.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Leustean|first=Lucian N.|title=Eastern Christianity and Politics in the Twenty-First Century|date=2014|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-0-4156-8490-3|page=723}}</ref> Italy has for centuries welcomed Jews expelled from other countries, notably Spain. However, about 20% of Italian Jews were killed during ].<ref>{{Cite book|last=Dawidowicz, Lucy S.|title=The war against the Jews, 1933–1945 |publisher=Bantam Books|year=1986|isbn=978-0-5533-4302-1|location=New York}} p. 403</ref> This, together with emigration before and after World War II, has left around 28,000 Jews.<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Jewish Community of Italy (Unione delle Comunita Ebraiche Italiane)|url=http://www.eurojewcong.org/communities/italy.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130313095857/http://www.eurojewcong.org/communities/italy.html|archive-date=13 March 2013|access-date=25 August 2014|publisher=The European Jewish Congress}}</ref> There are 120,000 Hindus<ref>{{Cite web|date=4 November 2019|title=Eurispes, risultati del primo Rapporto di ricerca su "L'Induismo in Italia"|url=https://eurispes.eu/news/eurispes-risultati-del-primo-rapporto-di-ricerca-su-linduismo-in-italia|access-date=31 December 2021|language=it|archive-date=31 December 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211231223926/https://eurispes.eu/news/eurispes-risultati-del-primo-rapporto-di-ricerca-su-linduismo-in-italia/|url-status=live}}</ref> and 70,000 Sikhs.<ref>{{Cite web|date=15 November 2004|title=NRI Sikhs in Italy|url=http://www.nriinternet.com/EUROPE/ITALY/2004/111604Gurdwara.htm|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110207031755/http://nriinternet.com/EUROPE/ITALY/2004/111604Gurdwara.htm|archive-date=7 February 2011|access-date=30 October 2010|publisher=Nriinternet.com}}</ref>
====Christianity====
{{Main|Christianity in Italy}}


The state devolves shares of income tax to recognised religious communities, under a regime known as ]. Donations are allowed to Christian, Jewish, Buddhist, and Hindu communities; however, Islam remains excluded, as no Muslim communities have signed a concordat.<ref>{{Cite web|date=7 April 2003|title=Italy: Islam denied income tax revenue – Adnkronos Religion|url=http://www.adnkronos.com/AKI/English/Religion/?id=3.1.880028077|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130620070907/http://www.adnkronos.com/AKI/English/Religion/?id=3.1.880028077|archive-date=20 June 2013|access-date=2 June 2013|publisher=Adnkronos.com}}</ref> Taxpayers who do not wish to fund a religion contribute their share to the welfare system.<ref> {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130927211619/http://documenti.camera.it/Leg16/dossier/Testi/BI0350.htm|date=27 September 2013}}. Documenti.camera.it (10 March 1998). Retrieved 12 July 2013.</ref>
], ], ] (Venice Cathedral) and Syracuse Cathedral.]]


=== Education ===
The Italian Catholic Church is part of the global Roman Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the ], ] in Rome, and the ]. In addition to Italy, two other sovereign nations are included in Italian-based dioceses, ] and ]. There are 225 dioceses in the Italian Catholic Church, see further in this article and in the article ]. Even though by law Vatican City is not part of Italy, it is in Rome, and along with ], Italian is the most spoken and second language of the ].<ref>{{cite news| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/country_profiles/1066140.stm|work=BBC News|title=Country profile: Vatican|date=26 October 2009|accessdate=5 May 2010}}</ref>
{{Main|Education in Italy}}
], established in 1088 AD, is the world's ].]]


Education is mandatory and free from ages six to sixteen,<ref>{{Cite web|title=Law 27 December 2007, n.296 |url=http://www.camera.it/parlam/leggi/06296l.htm|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121206012402/http://www.camera.it/parlam/leggi/06296l.htm|archive-date=6 December 2012|access-date=30 September 2012|publisher=Italian Parliament}}</ref> and consists of five stages: kindergarten, primary school, lower secondary school, upper secondary school, and university.<ref>{{Cite web|title=&#124; Human Development Reports|url=http://hdr.undp.org/en/media/HDR_20072008_EN_Complete.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110429033726/http://hdr.undp.org/en/media/HDR_20072008_EN_Complete.pdf|archive-date=29 April 2011|access-date=18 January 2014|publisher=Hdr.undp.org}}</ref>
Italy has a rich Catholic culture, especially as numerous Catholic ]s, ]s and popes were Italian themselves. Roman Catholic art in Italy especially flourished during the ], ] and ] periods, with numerous Italian artists, such as ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ] and ]. Roman Catholic architecture in Italy is equally as rich and impressive, with churches, basilicas and cathedrals such as ], ] and ]. Roman Catholicism is the largest religion and denomination in Italy, with around 87.8% of Italians considering themselves Catholic. Italy is also home to the greatest number of ]s in the world,<ref></ref> and is the country with the greatest number of Roman Catholic churches per capita.<ref name="kwintessential.co.uk">{{cite web|url=http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/resources/global-etiquette/italy-country-profile.html |title=Italy - Italian Language, Culture, Customs and Business Etiquette |publisher=Kwintessential.co.uk |accessdate=2010-08-02}}</ref>


Primary school lasts eight years. Students are given a basic education in Italian, English, mathematics, natural sciences, history, geography, social studies, physical education, and visual and musical arts. Secondary school lasts for five years and includes three traditional types of schools focused on different academic levels: the '']'' prepares students for university studies with a classical or scientific curriculum, while the '']'' and the '']'' prepare pupils for vocations.
Even though the main Christian denomination in Italy is Roman Catholicism, there are some minorities of ], ], ] and other Christian churches.


In 2018, secondary education was evaluated as being below the average among ] countries.<ref name="oecd.org">{{Cite web|title=PISA 2018 results|url=https://www.oecd.org/pisa/publications/pisa-2018-results.htm|access-date=6 April 2021|website=oecd.org|archive-date=3 December 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191203141933/https://www.oecd.org/pisa/publications/pisa-2018-results.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> Italy scored below the OECD average in reading and science, and near the OECD average in maths.<ref name="oecd.org"/> A wide gap exists between northern schools, which perform near average, and the south, which had much poorer results.<ref>{{Cite web|title=The literacy divide: territorial differences in the Italian education system|url=http://new.sis-statistica.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/CO09-The-literacy-divide-territorial-differences-in-the-Italian.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151117015624/http://new.sis-statistica.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/CO09-The-literacy-divide-territorial-differences-in-the-Italian.pdf|archive-date=17 November 2015|access-date=16 November 2015|publisher=Parthenope University of Naples}}</ref>
In the 20th century, ], ], non-denominational ], and ] were the fastest-growing Protestant churches. Immigration from ], ], and ] at the beginning of the 21st century has increased the size of ], ], Pentecostal and Evangelical communities in Italy, while immigration from ] has produced large Eastern Orthodox communities.


Tertiary education is divided between ], private universities, and the prestigious and selective ], such as the ]. 33 Italian universities were ranked among the world's top 500 in 2019.<ref>{{Cite web|year=2019|title=Number of top-ranked universities by country in Europe|url=https://jakubmarian.com/number-of-top-ranked-universities-by-country-in-europe|publisher=jakubmarian.com|access-date=18 May 2019|archive-date=18 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190518113438/https://jakubmarian.com/number-of-top-ranked-universities-by-country-in-europe/|url-status=live}}</ref> ], founded in 1088, is the ] still in operation,<ref>Nuria Sanz, Sjur Bergan: "The heritage of European universities", 2nd edition, Higher Education Series No. 7, Council of Europe, 2006, ISBN 978-92-871-6121-5, p. 136</ref> and one of the leading academic institutions in Europe.<ref>{{Cite news|date=3 July 2017|title=Censis, la classifica delle università: Bologna ancora prima|url=http://bologna.repubblica.it/cronaca/2017/07/03/news/censis_la_classifica_delle_universita_bologna_ancora_prima-169846308|work=La Repubblica|access-date=10 September 2018|archive-date=10 September 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180910204704/https://bologna.repubblica.it/cronaca/2017/07/03/news/censis_la_classifica_delle_universita_bologna_ancora_prima-169846308/|url-status=live}}</ref> ], the ], ], the ], the ], the ], and the ] are also ranked among the best.<ref>{{Cite web|year=2015|title=Academic Ranking of World Universities 2015 |url=http://www.shanghairanking.com/ARWU2015.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151030134046/http://www.shanghairanking.com/ARWU2015.html|archive-date=30 October 2015|access-date=29 October 2015|publisher=Shanghai Ranking Consultancy}}</ref>
In 2006, Protestants made up 2.1% of Italy's population, and members of Eastern Orthodox churches comprised 1.2%. Other ] groups in Italy include more than 700,000 Eastern Orthodox Christians including 180,000 ],<ref></ref> 550,000 Pentecostals and Evangelists (0.8%), of whom 400,000 are members of the ], 235,685 Jehovah's Witnesses (0.4%),<ref>{{it icon}} </ref> 30,000 Waldensians,<ref>{{it icon}} </ref> 25,000 ], 22,000 Mormons, 15,000 Baptists (plus some 5,000 Free Baptists), 7,000 ], 4,000 ] (affiliated with the Waldensian Church).<ref></ref>


====Other religions==== === Health ===
{{Main|Islam in Italy|Jews in Italy|Hinduism in Italy|Buddhism in Italy|Bahá'í Faith in Italy}} {{Main|Health in Italy|Healthcare in Italy}}
] and vegetables are central to the Mediterranean diet.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Duarte, A.|last2=Fernandes, J.|last3=Bernardes, J.|last4=Miguel, G.|year=2016|title=Citrus as a Component of the Mediterranean Diet|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/311911612|journal=Journal of Spatial and Organizational Dynamics – JSOD|volume=4|pages=289–304|access-date=26 January 2021|archive-date=1 October 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181001220519/https://www.researchgate.net/publication/311911612|url-status=live}}</ref>]]
{{See also|History of the Jews in Italy|History of Islam in Southern Italy}}
The longest-established religious faith in Italy is ], Jews having been present in ] before the birth of Christ. Italy has seen many influential Italian-Jews, such as ], who took office in 1910, ] served as mayor of Rome from 1907 to 1913 and ] (died 982). During the ], Italy took in many Jewish refugees from ] Germany. However, with the creation of the Nazi-backed puppet ], about 15% of Italy's Jews were killed, despite the Fascist government's refusal to deport Jews to Nazi death camps. This, together with the emigration that preceded and followed the Second World War, has left only a small community of around 45,000 Jews in Italy today.


Italy's life expectancy in 2015 was 80.5 years for men and 84.8 for women, placing the country ].<ref>{{Cite web|year=2016|title=World Health Statistics 2016: Monitoring health for the SDGs Annex B: tables of health statistics by country, WHO region and globally |url=https://www.who.int/gho/publications/world_health_statistics/2016/Annex_B/en|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160623023234/http://www.who.int/gho/publications/world_health_statistics/2016/Annex_B/en|archive-date=23 June 2016|access-date=27 June 2016|publisher=World Health Organization}}</ref> Compared to other Western countries, Italy has a low rate of adult obesity (below 10%<ref>{{Cite web|title=Global Prevalence of Adult Obesity|url=http://www.iotf.org/database/documents/GlobalPrevalenceofAdultObesity16thDecember08.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090327044232/http://www.iotf.org/database/documents/GlobalPrevalenceofAdultObesity16thDecember08.pdf|archive-date=27 March 2009|access-date=29 January 2008|publisher=]}}</ref>), as the health benefits of the ] are very significant.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Dinu|first1=M|last2=Pagliai|first2=G|last3=Casini|first3=A|author-link3=Angela Casini|last4=Sofi|first4=F|date=10 May 2017|title=Mediterranean diet and multiple health outcomes: an umbrella review of meta-analyses of observational studies and randomised trials.|journal=European Journal of Clinical Nutrition|volume=72|issue=1|pages=30–43|doi=10.1038/ejcn.2017.58|pmid=28488692|s2cid=7702206|hdl-access=free|hdl=2158/1081996}}</ref> In 2013, ], prompted by Italy, added the Mediterranean diet to the ] of Italy, Morocco, Spain, Portugal, Greece, Cyprus, and Croatia.<ref>{{Cite web|title=UNESCO Culture Sector, Eighth Session of the Intergovernmental Committee (8.COM) – from 2 to 7 December 2013 |url=http://www.unesco.org/culture/ich/index.php?lg=en&pg=00473|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131220125948/http://www.unesco.org/culture/ich/index.php?lg=en&pg=00473|archive-date=20 December 2013|access-date=3 April 2014}}; {{Cite web|url=http://www.unesco.org/culture/ich/index.php?lg=en&pg=00011&RL=00884|access-date=3 April 2014|title=UNESCO – Culture – Intangible Heritage – Lists & Register – Inscribed Elements – Mediterranean Diet| url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140415064011/http://www.unesco.org/culture/ich/index.php?lg=en&pg=00011&RL=00884|archive-date=15 April 2014}}</ref>
Due to immigration from around the world, there has been an increase in non-Christian faiths. In 2009, there were 1.0 million ] in Italy<ref></ref> forming 1.6 percent of population although, only 50,000 hold ]. Independent estimates put the Islamic population in Italy anywhere from 0.8 million<ref>{{cite news| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4385768.stm|work=BBC News|title=Muslims in Europe: Country guide|date=23 December 2005|accessdate=5 May 2010}}</ref> to 1.5 million.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/24/world/europe/24iht-rome.html?_r=1|work=The New York Times|date=25 July 2005|accessdate=31 March 2010|first=Elisabeth|last=Rosenthal|title=Pressure is growingon Muslims in Italy}}</ref>


The proportion of daily smokers was 22% in 2012, down from 24% in 2000 but above the OECD average.<ref>{{Cite web|year=2014|title=OECD Health Statistics 2014 How Does Italy Compare? |url=http://www.oecd.org/els/health-systems/Briefing-Note-ITALY-2014.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924133234/http://www.oecd.org/els/health-systems/Briefing-Note-ITALY-2014.pdf|archive-date=24 September 2015|publisher=OECD}}</ref> Since 2005, smoking in public places has been restricted to "specially ventilated rooms".<ref>{{Cite news|title=Smoking Ban Begins in Italy {{!}} Europe {{!}} DW.COM {{!}} 10 January 2005|url=http://www.dw.com/en/smoking-ban-begins-in-italy/a-1453590|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150621143640/http://www.dw.com/en/smoking-ban-begins-in-italy/a-1453590|archive-date=21 June 2015|access-date=1 August 2010|publisher=]}}</ref>
There are more than 200,000 followers of faith originating in the Indian subcontinent woth some 70,000 ] with 22 ] across the country,<ref></ref> 70,000 ], and 50,000 ].<ref></ref> There are an estimated some 4,900 Bahá'ís in Italy in 2005.<ref name="WCE-05">{{cite web| title = Most Baha'i Nations (2005)|work = QuickLists > Compare Nations > Religions >|publisher = The Association of Religion Data Archives|year = 2005| url =http://www.thearda.com/QuickLists/QuickList_40c.asp|accessdate = 2010-01-30}}</ref>


Since 1978, the state has run a universal public healthcare system.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Italy – Health|url=http://dev.prenhall.com/divisions/hss/worldreference/IT/health.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090701064229/http://dev.prenhall.com/divisions/hss/worldreference/IT/health.html|archive-date=1 July 2009|access-date=2 August 2010|publisher=Dev.prenhall.com}}</ref> However, healthcare is provided to all citizens and residents by a mixed public-private system. The public part is the ], which is organised under the Ministry of Health and administered on a devolved regional basis. Healthcare spending accounted for 10% of GDP in 2020. Italy's healthcare system has been consistently ranked among the best in the world;<ref>{{Cite web|title=The World Health Organization's ranking of the world's health systems|url=http://www.photius.com/rankings/healthranks.html|access-date=7 September 2015|publisher=Photius.com|archive-date=5 January 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100105190014/http://www.photius.com/rankings/healthranks.html|url-status=live}}; {{Cite news|date=20 March 2017|title=Italy's Struggling Economy Has World's Healthiest People|publisher=Bloomberg News|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-03-20/italy-s-struggling-economy-has-world-s-healthiest-people|access-date=9 December 2020|archive-date=6 October 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221006112037/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-03-20/italy-s-struggling-economy-has-world-s-healthiest-people|url-status=live}}</ref> according to research by the ] (WHO) dating back to 2000, Italy had the second best healthcare system in the world in terms of spending efficiency and access to public care for citizens, after France.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Maio |first1=Vittorio |last2=Manzoli |first2=L |date=2002 |title=The Italian health care system: W.H.O. Ranking versus public perception. |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/285698246 |journal=P and T |volume=27 |pages=301–308}}</ref>
==Economy==

== Economy ==
{{Main|Economy of Italy}} {{Main|Economy of Italy}}
{{See also|List of largest Italian companies}}
Italy has an advanced<ref>{{Cite web|title=Select Country or Country Groups|url=https://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2017/02/weodata/weoselgr.aspx|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171022143402/https://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2017/02/weodata/weoselgr.aspx|archive-date=22 October 2017|access-date=22 October 2017}}</ref> ] that is the third-largest in the ] and ] in the world by ]-adjusted GDP.<ref>{{Cite web|date=28 April 2017|title=Gross domestic product (2015) |url=http://databank.worldbank.org/data/download/GDP.pdf|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170201165545/http://databank.worldbank.org/data/download/GDP.pdf|archive-date=1 February 2017|access-date=17 May 2017|website=The World Bank: World Development Indicators database|publisher=World Bank}}</ref> It has the ] and the ]. As a founding member of the ], the eurozone, and the ], it is one of the most industrialised nations and a leading country in ].<ref>{{Cite news|last1=Sensenbrenner|first1=Frank|last2=Arcelli|first2=Angelo Federico|title=Italy's Economy Is Much Stronger Than It Seems|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/frank-sensenbrenner/italy-economy_b_3401988.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141206190937/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/frank-sensenbrenner/italy-economy_b_3401988.html|archive-date=6 December 2014|access-date=25 November 2014|work=HuffPost}}; {{Cite news|last1=Dadush|first1=Uri|title=Is the Italian Economy on the Mend?|url=http://carnegieeurope.eu/publications/?fa=50565&reloadFlag=1|access-date=25 November 2014|publisher=]|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150713124951/http://carnegieeurope.eu/publications/?fa=50565&reloadFlag=1|archive-date=13 July 2015}}; {{Cite web|title=Doing Business in Italy: 2014 Country Commercial Guide for U.S. Companies |url=http://www.export.gov/italy/static/2014%20CCG%20Italy_Latest_eg_it_076513.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140715152504/http://www.export.gov/italy/static/2014%20CCG%20Italy_Latest_eg_it_076513.pdf|archive-date=15 July 2014|access-date=25 November 2014|publisher=]}}</ref> It is a ] ranked 30th on the ]. It performs well in ], ],<ref>{{Cite web|title=The World Health Organization's ranking of the world's health systems|url=http://www.photius.com/rankings/healthranks.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100105190014/http://www.photius.com/rankings/healthranks.html|archive-date=5 January 2010|access-date=7 September 2015|publisher=Photius.com}}</ref> and ]. The country is well known for its creative and innovative businesses,<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Global Creativity Index 2011 |url=http://martinprosperity.org/media/GCI%20Report%20Sep%202011.pdf|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140930054555/http://martinprosperity.org/media/GCI%20Report%20Sep%202011.pdf|archive-date=30 September 2014|access-date=26 November 2014|publisher=Martin Prosperity Institute}}</ref> a competitive agricultural sector<ref>{{Cite web|last1=Aksoy|first1=M. Ataman|last2=Ng|first2=Francis|title=The Evolution of Agricultural Trade Flows|url=https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/bitstream/handle/10986/3793/WPS5308.pdf?sequence=1|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141129120448/https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/bitstream/handle/10986/3793/WPS5308.pdf?sequence=1|archive-date=29 November 2014|access-date=25 November 2014|publisher=]}}</ref> (with the world's ]),<ref>{{Cite news|last=Pisa|first=Nick|date=12 June 2011|title=Italy overtakes France to become world's largest wine producer|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/wine/8571222/Italy-overtakes-France-to-become-worlds-largest-wine-producer.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110903021833/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/wine/8571222/Italy-overtakes-France-to-become-worlds-largest-wine-producer.html|archive-date=3 September 2011|access-date=17 August 2011|work=The Telegraph}}</ref> and for its influential and high-quality automobile, machinery, food, design, and fashion industries.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Automotive Market Sector Profile – Italy|url=http://www.enterprisecanadanetwork.ca/_uploads/resources/Automotive-Market-Sector-Profile-Italy.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141205163959/http://www.enterprisecanadanetwork.ca/_uploads/resources/Automotive-Market-Sector-Profile-Italy.pdf|archive-date=5 December 2014|access-date=26 November 2014|publisher=]}}; {{Cite web|title=Data & Trends of the European Food and Drink Industry 2013–2014 |url=http://www.fooddrinkeurope.eu/uploads/publications_documents/Data__Trends_of_the_European_Food_and_Drink_Industry_2013-2014.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141206010318/http://www.fooddrinkeurope.eu/uploads/publications_documents/Data__Trends_of_the_European_Food_and_Drink_Industry_2013-2014.pdf|archive-date=6 December 2014|access-date=26 November 2014|publisher=]}}; {{Cite news|date=10 January 2014|title=Italy fashion industry back to growth in 2014 |url=http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-italy-fashion-growth-idUKBREA0912220140110|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141205114140/http://uk.reuters.com/article/2014/01/10/uk-italy-fashion-growth-idUKBREA0912220140110|archive-date=5 December 2014|access-date=26 November 2014|work=Reuters}}</ref>
] and ] of the world.]]
], founded in 1472, is the world's ].]]
] is considered one of the world's oil and gas ].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.globalwitness.org/en/campaigns/oil-gas-and-mining/spotlight-sharpens/|title=The spotlight sharpens: Eni and corruption in Republic of Congo's oil sector|website=Global Witness|access-date=27 April 2020|archive-date=25 July 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230725204616/https://www.globalwitness.org/en/campaigns/oil-gas-and-mining/spotlight-sharpens/|url-status=dead}}</ref>]]


Italy is the ],<ref>" {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171010152014/http://databank.worldbank.org/data/reports.aspx?source=2&series=NV.IND.MANF.KD&country=|date=10 October 2017}}". Retrieved 17 May 2017.</ref> characterised by fewer multinational corporations than other economies of comparable size and many dynamic ], clustered in industrial districts, which are the backbone of Italian industry. This has produced a niche-markets manufacturing sector often focused on the export of luxury products. While less capable of competing on quantity, it can compete with Asian economies that have lower labor costs through higher-quality products.<ref>{{Cite news|date=19 May 2005|title=Knowledge Economy Forum 2008: Innovative Small And Medium Enterprises Are Key To Europe & Central Asian Growth |url=http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/COUNTRIES/ECAEXT/0,,contentMDK:21808326~menuPK:258604~pagePK:2865106~piPK:2865128~theSitePK:258599,00.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080623065619/http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/COUNTRIES/ECAEXT/0,,contentMDK:21808326~menuPK:258604~pagePK:2865106~piPK:2865128~theSitePK:258599,00.html|archive-date=23 June 2008|access-date=17 June 2008|publisher=The World Bank}}</ref> Italy was the world's ] in 2019. Its closest trade ties are with other EU countries and largest export partners in 2019 were Germany (12%), France (11%), and the US (10%).<ref name="cia.gov">{{Cite web|title=The World Factbook|url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/italy|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210701235642/https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/italy|archive-date=1 July 2021|access-date=28 May 2021|publisher=Central Intelligence Agency}}</ref>
Italy has a ] economy with high GDP per capita and developed infrastructure. According to the ], in 2008 Italy was the ] economy in the world and the fourth-largest in Europe. Italy is member of the ] (G8) industrialized nations, the ] and the ].


] is a significant part of the manufacturing sector with over 144,000 firms, and almost 485,000 employees in 2015,<ref>{{Cite web|title=Auto: settore da 144mila imprese in Italia e 117 mld fatturato|url=http://www.adnkronos.com/soldi/economia/2015/09/23/auto-settore-mila-imprese-italia-mld-fatturato_WooBmrBqxgxO7mOvIRXUBI.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150925121926/http://www.adnkronos.com/soldi/economia/2015/09/23/auto-settore-mila-imprese-italia-mld-fatturato_WooBmrBqxgxO7mOvIRXUBI.html|archive-date=25 September 2015|access-date=23 September 2015|website=adnkronos.com}}</ref> contributing 9% to GDP.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Country Profiles – Italy|url=http://acea.thisconnect.com/index.php/country_profiles/detail/italy|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080211190839/http://acea.thisconnect.com/index.php/country_profiles/detail/italy|archive-date=11 February 2008|access-date=9 February 2008|website=acea.thisconnect.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Global Auto Market 2021. General Motors Is The Only Group To Report Double-digit Losses |url=https://www.focus2move.com/world-car-group-ranking|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210701010705/https://www.focus2move.com/world-car-group-ranking|archive-date=1 July 2021|access-date=27 May 2022}}</ref> The country boasts a wide range of products, from city cars to luxury supercars such as ], ], ], and ].<ref>{{Cite web|last=Haigh|first=Robert|date=18 February 2014|title=Ferrari – The World's Most Powerful Brand|url=http://brandfinance.com/news/ferrari--the-worlds-most-powerful-brand|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160202035054/http://brandfinance.com/news/ferrari--the-worlds-most-powerful-brand|archive-date=2 February 2016|access-date=9 February 2015|publisher=Brand Finance}}</ref>
].]]


The ] is the world's oldest or second oldest bank in continuous operation, depending on the definition, and the fourth-largest Italian commercial and retail bank.<ref>{{Cite news|date=26 October 2017|title=Italy's fourth-biggest bank returns to the stockmarket|url=https://www.economist.com/news/finance-and-economics/21730672-shares-bailed-out-bank-start-trading-again-italys-fourth-biggest-bank|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180215112321/https://www.economist.com/news/finance-and-economics/21730672-shares-bailed-out-bank-start-trading-again-italys-fourth-biggest-bank|archive-date=15 February 2018|access-date=26 October 2021|newspaper=]}}</ref> Italy has a strong ] sector with the largest share in the EU of the population (4.5%) employed by a cooperative.<ref>{{Cite web|date=April 2016|title=The Power of Cooperation – Cooperatives Europe key statistics 2015 |url=https://coopseurope.coop/sites/default/files/The%20power%20of%20Cooperation%20-%20Cooperatives%20Europe%20key%20statistics%202015.pdf|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201112034412/https://coopseurope.coop/sites/default/files/The%20power%20of%20Cooperation%20-%20Cooperatives%20Europe%20key%20statistics%202015.pdf|archive-date=12 November 2020|access-date=28 May 2021|website=]}}</ref> The ] area, Basilicata, hosts the largest ] ] in Europe.<ref>{{Cite web|title=In Val d'Agri with Upstream activities|url=https://www.eni.com/en-IT/operations/italy-val-agri-upstream-activities.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220516034214/https://www.eni.com/en-IT/operations/italy-val-agri-upstream-activities.html|archive-date=16 May 2022|access-date=3 February 2021|publisher=]}}</ref> Moderate natural gas reserves, mainly in the ] and offshore under the Adriatic, have been discovered and constitute the country's most important mineral resource. Italy is one of the world's leading producers of ], ], and ].<ref>{{Cite encyclopedia|title=Italy, the economy: Resources and power|encyclopedia=]|url=https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/297474/Italy/26994/Forestry#toc26986|access-date=9 February 2015|date=3 February 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150209194536/http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/297474/Italy/26994/Forestry#toc26986|archive-date=9 February 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> Another notable resource is marble, especially the famous white ] from Tuscany.
In the post-war period, Italy was transformed from a weak, agricultural based economy which had been severely affected by the consequences of ], into ],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.careersineurope.hobsons.com/country_italy.aspx |title=Hobsons Careers in Europe &#124; Country profiles |publisher=Careersineurope.hobsons.com |accessdate=2010-08-02}}</ref> and a leading country in ], even so that in 1987, the Italian economy surpassed the ], by ] (nominal), an event known as ']'<ref>, Graduate School of Business Administration, University of Virginia</ref> and in 1991 Italy became for a while the fourth worldwide economic power, overcoming also ].<ref></ref>


Italy is part of a monetary union, the eurozone, which represents around 330 million citizens, and of the ], which represents more than 500 million consumers. Several domestic commercial policies are determined by agreements among EU members and EU legislation. Italy joined the common European currency, the ], in 2002.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Andrews|first=Edmund L.|date=1 January 2002|title=Germans Say Goodbye to the Mark, a Symbol of Strength and Unity|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/01/01/world/germans-say-goodbye-to-the-mark-a-symbol-of-strength-and-unity.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110501031330/http://www.nytimes.com/2002/01/01/world/germans-say-goodbye-to-the-mark-a-symbol-of-strength-and-unity.html|archive-date=1 May 2011|access-date=18 March 2011|work=The New York Times}}; {{Cite news|last=Taylor Martin|first=Susan|date=28 December 1998|title=On Jan.{{spaces}}1, out of many arises one Euro|work=]|page=National, 1.A}}</ref> Its monetary policy is set by the ].
According to the ], Italy has high levels of freedom for ]s, ] and ]. Italy is a ], and, according to ], has the world's 8th highest ].<ref name="economist.com"/> The country enjoys a ], and is the world's 18th most developed country, surpassing ], ] and the ].<ref name="hdr.undp.org" /> According to the last ] data, Italian ] remains approximately equal to the EU average,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/cache/ITY_PUBLIC/2-25062009-BP/EN/2-25062009-BP-EN.PDF|title=GDP per capita in PPS|publisher=Eurostat|accessdate=25 June 2009}}</ref> while the ] rate (8.5%) stands as one of the EU's lowest.<ref> Ocse, tasso di disoccupazione stabile nell'eurozona</ref>


Italy was hit hard by the ], which exacerbated structural problems.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Orsi|first=Roberto|date=23 April 2013|title=The Quiet Collapse of the Italian Economy|url=http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/eurocrisispress/2013/04/23/the-quiet-collapse-of-the-italian-economy|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141119075748/http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/eurocrisispress/2013/04/23/the-quiet-collapse-of-the-italian-economy|archive-date=19 November 2014|access-date=24 November 2014|publisher=]}}</ref> After strong GDP growth of 5–6% per year from the 1950s to the early 1970s,<ref>{{Cite book|last=Nicholas Crafts, Gianni Toniolo|title=Economic growth in Europe since 1945 |publisher=Cambridge University Press|year=1996|isbn=978-0-5214-9627-8|page=428}}</ref> and a progressive slowdown in the 1980–90s, the country stagnated in the 2000s.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Balcerowicz|first=Leszek|title=Economic Growth in the European Union|url=http://www.lisboncouncil.net/growth/documents/LISBON_COUNCIL_Economic_Growth_in_the_EU%20(1).pdf|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714205108/http://www.lisboncouncil.net/growth/documents/LISBON_COUNCIL_Economic_Growth_in_the_EU%20(1).pdf|archive-date=14 July 2014|access-date=8 October 2014|publisher=The Lisbon Council}}; {{Cite news|title="Secular stagnation" in graphics|url=https://www.economist.com/blogs/graphicdetail/2014/11/secular-stagnation-graphics|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141123234145/http://www.economist.com/blogs/graphicdetail/2014/11/secular-stagnation-graphics|archive-date=23 November 2014|access-date=24 November 2014|newspaper=The Economist}}</ref> Political efforts to revive growth with massive government spending produced a severe rise in ], that stood at over 132% of GDP in 2017,<ref>{{Cite web|date=15 May 2018|title=Debito pubblico oltre 2.300 miliardi e all'estero non lo comprano|url=https://www.investireoggi.it/economia/debito-pubblico-oltre-2-300-miliardi-e-litalia-e-sulla-strada-dellautarchia-finanziaria|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200221072720/https://www.investireoggi.it/economia/debito-pubblico-oltre-2-300-miliardi-e-litalia-e-sulla-strada-dellautarchia-finanziaria|archive-date=21 February 2020|access-date=1 June 2018}}</ref> the second highest in the EU, after Greece.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Government debt increased to 93.9% of GDP in euro area and to 88.0% in EU28|url=http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/cache/ITY_PUBLIC/2-22072014-AP/EN/2-22072014-AP-EN.PDF|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141021162159/http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/cache/ITY_PUBLIC/2-22072014-AP/EN/2-22072014-AP-EN.PDF|archive-date=21 October 2014|access-date=24 November 2014|publisher=]}}</ref> The largest portion of ] is owned by national subjects, a major difference between Italy and Greece,<ref>{{Cite web|date=18 May 2010|title=Could Italy Be Better Off than its Peers?|url=https://www.cnbc.com/2010/05/18/could-italy-be-better-off-than-its-peers.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110430030613/http://www.cnbc.com/id/37207942/Could_Italy_Be_Better_Off_than_its_Peers|archive-date=30 April 2011|access-date=30 May 2011|publisher=CNBC}}</ref> and the level of ] is much lower than the OECD average.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Household debt and the OECD's surveillance of member states|url=http://www.nationalbanken.dk/da/om_nationalbanken/oekonomisk_forskning/Documents/4_Household%20debt%20and%20the%20OECD's%20surveillance%20of%20member%20states%20by%20Christophe%20Andr%C3%A9.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150109041518/http://www.nationalbanken.dk/da/om_nationalbanken/oekonomisk_forskning/Documents/4_Household%20debt%20and%20the%20OECD%27s%20surveillance%20of%20member%20states%20by%20Christophe%20Andr%C3%A9.pdf|archive-date=9 January 2015|access-date=26 November 2014|publisher=] Economics Department}}</ref>
Italy has the world's 4th largest ].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gold.org/deliver.php?file=/value/stats/statistics/archive/pdf/World_Official_Gold_Holdings_Dec_2009.pdf |title=Please login to download > World Gold Council, the information resource for gold, investment, jewellery, science and technology, historical and culture > Please login to download |publisher=Gold.org |accessdate=27 January 2010}}</ref> The country is also well-known for its influential and innovative business economic sector,<ref name="dev.prenhall.com">{{cite web|url=http://dev.prenhall.com/divisions/hss/worldreference/IT/economics.html |title=Italy - Economics |publisher=Dev.prenhall.com |accessdate=2010-08-02}}</ref> an industrious and competitive agricultural sector<ref name="dev.prenhall.com"/> (Italy is the world's largest ] producer<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7827713.stm|title=UK tops world wine imports table|date=14 January 2009|publisher=BBC}}</ref>), and for its creative and high-quality automobile, industrial, appliance and fashion design.<ref name="dev.prenhall.com"/>


A gaping ] is a major factor of socio-economic weakness;<ref>{{Cite news|title=Oh for a new risorgimento|url=https://www.economist.com/node/18780831|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141024163715/http://www.economist.com/node/18780831|archive-date=24 October 2014|access-date=24 November 2014|newspaper=The Economist}}</ref> there is a huge difference in official income between northern and southern regions and municipalities.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Comune per Comune, ecco la mappa navigabile dei redditi dichiarati in Italia|url=http://www.lastampa.it/economia/speciali/redditi-italia|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150405032750/http://www.lastampa.it/economia/speciali/redditi-italia|archive-date=5 April 2015|access-date=4 April 2015|website=lastampa.it}}</ref> The richest province, ], earns 152% of the national GDP per capita, while the poorest region, Calabria, earns 61%.<ref>{{Cite web|title=GDP per capita at regional level|url=https://www.istat.it/it/files/2016/12/Conti-regionali_2015.pdf?title=Conti+economici+territoriali+-+12%2Fdic%2F2016+-+Testo+integrale+e+nota+metodologica.pdf|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171026054135/https://www.istat.it/it/files/2016/12/Conti-regionali_2015.pdf?title=Conti+economici+territoriali+-+12%2Fdic%2F2016+-+Testo+integrale+e+nota+metodologica.pdf|archive-date=26 October 2017|access-date=25 October 2017|publisher=]}}</ref> The unemployment rate (11%) is above the eurozone average,<ref>{{Cite web|title=Euro area unemployment rate at 11%|url=http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/documents/2995521/8121455/3-31072017-AP-EN.pdf|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170731232352/http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/documents/2995521/8121455/3-31072017-AP-EN.pdf|archive-date=31 July 2017|access-date=26 October 2017|publisher=]}}</ref> but the disaggregated figure is 7% in the north and 19% in the south.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Istat|author-link=National Institute of Statistics (Italy)|title=Employment and unemployment: second quarter 2017 |url=http://www.istat.it/it/files/2017/09/Mercato-del-lavoro-II-trim-2017.pdf?title=Il+mercato+del+lavoro+-+12%2Fset%2F2017+-+Testo+integrale+e+nota+metodologica.pdf|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171026054033/http://www.istat.it/it/files/2017/09/Mercato-del-lavoro-II-trim-2017.pdf?title=Il+mercato+del+lavoro+-+12%2Fset%2F2017+-+Testo+integrale+e+nota+metodologica.pdf|archive-date=26 October 2017|access-date=26 October 2017}}</ref> The ] (32% in 2018) is extremely high.
Despite this, the country's economy suffers from many problems. After a strong GDP growth of +8% from 1964 onwards,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/297474/Italy/214431/Italy-since-1945 |title=Italy :: Italy since 1945 - Britannica Online Encyclopedia |publisher=Britannica.com |accessdate=27 October 2009}}</ref> the last decade's average annual growth rate lagged with 1.23% in comparison to an average ] annual growth rate of 2.28%.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/tgm/table.do?tab=table&init=1&plugin=1&language=en&pcode=tsieb020 |title=Real GDP growth rate - Growth rate of GDP volume - percentage change on previous year|author=]|accessdate=10 May 2009}}</ref> In addition, Italian living standards have a considerable ]. The average ] per capita in ] exceeds by far the EU average, whilst some regions and provinces in Southern Italy are dramatically below.<ref name="europa.eu" ></ref> Italy has often been referred the '']'',<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.economist.com/opinion/displaystory.cfm?story_id=3987219|title=The real sick man of Europe|publisher=The Economist|date=19 May 2005|accessdate = 10 May 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/3557277/Italy-The-sick-man-of-Europe.html|title=Italy: The sick man of Europe|publisher=The Daily Telegraph|date=29 December 2008|accessdate = 10 May 2009|location=London}}</ref> characterised by economic stagnation, political instability and problems in pursuing reform programs.


=== Agriculture ===
]. Italy is the world's top wine producer.]]
{{Main|Agriculture in Italy}}
{{Multiple image
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| footer = ]. Italy is the world's ], and has the widest variety of indigenous ]s.<ref>{{Cite web|date=25 November 2018|title=L'Italia è il maggiore produttore di vino|url=http://www.inumeridelvino.it/2018/11/la-produzione-di-vino-nel-mondo-2018-prima-stima-oiv.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211111224545/http://www.inumeridelvino.it/2018/11/la-produzione-di-vino-nel-mondo-2018-prima-stima-oiv.html|archive-date=11 November 2021|access-date=11 November 2021|language=it}}; {{Cite web|date=3 June 2017|title=L'Italia è il paese con più vitigni autoctoni al mondo|url=https://giornalevinocibo.com/2017/06/03/italia-prima-assoluta-per-vitgni-autoctoni-ecco-i-dati-dei-vari-stati|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211101044918/https://giornalevinocibo.com/2017/06/03/italia-prima-assoluta-per-vitgni-autoctoni-ecco-i-dati-dei-vari-stati|archive-date=1 November 2021|access-date=11 November 2021|language=it}}</ref>
}}


According to the last agricultural census, there were 1.6 million farms in 2010 (−32% since 2000) covering {{Convert|12700000|ha|0|abbr=on|disp=or}} (63% are in south Italy).<ref name="agrocensus">{{Cite web|date=24 October 2010|title=Censimento Agricoltura 2010 |url=http://dati-censimentoagricoltura.istat.it|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150213021626/http://dati-censimentoagricoltura.istat.it|archive-date=13 February 2015|access-date=11 February 2015|publisher=]}}</ref> 99% are family-operated and small, averaging only {{Convert|8|ha|0|abbr=on}}.<ref name="agrocensus"/> Of the area in agricultural use, grain fields take up 31%, ] orchards 8%, ]s 5%, ] orchards 4%, ]s 2%, and horticulture 2%. The remainder is primarily dedicated to pastures (26%) and feed grains (12%).<ref name="agrocensus"/>
More specifically, Italy suffers from structural weaknesses due to its geographical conformation and the lack of raw materials and energy resources: in 2006 the country imported more than 86% of its total energy consumption (99.7% of the solid fuels, 92.5% of oil, 91.2% of natural gas and 15% of electricity).<ref>{{cite news|url=http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/cache/ITY_OFFPUB/KS-DK-08-001/EN/KS-DK-08-001-EN.PDF|title=Energy, transport and environment indicators|author=]|accessdate=10 May 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/cache/ITY_OFFPUB/KS-GH-09-001/EN/KS-GH-09-001-EN.PDF|title=Panorama of energy|author=]|accessdate = 10 May 2009}}</ref> The Italian economy is weakened by the lack of infrastructure development, market reforms and research investment, and also high public deficit.<ref name="dev.prenhall.com"/> In the ] 2008, the country ranked 64th in the world and 29th in Europe, the lowest rating in the ]. Italy still receives ] from the ] every year. Between ] and ], Italy received €27.4 billion from the ].<ref></ref> The country has an inefficient state bureaucracy, low property rights protection and high levels of corruption, heavy taxation and public spending that accounts for about half of the national GDP.<ref name="economicfreedom" >{{cite web|url=http://www.heritage.org/research/features/index/country.cfm?ID=Italy|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20080503060552/http://www.heritage.org/research/features/index/country.cfm?ID=Italy|archivedate=3 May 2008 |title=Index of Economic Freedom |publisher=Heritage.org |accessdate=4 November 2008}}</ref> In addition, the most recent data show that Italy's spending in ] in 2006 was equal to 1.14% of GDP, below the EU average of 1.84% and the ] target of devoting 3% of GDP to research and development activities.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/cache/ITY_OFFPUB/KS-SF-08-091/EN/KS-SF-08-091-EN.PDF|title=R&D Expenditure and Personnel|author=]|accessdate=10 May 2009}}</ref>


Italy is the world's ],<ref>{{Cite web|year=2010|title=OIV report on the State of the vitiviniculture world market|url=http://news.reseau-concept.net/images/oiv_es/Client/DIAPORAMA_STATISTIQUES_Tbilissi_2010_EN.ppt|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110728145648/http://news.reseau-concept.net/images/oiv_es/Client/DIAPORAMA_STATISTIQUES_Tbilissi_2010_EN.ppt|archive-date=28 July 2011|website=news.reseau-concept.net|publisher=Réseau-CONCEPT|format=PowerPoint presentation}}</ref> and a leading producer of ], fruits (apples, olives, grapes, oranges, lemons, pears, apricots, hazelnuts, peaches, cherries, plums, strawberries, and kiwifruits), and vegetables (especially artichokes and tomatoes). The most famous ]s are the ] ] and the ] ]. Other famous wines are ], ], ], ], ], ], and the ]s ] and ].
] is a contributing factor in Italy's economic weakness. The ] directly controls 14.6% of Italy's GDP,<ref name="guardian.co.uk">{{cite news| url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/oct/01/mafia-influence-hovers-over-italians|work=The Guardian|location=London|title=Mafia's influence hovers over 13m Italians, says report|first=Tom|last=Kington|date=1 October 2009|accessdate=5 May 2010}}</ref> and exerts influence over 13 million Italians.<ref name="guardian.co.uk"/> However, at 0.013 per 1,000 people, Italy has only the 47th highest murder rate<ref name="NationMaster.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/cri_mur_percap-crime-murders-per-capita|title=Crime Statistics > Murders (per capita) (most recent) by country |publisher=NationMaster.com|accessdate=4 April 2010}}</ref> and only the 43th highest number of rapes per 1,000 people in the world.<ref name="NationMaster.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/cri_rap-crime-rapes|title=Crime Statistics > Rapes (most recent) by country |accessdate=4 April 2010}}</ref>


Quality goods in which Italy specialises, particularly wines and ], are often protected under the quality assurance labels ]. This ], accredited by the EU, is considered important to avoid confusion with ]s.
Finally, Italy has a smaller number of world-class multinational corporations than other economies of comparable size, but there is a large number of ], and in the Northern "industrial triangle" (Milan-Turin-Genoa) or the Tuscan industrial triangle (Florence-Prato-Pistoia), where there is an area of intense industrial and machinery production, notably in their several ]s, which were for long the backbone of the Italian industry. This has produced a manufacturing sector often focused on the export of ] and luxury products, that if on one side is less capable to compete on the quantity, on the other side is more capable of facing the competition from China and other emerging Asian economies based on lower labour costs with higher quality products.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/COUNTRIES/ECAEXT/0,,contentMDK:21808326~menuPK:258604~pagePK:2865106~piPK:2865128~theSitePK:258599,00.html|title=Knowledge Economy Forum 2008: Innovative Small And Medium Enterprises Are Key To Europe & Central Asian Growth|publisher=The World Bank
|date=19 May 2005|accessdate = 17 June 2008}}</ref>


=== Transport ===
]. Italy is the world's 7th largest exporter of goods.]]
{{Main|Transport in Italy}}
{{See also|Railway stations in Italy}}
] and ]), the first motorway built in the world<ref name="independent"/>]]


{{Anchor|Infrastructure}}Italy was the first country to build motorways, the '']'', reserved for fast traffic and motor vehicles.<ref name="independent">{{Cite news|last=Lenarduzzi|first=Thea|date=30 January 2016|title=The motorway that built Italy: Piero Puricelli's masterpiece|url=http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/europe/the-worlds-first-motorway-piero-puricellis-masterpiece-is-the-focus-of-an-unlikely-pilgrimage-a6840816.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220526/http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/europe/the-worlds-first-motorway-piero-puricellis-masterpiece-is-the-focus-of-an-unlikely-pilgrimage-a6840816.html|archive-date=26 May 2022|access-date=12 May 2022|work=]}}</ref> In 2002 there were {{Convert|668721|km|mi|abbr=on}} of serviceable ], including {{Convert|6487|km|mi|abbr=on}} of motorways, state-owned but privately operated by ]. In 2005, about 34,667,000 cars (590 per 1,000 people) and 4,015,000 goods vehicles circulated on the network.<ref name="European Commission">{{Cite web|last=European Commission|author-link=European Commission|title=Panorama of Transport|url=http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/cache/ITY_OFFPUB/KS-DA-07-001/EN/KS-DA-07-001-EN.PDF|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090407142402/http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/cache/ITY_OFFPUB/KS-DA-07-001/EN/KS-DA-07-001-EN.PDF|archive-date=7 April 2009|access-date=3 May 2009}}</ref>
Notwithstanding its many problems and challenges, as of the ] and more notably the ] and the ], Italy was one of the few countries whose economy did not contract dramatically, and kept a relatively stable economic growth, yet figures for economic growth in 2009 and 2010 have showed a negative average, ranging from around -1% to -5%.<ref name="cia.gov">https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/it.html</ref> The country was the world's 7th largest exporter in 2009.<ref>26 March 2010 INTERNATIONAL TRADE STATISTICS http://www.wto.org/english/news_e/pres10_e/pr598_e.htm</ref> Italy's major exports and companies by sector are motor vehicles (], ], ], ]); chemicals and petrochemicals (]); energy and electrical engineering (], ]); home appliances (], ]), aerospace and defense technologies (], ], ]), firearms (]), fashion (], ], ], ], ], ], ], ]); food processing (], ], ], ], ]); sport and luxury vehicles (], ], ], ]); yachts (], ]). Italy's closest trade ties are with the other countries of the European Union, with whom it conducts about 59% of its total trade. Its largest EU trade partners, in order of market share, are Germany (12.9%), France (11.4%), and Spain (7.4%).<ref name="cia.gov" />
] train on the ], the first high-speed railway built in Europe<ref>{{Cite web|title=Special report: A European high-speed rail network|url=https://op.europa.eu/webpub/eca/special-reports/high-speed-rail-19-2018/en/|access-date=2023-07-22|website=op.europa.eu|language=en-GB|archive-date=17 March 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240317233927/https://op.europa.eu/webpub/eca/special-reports/high-speed-rail-19-2018/en/|url-status=live}}</ref>]]


The ], state-owned and operated by ] (FSI), in 2008 totalled {{Convert|16529|km|mi|abbr=on}}, of which {{Convert|11727|km|0|abbr=on}} is electrified, and on which 4,802 locomotives and railcars run. The main public operator of high-speed trains is ], part of FSI. High-speed trains are in three categories: ] ('red arrow') trains operate at a maximum 300{{spaces}}km/h on dedicated high-speed tracks; ] ('silver arrow') operate at a maximum 250{{spaces}}km/h on high-speed and mainline tracks; and ] ('white arrow') operate on high-speed regional lines at a maximum 200{{spaces}}km/h. Italy has 11 rail border crossings over the Alpine mountains with neighbouring countries.
Tourism is one of the fastest growing and profitable sectors of the national economy: with 43.7 million international tourist arrivals and total receipts estimated at $42.7 billion, Italy is the fourth highest tourism earner and the fifth most visited country in the world.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://unwto.org/facts/eng/pdf/highlights/UNWTO_Highlights08_en_HR.pdf|title=Tourism Highlights 2008 Edition|author=]|accessdate=10 May 2009}}</ref> Despite a slump in the late-1980s and during the ], Italy has, since the mid-1990s, rebuilt a strong tourism industry.<ref name="britannica.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/297474/Italy# |title=Italy - Britannica Online Encyclopedia |publisher=Britannica.com |accessdate=2010-08-02}}</ref> Italy's most popular tourist attractions are the Colosseum (4 million tourists per year, and the world's 39th most visited sight) and the ruins at Pompeii (48th in the world, with 2.5 million visitors).{{Citation needed|date=August 2010}}


Italy is fifth in Europe by number of passengers using air transport, with about 148 million passengers, or about 10% of the European total in 2011.<ref>{{Cite web|date=7 January 2013|title=Trasporto aereo in Italia (PDF)|url=http://www.istat.it/it/archivio/78802|access-date=5 August 2013|publisher=ISTAT|archive-date=13 January 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130113035254/http://www.istat.it/it/archivio/78802|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2022, there were 45 civil airports, including the hubs of ] and ].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Aeroporti in Italia: quanti sono? Elenco per regione|url=https://gliaeroporti.it|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221117184416/https://gliaeroporti.it|archive-date=17 November 2022|access-date=17 November 2022|language=it}}</ref> Since 2021, Italy's flag carrier has been ], which took over from ].<ref>{{Cite news|last=Buckley|first=Julia|date=18 October 2021|title=Italy reveals its new national airline|url=https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/ita-airways-launch/index.html|access-date=18 October 2021|publisher=CNN|archive-date=18 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211018100255/https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/ita-airways-launch/index.html|url-status=live}}; {{Cite news|last=Villamizar|first=Helwing|date=15 October 2021|title=Italian Flag Carrier ITA Airways Is Born|url=https://airwaysmag.com/airlines/ita-airways-is-born|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211016100028/https://airwaysmag.com/airlines/ita-airways-is-born|archive-date=16 October 2021|access-date=18 October 2021|work=Airways Magazine}}</ref>
==Education==
{{Main|Education in Italy}}
{{See also|List of universities in Italy|Academic grading in Italy|List of museums in Italy}}
] in Rome is Europe's largest, with 140,000 students.<ref></ref>]]
Italy's public education is free and compulsory from 6–15 years of age,<ref></ref> and has a five-year ] and an eight-year ], divided into first-grade secondary school (]) and second-grade secondary school (or ]). Italy has a ], surpassing that of other comparable developed countries, such as the UK and Germany.{{Citation needed|date=August 2010}} The country has both public and private education systems.


In 2004, there were 43 major seaports, including ], the country's largest and second-largest in the Mediterranean. In 2005, Italy maintained a civilian air fleet of about 389,000 units and a merchant fleet of 581 ships.<ref name="European Commission"/> The national inland waterways network had a length of {{Convert|2400|km|0|abbr=on}} for commercial traffic in 2012.<ref name="cia.gov"/> North Italian ports, such as the deep-water port of Trieste, with its extensive rail connections to Central and Eastern Europe, are the destination of subsidies and significant foreign investment.<ref>Marcus Hernig: Die Renaissance der Seidenstraße (2018) pp 112.; Bernhard Simon: Can The New Silk Road Compete with the Maritime Silk Road? in The Maritime Executive, 1 January 2020.; Chazizam, M. (2018). The Chinese Maritime Silk Road Initiative: The Role of the Mediterranean. Mediterranean Quarterly, 29(2), 54–69.; Guido Santevecchi: Di Maio e la Via della Seta: «Faremo i conti nel 2020», siglato accordo su Trieste in Corriere della Sera: 5. November 2019.; Linda Vierecke, Elisabetta Galla "Triest und die neue Seidenstraße" In: Deutsche Welle, 8 December 2020.; {{Cite web|title=HHLA PLT Italy starting on schedule &#124; Hellenic Shipping News Worldwide|url=https://www.hellenicshippingnews.com/hhla-plt-italy-starting-on-schedule|website=hellenicshippingnews.com|access-date=11 January 2021|archive-date=11 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210111105059/https://www.hellenicshippingnews.com/hhla-plt-italy-starting-on-schedule/|url-status=live}}</ref>
According to National Science Indicators (1981–2002), a database produced by Research Services Group containing listings of output and citation statistics for more than 90 countries, Italy has an above-average output of ]s (in terms of number of papers written with at least one author being from Italy) in ] (9.75% of papers in the world being from Italy), ] (5.51% of papers in the world), ], ], and ]; the lowest, but still slightly above world-average, output in terms of number of papers produced is recorded in the ], ] and ], and ] and ].<ref name="sci" >{{cite web|author=Nancy Imelda Schafer, ISI |url=http://in-cites.com/research/2003/june_9_2003-1.html |title=SCI-BYTES: Science in Italy, 1998-2002 |publisher=In-cites.com |accessdate=27 January 2010}}</ref>


=== Energy ===
] is Europe's oldest, founded in AD 1088.]]
{{Main|Energy in Italy}}
{{Further|Renewable energy in Italy|Electricity sector in Italy}}
], Tuscany. Italy is one of the world's largest producers of renewable energy.<ref name="legambiente2015">{{Cite web|date=18 May 2015|title=Il rapporto Comuni Rinnovabili 2015|url=http://www.comunirinnovabili.it/il-rapporto-comuni-rinnovabili-2015|access-date=13 March 2016|website=Comuni Rinnovabili|publisher=Legambiente|language=it|archive-date=14 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160314011841/http://www.comunirinnovabili.it/il-rapporto-comuni-rinnovabili-2015/|url-status=live}}</ref>]]


Italy has become one of the world's ], ranking as the second largest producer in the EU and the ninth in the world. ], ], and ] are significant ]. ] account for 28% of all electricity produced, with hydro alone reaching 13%, followed by solar at 6%, wind at 4%, bioenergy at 3.5%, and geothermal at 1.6%.<ref name="gse">{{Cite web|date=19 December 2013|title=Rapporto Statistico sugli Impianti a fonti rinnovabili|url=http://www.gse.it/it/Statistiche/RapportiStatistici/Pagine/default.aspx|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171018022905/http://www.gse.it/it/Statistiche/RapportiStatistici/Pagine/default.aspx|archive-date=18 October 2017|access-date=11 February 2015|publisher=Gestore dei Servizi Energetici}}</ref> The rest of the national demand is supplied by fossil fuels (natural gas 38%, coal 13%, oil 8%) and imports.<ref name="gse"/> ], operating in 79 countries, is one of the seven "]" companies, and one of the world's largest industrial companies.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Summary for Eni SpA|url=https://finance.yahoo.com/q?s=E|access-date=1 July 2020|archive-date=4 June 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160604184217/http://finance.yahoo.com/q?s=e|url-status=live}}</ref>
Italy hosts a broad variety of universities, colleges and academies. Milan's ], has been ranked among the top 20 best ]s in the world by ] international rankings, especially thanks to its ] program, which in 2007 placed it no. 17 in the world in terms of graduate recruitment preference by major multinational companies.<ref></ref> Also, ] has ranked Bocconi no.1 worldwide in the specific category Value for Money.<ref></ref> In May 2008, Bocconi overtook several traditionally top global business schools in the ] ] ranking, reaching no. 5 in Europe and no. 15 in the world.<ref></ref>


] production alone accounted for 9% of electricity in 2014, making Italy the country with the highest contribution from solar energy in the world.<ref name="legambiente2015"/> The ], completed in 2010, is the largest photovoltaic (PV) power station in Italy.<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Italian Montalto di Castro and Rovigo PV plants|url=https://www.solarserver.com/solar-magazine/solar-energy-system-of-the-month/the-italian-montalto-di-castro-and-rovigo-pv-plants.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180509012719/https://www.solarserver.com/solar-magazine/solar-energy-system-of-the-month/the-italian-montalto-di-castro-and-rovigo-pv-plants.html|archive-date=9 May 2018|access-date=8 May 2018|website=solarserver.com}}</ref> Italy was the first country to exploit ] to produce electricity.<ref>{{Cite web|year=2011|title=Inventario delle risorse geotermiche nazionali|url=http://unmig.sviluppoeconomico.gov.it/unmig/geotermia/inventario/inventario.asp|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110722034736/http://unmig.sviluppoeconomico.gov.it/unmig/geotermia/inventario/inventario.asp|archive-date=22 July 2011|access-date=14 September 2011|publisher=UNMIG}}</ref> ] was abandoned after ] (in the wake of the 1986 ]), although Italy still imports nuclear energy from Italy-owned reactors in foreign territories.
Other top universities and polytechnics include the ], the ] (which in 2009 was ranked as the 57th technical university in the world by Top Universities, in a research conducted on behalf of Times Higher Education.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.topuniversities.com/university/408/politecnico-di-milano |title=Politecnico di milano |publisher=Top Universities |accessdate=27 October 2009}}</ref> This was a 6-positions growth from the 63rd position in 2008. In 2009 an Italian research ranked it as the best in Italy over indicators such as scientific production, attraction of foreign students, and others <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.visionwebsite.eu/vision/progetti_2.php?progetto=28 |title=Vision Forum Web Site |publisher=Visionwebsite.eu |accessdate=27 October 2009}}</ref>), the ] (which in 2005 was Europe's 33rd best university,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.arwu.org/rank/2005/ARWU2005_TopEuro.htm|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20080430202044/http://www.arwu.org/rank/2005/ARWU2005_TopEuro.htm|archivedate=30 April 2008 |title=Top 100 European Universities |publisher=Arwu.org |accessdate=27 October 2009}}</ref> and ranks amongst Europe's 50 and the world's 150 best colleges<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.arwu.org/rank2008/ARWU2008_TopEuro(EN).htm |title=ARWU2008 |publisher=Arwu.org |accessdate=27 October 2009}}{{Dead link|date=December 2009}}</ref>) and the ] (whose research and teaching activities have developed over the years and have received important international recognitions. The University is the only Italian member of the League of European Research Universities (LERU), a prestigious group of twenty research-intensive European Universities. It also been awarded ranking positions as such: -1st in Italy and 7th in Europe (The Leiden Ranking - Universiteit Leiden).


=== Science and technology ===
Italy and the Western world's oldest college is the ].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://virtualglobetrotting.com/map/universit-di-bologna-oldest-university-in-the-world/ |title=Università di Bologna (oldest university in the world) |publisher=Virtual Globetrotting |date=21 October 2006 |accessdate=27 October 2009}}</ref> In 2009, the University of Bologna is, according to ], the only Italian college in the top 200 World Universities. The ], also remains one of Europe's oldest.
{{Main|Science and technology in Italy}}
{{See also|List of Italian inventions and discoveries}}
], widely considered the father of modern science, physics and astronomy]]


Through the centuries, Italy has fostered a scientific community that produced major discoveries the sciences. ] played a major role in the ] and is considered the "father" of ],<ref>{{Cite book|last=Singer|first=C.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mPIgAAAAMAAJ|title=A Short History of Science to the Nineteenth Century|date=1941|publisher=Clarendon Press|page=217|access-date=22 March 2023|archive-date=2 October 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241002213513/https://books.google.com/books?id=mPIgAAAAMAAJ|url-status=live}}</ref> modern physics,<ref>{{Cite book|last=Whitehouse|first=D.|url=https://archive.org/details/renaissancegeniu0000whit|title=Renaissance Genius: Galileo Galilei & His Legacy to Modern Science|date=2009|publisher=Sterling Publishing|isbn=978-1-4027-6977-1|page=}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Weidhorn|first=Manfred|url=https://archive.org/details/personofmillenni0000weid|title=The Person of the Millennium: The Unique Impact of Galileo on World History|date=2005|publisher=iUniverse|isbn=978-0-5953-6877-8|page=}}</ref> and the ].<ref>''Thomas Hobbes: Critical Assessments'', Volume 1. Preston King. 1993. p. 59</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Disraeli|first=I.|title=Curiosities of Literature|date=1835|publisher=W. Pearson & Company|page=371}}</ref>
==Healthcare==
]
{{Main|Healthcare in Italy}}
Italy has had a public healthcare system since 1978.<ref name="ReferenceB">{{cite web|url=http://dev.prenhall.com/divisions/hss/worldreference/IT/health.html |title=Italy - Health |publisher=Dev.prenhall.com |accessdate=2010-08-02}}</ref> Healthcare spending in Italy accounted for more than 9.0% of the national GDP in 2008, slightly above the ] countries' average of 8.9%.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/45/52/38979929.pdf|title=OECD Health Data 2008 How Does Italy Compare|publisher=OECD|year=2008}}{{Dead link|date=December 2009}}</ref> However, Italy ranks as having the world's 2nd best healthcare system,<ref name="ReferenceB"/><ref name="photius.com" >{{cite web|url=http://www.photius.com/rankings/healthranks.html |title=The World Health Organization's ranking of the world's health systems |publisher=Photius.com |accessdate=27 October 2009}}</ref> and the world's 3rd best healthcare performance.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.photius.com/rankings/world_health_performance_ranks.html |title=Health system attainment and performance in all Member States |publisher=Photius.com |accessdate=27 October 2009}}</ref>


The ] (LNGS) is the largest underground research centre in the world.<ref>{{Cite web|title=I Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso|url=https://www.lngs.infn.it/it/descrizione-generale|access-date=15 January 2018|language=it}}</ref> ], ], ], ], ], ], and the ] conduct basic research. Trieste has the highest percentage of researchers in Europe, in relation to the population.<ref>G. Bar "Trieste, è record europeo di ricercatori: 37 ogni mille abitanti. Più della Finlandia", In: il Fatto Quotidiano, 26 April 2018.</ref> Italy was ranked 26th in the ] in 2024.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Global Innovation Index 2024 : Unlocking the Promise of Social Entrepreneurship |url=https://www.wipo.int/web-publications/global-innovation-index-2024/en/ |access-date=2024-11-29 |website=www.wipo.int |language=en}}</ref> There are ]s in Italy such as the Science and Technology Parks Kilometro Rosso (Bergamo), the ] (Trieste), The VEGA-Venice Gateway for Science and Technology (Venezia), the Toscana Life Sciences (Siena), the Technology Park of Lodi Cluster (Lodi), and the Technology Park of Navacchio (Pisa),<ref>{{Cite web|title=Science and Technology Parks in Italy|url=https://www.easst.net/science-and-technology-parks-in-italy|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230719154033/https://www.easst.net/science-and-technology-parks-in-italy|archive-date=19 July 2023|access-date=28 August 2023}}</ref> as well as ]s such as the ] in Milan.
Italy had the 12th highest worldwide ] in 2010,<ref> &ndash; Table A.17 for 2005-2010</ref> while, as in many others western countries, seeing an increase in the proportion of overweight and ] people, with 34.2% of Italians self reporting as overweight and 9.8% self reporting as obese.<ref name=IOTF2008>{{cite web |url=http://www.iotf.org/database/documents/GlobalPrevalenceofAdultObesity16thDecember08.pdf |title=Global Prevalence of Adult Obesity |format=PDF |work=] |accessdate=January 29, 2008}}</ref> The proportion of daily smokers was 22% in 2008.<ref name="MPOWER 2008 pp=267–288">{{Cite book |last=World Health Organization |url=http://www.who.int/entity/tobacco/mpower/mpower_report_full_2008.pdf |format=PDF |title=WHO Report on the Global Tobacco Epidemic, 2008: the MPOWER package |accessdate=2008-01-01 |year=2008 |isbn=978-92-4-159628-2 |publisher=] |pages=267–288}}</ref> Smoking in public places including bars, restaurants, night clubs and offices has been restricted to specially ventilated rooms since 2005.<ref name="Deutsche Welle 10 01">{{cite news
| url= http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,1453590,00.html
| title= Smoking Ban Begins in Italy
| publisher= ]
| date= 10.01.2005
| accessdate= August 2010}}</ref>


The north–south large difference in income leads to a "digital divide".<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Alampi|first=Matteo|date=December 2007|title=Underdevelopment in Southern Italy: Traditional Setbacks and Modern Solutions|url=https://fisherpub.sjf.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1047&context=intlstudies_masters|journal=Fisher Digital Publications|via=International Studies Masters}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Di Pietro|first=Giorgio|date=June 2021|title=Changes in Italy's education-related digital divide|url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/ecaf.12471|journal=Economic Affairs|volume=41|issue=2|pages=252–270|doi=10.1111/ecaf.12471|issn=0265-0665|s2cid=237848271}}</ref>
==Transport==
{{Main|Transport in Italy}}
] '']'' high speed trains, capable of {{convert|355|km/h|2|abbr=on|lk=out}}.<ref name="FS355record">{{cite web |url=http://www.fsnews.it/fsnews/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=07a4a4b1fb478110VgnVCM1000001c42fe0aRCRD |title=Nuovo record di velocità sulla linea AV Milano-Bologna |date=2008-03-03 |publisher=FSNews |language=] |archiveurl=http://209.85.129.132/search?q=cache:m5-u7afI-asJ:www.fsnews.it/fsnews/v/index.jsp%3Fvgnextoid%3D07a4a4b1fb478110VgnVCM1000001c42fe0aRCRD |archivedate=2008-08-22 |accessdate=2008-12-31}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.duegieditrice.it/tuttotreno/default.asp?num=218 |title=Record italiano di velocità |month=April |year=2008 |publisher=Tutto Treno |language=] |accessdate=2009-01-02}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fsnews.it/cms/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=d203c7bd6d20b110VgnVCM1000003f16f90aRCRD |title=200 giorni al primo treno Alta Velocità sulla Milano-Bologna |date=2008-05-28 |publisher=FSNews |language=] |accessdate=2008-12-31}}</ref>]]
In 2004 the ] sector in Italy generated a turnover of about 119.4 billion euros, employing 935,700 persons in 153,700 enterprises. Regarding the national ] network, in 2002 there were 668,721&nbsp;km (415,612&nbsp;mi) of serviceable roads in Italy, including 6,487&nbsp;km (4,031&nbsp;mi) of motorways, state-owned but privately operated by ]. In 2005, about 34,667,000 ] (590 cars per 1,000 people) and 4,015,000 goods vehicles circulated on the national road network.<ref name="European Commission">{{cite web|url=http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/cache/ITY_OFFPUB/KS-DA-07-001/EN/KS-DA-07-001-EN.PDF|title=Panorama of Transport|format=PDF|author=]|accessdate=3 May 2009}}</ref>


=== Tourism ===
The national ] network, state-owned and operated by ], in 2003 totalled 16,287&nbsp;km (10,122&nbsp;mi) of which 69% is electrified, and on which 4,937 locomotives and railcars circulated. The national inland ] network comprised 1,477&nbsp;km (918&nbsp;mi) of navigable rivers and channels in 2002. In 2004 there were approximately 30 main airports (including the two ] of ] in Milan and ] in Rome) and 43 major seaports (including the seaport of ], the country's largest and second largest in the ]). In 2005 Italy maintained a civilian air fleet of about 389,000 units and a merchant fleet of 581 ships.<ref name="European Commission"/>
{{Main|Tourism in Italy}}
] is one of Italy's major tourist destinations.<ref> {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170601184213/http://www.italy24.ilsole24ore.com/art/business-and-economy/2017-05-04/turismo-stranieri-124013.php?uuid=AEVg9GGB|date=1 June 2017}}. Retrieved 21 May 2017.</ref>]]


People have visited Italy for centuries, yet the first to ] were aristocrats during the ], which began in the 17th century, and flourished in the 18th and the 19th centuries.<ref name="grand-tour">{{Cite web|title=Grand Tour|url=https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/grand-tour|access-date=6 May 2022|language=it}}</ref> This was a period in which European aristocrats, many of whom were British, visited parts of Europe, with Italy as a key destination.<ref name="grand-tour"/> For Italy, this was in order to study ancient architecture, local culture, and admire its natural beauty.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Italy on the Grand Tour (Getty Exhibitions)|url=http://www.getty.edu/art/exhibitions/grand_tour/what.html|access-date=9 June 2015}}</ref>
==Culture==
] in ]]]
{{Main|Culture of Italy|List of Italians}}
Italy did not exist as a state until the country's unification in 1861. Due to this comparatively late unification, and the historical autonomy of the regions that comprise the ], many traditions and customs that are now recognized as distinctly Italian can be identified by their regions of origin. Despite the political and social distinction of these regions, Italy's contributions to the cultural and historical heritage of Europe and the world remain immense. Italy is home to the greatest number of ] ] (44) to date, and has rich collections of world ], ] and ] from many different periods. Italy has had a broad cultural influence worldwide, also due to the fact that numerous Italians emigrated to other countries during the ]. Italy has, overall, an estimated 100,000 monuments of any sort (museums, palaces, buildings, statues, churches, art galleries, villas, fountains, historic houses and archaeological remains).<ref>Eyewitness Travel (2005), pg. 19</ref>
], one of the ].]]
] in ], a perfect example of Italian Medieval architecture.]]
===Arts===
====Architecture====
{{Main|Architecture of Italy}}
{{See also|List of Italian architects|Timeline of Italian architecture|North-Western Italian architecture|Italianate architecture}}
Italy boasts a long period of different architectural styles, from Classical Roman and Greek, Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque, Neo-Classical, Art Nouveau to Modern. The nation contains several architectural monuments, such as the ], the ], the ], the ] of ], the ], ], ], the ], the ], ] and the ]. Italy has also been home to numerous famous architects, some who even changed the course of architectural history, such as ] (who founded ]), ], ] and ].


Italy is the ], with a total of 57 million arrivals in 2023.<ref>{{cite web |title=World Tourism Barometer |url=https://pre-webunwto.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/2024-06/Barom_PPT_May_2024.pdf?VersionId=U7O62HatlG4eNAj.wcmuQG1PMCjK.Yss |publisher=] |access-date=24 June 2024 |date=May 2024 |page=19}}</ref> In 2014, the income from travel and tourism was EUR163{{spaces}}billion (10% of GDP) and 1,082,000 jobs were directly related to it (5% of employment).<ref>{{Cite web|title=Travel & Tourism Economic Impact 2015 Italy |url=https://www.wttc.org/-/media/files/reports/economic%20impact%20research/countries%202015/italy2015.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171010152616/https://www.wttc.org/-/media/files/reports/economic%20impact%20research/countries%202015/italy2015.pdf|archive-date=10 October 2017|access-date=20 May 2017|publisher=]}}</ref>
=====Classical to Gothic=====
{{Main|Architecture of ancient Rome|Italian Gothic architecture|Venetian Gothic architecture}}
]. ]]
], also showing the Piazza dei Miracoli and the city's Romanesque-Gothic Duomo, or cathedral.]]
Italian architecture began with ], ] and ], when both civilizations built ]s, ]e, ]s, ], ]s, ]s, ]s and ]s.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.unrv.com/culture/architecture.php |title=Roman Architecture |publisher=Unrv.com |date=8 October 2006 |accessdate=27 October 2009}}</ref> Roman architecture had great influence on that of Italy and the Western world. Because the Roman Empire extended over so great an area and included so many urbanised areas, Roman engineers developed methods for civic development on a grand scale, including the use of ]. Massive buildings like the ] and the ] could never have been constructed with pre-existing techniques. Though concrete had been invented a thousand years earlier in the Near East, the Romans extended its use from fortifications to their most impressive buildings and monuments, capitalising on the material’s strength and low cost.<ref name="Janson, p. 160" >Janson, p. 160</ref> In Roman architecture, a wall's concrete core was covered with a plaster, brick, stone, or marble veneer, and decorative polychrome and gold-gilded sculpture was often added to produce a dazzling effect of power and wealth.<ref name="Janson, p. 160" />


Tourist interest is mainly in ], ], ], ], ], religious sites and routes, wedding tourism, naturalistic beauties, nightlife, underwater sites, and spas.<ref>{{Cite web|date=February 2023|title=In Italia 11mila matrimoni stranieri, un turismo da 599 milioni|url=https://www.ansa.it/canale_viaggiart/it/notizie/speciali/2023/02/01/turismo-wedding-2-milioni-presenze-e-fatturato-599-mln_dcec4ad9-3ab8-4677-a303-6378020ac3a7.html|access-date=2 February 2023|language=it}}; {{Cite web|title=10 Migliori destinazioni italiane per vita notturna|url=https://www.travel365.it/migliori-destinazioni-italiane-per-vita-notturna.htm|access-date=28 December 2021|language=it}}</ref> Winter and summer tourism are present in locations in the Alps and the ],<ref>{{Cite web|date=30 July 2017|title=VACANZE IN MONTAGNA IN ITALIA: IN INVERNO E IN ESTATE|url=https://www.alloggitaly.it/vacanze-in-montagna-in-italia|access-date=1 January 2022|language=it}}</ref> while seaside tourism is widespread among locations along the Mediterranean.<ref>{{Cite web|date=14 February 2018|title=Il turismo balneare|url=https://www.turismo-oggi.com/il-turismo-balneare.html|access-date=1 January 2022|language=it}}</ref> Italy is the leading cruise tourism destination in the Mediterranean.<ref>{{Cite web|date=27 April 2022|title=Crociere, Cemar: 8,8 milioni di passeggeri nei porti italiani|url=https://www.lagenziadiviaggi.it/crociere-cemar-88-milioni-di-passeggeri-nei-porti-italiani|access-date=13 May 2022|language=it}}</ref> Small, historical, and artistic villages are promoted through the association ] ({{Literally|The most beautiful villages of Italy}}).
Gothic architecture appeared in Italy in the 12th century, but did not mature into a regionally distinct style until the 13th century, partly due to geographic factors. Due to its comparatively late maturity, the influence of Byzantine and classical art, and the fact that brick —not stone— was the most common building material and marble the most common decorative material, Italian Gothic architecture maintained peculiar characteristics which differentiated its evolution from that in France, where it had originated, and in other European countries.


The most visited regions are Veneto, Tuscany, Lombardy, Emilia-Romagna, and Lazio.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Number of nights spent in tourist accommodation establishments in the top 20 EU-28 tourist regions, by NUTS 2 regions, 2015 (million nights spent) RYB17 – Statistics Explained |url=https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php?title=File:Number_of_nights_spent_in_tourist_accommodation_establishments_in_the_top_20_EU-28_tourist_regions,_by_NUTS_2_regions,_2015_(million_nights_spent)_RYB17.png|access-date=17 April 2022|publisher=European Commission}}</ref> Rome is the third most visited city in Europe, and 12th in the world, with 9.4 million arrivals in 2017.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Ranking the 30 Most-Visited Cities in the World|url=https://www.travelpulse.com/news/destinations/ranking-the-30-most-visited-cities-in-the-world.html|website=TravelPulse}}</ref> Venice and Florence are among the world's top 100 destinations.
In particular, the architecturally daring solutions and technical innovations of the French Gothic cathedrals rarely appeared. With the exception of the ], the product of a centuries-long collaboration between Italian, French, and German minds, few Italian churches show the emphasis on vertical development, clustered shafts, ornate tracery and complex ribbed vaulting that characterise ] in other parts of Europe. Notable examples of Italian Gothic architecture include ], ], and ], where the distinctively ornate Italian realization of façade design is evident.<ref></ref>


Italy has the most ]: 59;<ref>{{Cite web|title=The World Heritage Convention|url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/convention|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160827065310/https://whc.unesco.org/en/convention|archive-date=27 August 2016|access-date=1 August 2021|publisher=UNESCO}}</ref> ].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Italy|url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/statesparties/it|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211201134320/http://whc.unesco.org/en/statesparties/it|archive-date=1 December 2021|access-date=9 April 2019|publisher=UNESCO World Heritage Centre}}</ref>
=====Renaissance to Modern=====
{{Main|Italian Renaissance and Mannerist architecture|Italian Baroque architecture|Italian Neoclassical architecture|Italian modern and contemporary architecture|Sicilian Baroque}}
] in Rome is an example of Italian Baroque architecture.]]
] in Milan (built in the second-half of the 19th century), the first building in Italy to use iron and steel, and believed to be the world's oldest shopping gallery.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.360cities.net/image/galleria-vittorio-emanuele-milan |title=Galleria Vittorio Emanuele |publisher=360cities.net |accessdate=2010-08-02}}</ref>]]
Italy of the 15th century, and the city of Florence in particular, was home to the Renaissance. It is in Florence that the new architectural style had its beginning, not slowly evolving in the way that ] grew out of ], but consciously brought to being by particular architects who sought to revive the order of a past "]". The scholarly approach to the architecture of the ancient coincided with the general revival of learning. A number of factors were influential in bringing this about.


== Culture ==
Italian architects had always preferred forms that were clearly defined and structural members that expressed their purpose. Many Tuscan Romanesque buildings demonstrate these characteristics, as seen in the Florence Bapistry and Pisa Cathedral.
{{Main|Culture of Italy}}
] created during the ] for the first time an administrative region ] with inhabitants called ''Italicus Populus''; for this reason historians called him ''Father of Italians''.<ref name="Giannelli">G. Giannelli (1965). ''Trattato di storia romana''. '''1'''. L'Italia antica e la Repubblica romana.</ref>]]


Italy is one of the birthplaces of ] and a ].<ref>Italy has been described as a "cultural superpower" by , , , and . {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141226231012/http://www.arabnews.com/italy-cultural-superpower|date=26 December 2014}}.</ref> Italy's culture has been shaped by a multitude of regional customs and local centres of power and patronage.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Killinger|first=Charles|url=https://archive.org/details/culturecustomsof00char/page/3|title=Culture and customs of Italy|publisher=Greenwood Press|year=2005|isbn=978-0-3133-2489-5|edition=1. publ.|location=Westport, Conn.|page=}}</ref> Italy has made a substantial contribution to the ]<ref>{{Cite book|last=Cole|first=Alison|title=Virtue and magnificence: art of the Italian Renaissance courts|publisher=H.N. Abrams|year=1995|isbn=978-0-8109-2733-9|location=New York}}</ref>
The presence, particularly in Rome, of ancient architectural remains showing the ordered ] provided an inspiration to artists at a time when philosophy was also turning towards the Classical.


=== Architecture ===
Italy then became a main European centre for the baroque, with diverse baroque architectural styles emerging, especially in ] (see ]). In the 18th and 19th centuries neo-classical style buildings began to appear in Rome, ], ] and all around Italy. The 19th century also saw the construction of several considerable works of Italian architecture, including the ] in Milan, one of the world's oldest shopping galleries, which influenced others such as the ] in Naples, the ] in ] and the ] in ].
{{Main|Italian architecture}}
] is the largest former royal residence in the world.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Chronopoulou |first=Angeliki |date=23 January 2024 |title=Reggia Di Caserta Historical Overview |url=https://www.academia.edu/44592878 |access-date=January 23, 2024 |website=Academia |language=English}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qTdlAQAAQBAJ|title=Dictionnaire amoureux de Versailles|first=Franck|last=FERRAND|date=October 24, 2013|publisher=Place des éditeurs|isbn=9782259222679 |via=Google Books}}</ref>]]


Italy is known for its architectural achievements,<ref> {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120115053940/http://www.justitaly.org/italy/italy-architecture.asp|date=15 January 2012}}, ItalyTravel.com</ref> such as the construction of arches, domes, and similar structures by ancient Rome, the founding of the ] in the late 14th to 16th centuries, and as the home of ], a style that inspired movements such as ] and influenced designs of country houses all over the world, notably in the UK and US during the late 17th to early 20th centuries.
In the 20th century, Italy too saw the construction of several significant edifices, starting in the Art Nouveau architectural style, which in Italy was called, ''Liberty'' architecture. Rationalist-Fascist architecture developed in Italy during the Fascist era, lasting until the 1940s. During that period Italy built the world's first motorway between Milan and ] in 1921, and considerable architectural works of the era include Fiat's ], at the time the world's biggest automobile factory.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lifeinitaly.com/italian-cars/fiat-history.asp |title=Fiat History &#124; Italy |publisher=Lifeinitaly.com |date=2009-05-02 |accessdate=2010-08-02}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.italian-architecture.info/TU/TU.htm |title=Essential World Architecture Images- Turin |publisher=Italian-architecture.info |date=2006-02-04 |accessdate=2010-08-02}}</ref> In the 1950s and 60s several skyscrapers were built across the country, the ] and the ] being the most notable. The 21st century most notable Italian buildings are at the ] exposition centre in ], just outside Milan, (one of Europe's biggest and most important exhibition centres)<ref name="aboutmilan.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.aboutmilan.com/economy-of-milan.html |title=Economy life in Milan, Italian's capital of Business |publisher=Aboutmilan.com |accessdate=2010-08-02}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.milanomet.it/en/sistema-espositivo/fiera-milano.html |title=Milano Metropoli |language={{it icon}} |publisher=Milanomet.it |accessdate=2010-08-02}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://hiqnet.harmanpro.com/news.php?id=22 |title=News: Harman Pro Group Sound Systems Provide Reinforcement, Intelligibility At Fiera Milano, One Of Europe'S Largest Exhibition Centres &#124; Hiqnet |publisher=Hiqnet.harmanpro.com |accessdate=2010-08-02}}</ref> and the new plans for the ] to be held in Milan too,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.italymag.co.uk/italy/lombardy/milan-host-expo-2015 |title=Milan to host expo 2015 &#124; Lombardy &#124; ITALY Magazine |publisher=Italymag.co.uk |date=2008-04-01 |accessdate=2010-08-02}}</ref> where three new skyscapers called "''lo storto''", "''il curvo''" and "''il diritto''"<ref name="italy.dailyre.info">{{cite web|author=Monday, 2 August 2010 02:54 |url=http://italy.dailyre.info/index.php?r=post/show&id=118744 |title=Daily RE - ITALY - Impregilo to make an offer for Milan's City Life contract |publisher=Italy.dailyre.info |accessdate=2010-08-02}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.propertyeu.info/index-newsletter/impregilo-to-make-an-offer-for-milans-city-life-contract/ |title=PropertyEU |publisher=Propertyeu.info |accessdate=2010-08-02}}</ref> will be constructed by foreign architects such as Zaha Hadid, Arata Isozaki and Daniel Libeskind.<ref name="italy.dailyre.info"/> This will also be a project or urban re-development, called "City-Life", where new pedestrian areas, parks, green spaces, lakes and waterways will be constructed, in the North-Western part of Milan.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.aboutmilan.com/expo-2015/projects-and-initiatives.html |title=New projects for Milan Expo 2015 |publisher=Aboutmilan.com |accessdate=2010-08-02}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.designrevolution.org/milan-world-expo-2015-feeding-planet-energy-life |title=Milan World Expo 2015: Feeding the Planet, energy for Life |publisher=Design Revolution |accessdate=2010-08-02}}</ref>


The first to begin a recognised sequence of designs were the Greeks and the Etruscans, progressing to classical Roman,<ref>Sear, Frank. Cornell University Press, 1983. p. 10. Web. 23 September 2011.</ref> then the revival of the classical Roman era during the Renaissance, and evolving into the Baroque era. The Christian concept of the basilica, a style that came to dominate in the Middle Ages, was invented in Rome.<ref> {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130328131150/http://www.justitaly.org/italy/architecture/christian-byzanthine.asp|date=28 March 2013}}, ItalyTravel.com</ref> ], which flourished from approximately 800 to 1100 AD, was one of the most fruitful and creative periods in Italian architecture, when masterpieces, such as the Leaning Tower of Pisa and the ] in Milan, were built. It was known for its usage of Roman arches, stained glass windows, and curved columns. The main innovation of Italian Romanesque architecture was the vault, which had never been seen in Western architecture.<ref> {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130328120342/http://www.justitaly.org/italy/architecture/romanesque.asp|date=28 March 2013}}, ItalyTravel.com</ref>
=====''Palazzi'' and villas=====
{{Main|List of palazzi in Italy}}
] ]]
]. In 1996, it was listed among the ]s on the grounds that it was "the swan song of the spectacular art of the ]".<ref>.</ref>]]
Italy boasts a wide variety of palaces, in various cities, mainly Rome, ], ], ], ], ] and ], built in a wide variety of different styles, from ], ], ], ] and ], to ], ], ], ] and ]. In Italian, the word ''"]"'' is more broadly used in Italy than its English equivalent “palace”. In Italy, a palazzo is a grand building of some architectural ambition that is the headquarters of a family of some renown or of an institution, or even what the British would call a “block of flats” or a tenement. In Venice, most palaces are referred to as "Ca'", which is short for "Casa", meaning "house" in Italian, for example ] or ].


Italian architecture significantly evolved during the Renaissance. ] contributed to architectural design with his dome for the Cathedral of Florence, a feat of engineering not seen since antiquity.<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Campbell|first1=Stephen J|title=Italian Renaissance Art|last2=Cole|first2=Michael Wayne|publisher=Thames & Hudson Inc|year=2012|location=New York|pages=95–97}}</ref> A popular achievement of Italian Renaissance architecture was ], designed by ] in the early 16th century. Andrea Palladio influenced architects throughout Western Europe with the villas and palaces he designed.<ref>{{Cite web|title=City of Vicenza and the Palladian Villas of the Veneto|url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/712|website=UNESCO World Heritage Centre}}</ref>
Examples of major and famous Italian palaces include ], ], ] in ], ], ] in ], ] of ], ], ], ], ] near Turin, ] of ] ], ] near Turin, ], ], ], ], ] and ], to name a few.


The ] produced outstanding Italian architects. The most original work of late Baroque and Rococo architecture is the ].<ref>R. De Fusco, ''A thousand years of architecture in Europe'', pg. 443.</ref> In 1752, ] began the construction of the ].<ref>{{Cite book|last=Hersey|first=George|title=Architecture and Geometry in the Age of the Baroque|publisher=University of Chicago Press|year=2001|isbn=0-2263-2784-1|location=Chicago|page=119}}</ref> In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, Italy was influenced by the ] movement. Villas, palaces, gardens, interiors, and art began again to be based on ancient Roman and Greek themes.<ref> {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130328084932/http://www.justitaly.org/italy/architecture/neoclassicism.asp|date=28 March 2013}}, ItalyTravel.com</ref>
=====Gardens and villas=====
{{Main|Giardino all'italiana|Italian Renaissance garden}}
{{See also|List of gardens in Italy|List of botanical gardens in Italy|Grandi Giardini Italiani}}
].]]
] ]]
Italy has several villas with notable formal gardens, most of which designed as ], such as those of ]. Their principles are of perfect geometry and symmetry and of imposing order over nature. Italian gardens were influenced by ]ing and ]ing, and have been copied by other courts around Europe over the centuries.


During the Fascist period, the supposedly "]" flourished, based on the rediscovery of imperial Rome. ], responsible for the urban transformations of cities, devised a form of simplified Neoclassicism.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Renzo Piano|url=https://www.nytimes.com/topic/person/renzo-piano|access-date=20 August 2017|work=The New York Times}}</ref>
The Italian Renaissance garden emerged in the late 15th century at villas in Rome and ]. Inspired by classical ideals of order and beauty, they were intended to provide a pleasurable view of the garden and the landscape beyond it, for contemplation, and for enjoyment of the sights, sounds and smells of the garden itself.


=== Visual art ===
In the late ], the gardens became larger, grander and more symmetrical, and were filled with fountains, statues, grottoes, water organs and other features designed to delight their owners and amuse and impress visitors. The style was imitated throughout Europe, influencing the gardens of the ] and the ].
{{Main|Italian art}}
]'' (1494–1499), ], ], Milan]]


The history of Italian visual arts is significant to ]. ] was influenced by Greece and can be taken as a descendant of ancient Greek painting. The only surviving Roman paintings are wall paintings.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Roman Painting|url=http://www.art-and-archaeology.com/roman/painting.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130726163006/http://art-and-archaeology.com/roman/painting.html|archive-date=26 July 2013|publisher=art-and-archaeology.com}}</ref> These may contain the first examples of ], pseudo-perspective, and pure landscape.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Roman Wall Painting|url=http://www.accd.edu/sac/vat/arthistory/arts1303/Rome4.htm|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070319123717/http://www.accd.edu/sac/vat/arthistory/arts1303/Rome4.htm|archive-date=19 March 2007|publisher=accd.edu}}</ref>
=====UNESCO World Heritage Sites=====
{{Main|List of World Heritage Sites in Italy}}
{{World Heritage Sites in Italy|state+autocollapse}}


The Italian Renaissance is considered to be the ] of painting, spanning from the 14th through the mid-17th centuries and having significant influence outside Italy. Artists such as ], ], ], ], ], ], ], and ] took painting to a higher level through the use of ]. Michelangelo was also active as a sculptor; his works include masterpieces such as '']'', '']'', and '']''.
====Visual art====
{{Main|Art of Italy|Sculpture of Italy}}
], ], ] and ].]]
{{See also|List of Italian painters|Timeline of Italian artists to 1800|Italian Renaissance painting|Thematic development of Italian Renaissance painting|Italian Baroque art|Italian Rococo art|Italian Neoclassical and 19th century art|Italian modern and contemporary art}}
] (1758), by Italian ] artist ] ]]


In the 15th and 16th centuries, the ] gave rise to a stylised art known as ]. In place of the balanced compositions and rational approach to perspective that characterised art at the dawn of the 16th century, the Mannerists sought instability, artifice, and doubt. The unperturbed faces and gestures of ] and the calm Virgins of Raphael were replaced by the troubled expressions of ] and emotional intensity of ].
Over the centuries, Italian art has gone through many stylistic changes. Italian painting is traditionally characterized by a warmth of colour and light, as exemplified in the works of ] and ], and a preoccupation with religious figures and motifs. Italian painting enjoyed preeminence in Europe for hundreds of years, from the ] and ] periods, and through the ] and ] periods, the latter two of which saw fruition in Italy. Notable artists who fall within these periods include ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ] and ].


]'' (1484–1486), ], ], Florence]]
Thereafter, Italy was to experience a continual subjection to foreign powers which caused a shift of focus to political matters, leading to its decline as the artistic authority in Europe. Not until 20th century ], primarily through the works of ] and ], would Italy recapture any of its former prestige as a seminal place of artistic evolution. Futurism was succeeded by the metaphysical paintings of ], who exerted a strong influence on the ] and generations of artists to follow.
In the 17th century, among the greatest painters of ] are ], ], ], and ]. In the 18th century, ] was mainly inspired by ]. Italian Neoclassical sculpture focused, with ]'s nudes, on the idealist aspect of the movement.


In the 19th century, Romantic painters included ] and ]. ] was brought from France to Italy by the '']'', and ] by ] and ]. In the 20th century, with ], Italy rose again as a seminal country for evolution in painting and sculpture. Futurism was succeeded by the metaphysical paintings of ], who exerted an influence on the ].<ref>Gale, Matthew. "Pittura Metafisica". ''Grove Art Online. Oxford Art Online''. Oxford University Press. Web.</ref>
====Literature====

=== Literature ===
{{Main|Italian literature}} {{Main|Italian literature}}
Formal Latin literature began in 240 BC, when the first stage play was performed in Rome.<ref>Duckworth, George Eckel. University of Oklahoma Press, 1994. p. 3. Web. 15 October 2011.</ref> Latin literature was, and is, highly influential, with numerous writers, poets, philosophers, and historians, such as ], ], ], ], ], ], and ]. The Romans were famous for their oral tradition, poetry, drama, and epigrams.<ref>{{Cite book|url={{Google books|LHA_SydyKOYC|page=PA39|keywords=|text=|plainurl=yes}}|title=Poetry and Drama: Literary Terms and Concepts.|date=2011|publisher=The Rosen Publishing Group|isbn=978-1-6153-0490-5|access-date=18 October 2011}}</ref> In the early 13th century, ] was the first Italian poet, with his religious song '']''.<ref>{{Cite book|url={{Google books|3uq0bObScHMC|keywords=|text=|plainurl=yes}}|title=The Cambridge History of Italian Literature|publisher=Cambridge University Press|year=1999|isbn=978-0-5216-6622-0|editor-last=Brand|editor-first=Peter|chapter=2 – Poetry. Francis of Assisi (pp. 5ff.)|access-date=31 December 2015|editor-last2=Pertile|editor-first2=Lino|editor-link2=Lino Pertile|chapter-url={{Google books|3uq0bObScHMC|page=PA5|keywords=|text=|plainurl=yes}}|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160610172548/https://books.google.com/books?id=3uq0bObScHMC&printsec=frontcover|archive-date=10 June 2016|url-status=live}}</ref>
{{See also|List of Italian writers|List of Italian poets|Italian poetry|Italian comics|Italian philosophy}}
The basis of the modern ] was established by the ] poet ], whose greatest work, the ], is considered amongst the foremost literary statements produced in Europe during the ]. There is no shortage of celebrated literary figures in Italy: ], ], ], ], ], and ], whose best-known vehicle of expression, the ], was invented in Italy.


], one of the greatest poets. His epic poem '']'' ranks among the finest works of ].<ref name="Bloom">{{Cite book|last=Bloom|first=Harold|author-link=Harold Bloom|url=https://archive.org/details/westerncanonbook00bloorich|title=The Western Canon|publisher=Harcourt Brace|year=1994|isbn=978-0-1519-5747-7|url-access=registration}} See also ] for other "canons" that include the ''Divine Comedy''.</ref>]]
Prominent philosophers include ], ], ], and ]. Modern literary figures and Nobel laureates are nationalist poet ] in 1906, realist writer ] in 1926, modern theatre author ] in 1936, poets ] in 1959 and ] in 1975, satirist and theatre author ] in 1997.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/literature/laureates/|title=All Nobel Laureates in Literature}}</ref>
At the court of ] in Sicily, in the 13th century, lyrics modelled on Provençal forms and themes were written in a refined version of the local vernacular. One of these poets was ], inventor of the ] form; the most famous early sonneteer was ].<ref>Ernest Hatch Wilkins, ''The invention of the sonnet, and other studies in Italian literature'' (Rome: Edizioni di Storia e letteratura, 1959), 11–39</ref>
], ], ], ].]]


] is the founder of the '']'', a school that added a philosophical dimension to love poetry. This new understanding of love, expressed in a smooth style, influenced the Florentine poet ], who established the basis of modern Italian. Dante's work, the '']'', is among the finest in literature.<ref name="Bloom"/> Petrarch and ] sought and imitated the works of antiquity and cultivated their own artistic personalities. Petrarch achieved fame through his collection of poems, '']''. Equally influential was Boccaccio's '']'', a very popular collection of short stories.<ref>{{Cite encyclopedia|title=Giovanni Boccaccio: The Decameron.|encyclopedia=]|url=https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/70836/Giovanni-Boccaccio/755/The-Decameron|access-date=18 December 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131219020413/https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/70836/Giovanni-Boccaccio/755/The-Decameron|archive-date=19 December 2013|url-status=live}}</ref>
====Theatre====
] (Milan), ] (Catania), ] (Venice) and the ] (Naples).]]
{{See also|Commedia dell'Arte|Commedia all'italiana|Italian ballet|List of Italian comedians}}
Italian theatre can be traced back to the Roman tradition which was heavily influenced by the Greek; as with many other literary genres, Roman dramatists tended to adapt and translate from the Greek. For example, Seneca's ''Phaedra'' was based on that of ], and many of the ] of ] were direct translations of works by ]. During the 16th century and on into the 18th century, ] was a form of ], and it is still performed today. Travelling troupes of players would set up an outdoor stage and provide amusement in the form of ], ], and, more typically, humorous plays based on a repertoire of established characters with a rough storyline, called '']''.


Renaissance authors' works include ]'s '']'', an essay on political science in which the "effectual truth" is taken to be more important than any abstract ideal. ] and ], who wrote '']'' (1550–55) and the '']'' (1634), respectively, printed some of the first known versions of fairy tales in Europe.<ref>Steven Swann Jones, ''The Fairy Tale: The Magic Mirror of Imagination'', Twayne Publishers, New York, 1995, {{ISBN|0-8057-0950-9}}, p. 38; Bottigheimer 2012a, 7; Waters 1894, xii; Zipes 2015, 599.; {{Citation|last1=Opie|first1=Iona|title=The Classic Fairy Tales|year=1974|url=https://archive.org/details/classicfairytale00opie_0|place=Oxford and New York|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-1921-1559-1|last2=Opie|first2=Peter|author-link=Iona Opie|author-link2=Peter Opie}} See p. 20. The claim for earliest fairy-tale is still debated, see for example Jan M. Ziolkowski, ''Fairy tales from before fairy tales: the medieval Latin past of wonderful lies'', University of Michigan Press, 2007. Ziolkowski examines ]'s Latin beast poem ''Fecunda natis'' (''The Richly Laden Ship'', c. 1022/24), the earliest known version of "]". Further info: , Peter J. Leithart, 9 July 2007.</ref> The Baroque period produced the clear scientific prose of ]. In the 17th century, the ] began a movement to restore simplicity and classical restraint to poetry.<ref></ref>
====Music====
{{Main|Music of Italy}}
{{See also|Music history of Italy|Music media in Italy|Italian musical terms (disambiguation)|List of music conservatories in Italy|List of Italian composers|Chronological list of Italian classical composers|Italy in the Eurovision Song Contest|Italian opera houses}}


Italian writers embraced Romanticism in the 19th century; it coincided with ideas of the ], the movement that brought Italian unification. Unification was heralded by the poets ], ], and ]. Works by ], the leading Italian Romantic, are a symbol of Italian unification for their patriotic message and because of his efforts in the development of modern, unified Italian.<ref>{{Cite web|date=18 May 2023|title=Alessandro Manzoni &#124; Italian author|url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Alessandro-Manzoni|website=Encyclopædia Britannica}}</ref>
], ], ], ] ]]
], were invented and/or made popular in Italy.]]
From ] to ], music has always played an important role in Italian culture. Instruments associated with classical music, including the ] and ], were invented in Italy, and many of the prevailing classical music forms, such as the ], ], and ], can trace their roots back to innovations of sixteenth- and 17th century Italian music.


], the founder of modern ]]]
Italy's most famous composers include the ] ] and ], the ] ], ] and ], the ] ] and ], and the ] ] and ]. Modern Italian composers such as ] and ] proved significant in the development of ] and ]. While the classical music tradition still holds strong in Italy, as evidenced by the fame of its innumerable opera houses, such as ] of Milan and ] of Naples, and performers such as the pianist ] and the late tenor ], Italians have been no less appreciative of their thriving contemporary music scene.
In the late 19th century, a literary movement called '']'', which extolled realism, played a major role in Italian literature. ], a writer of action-adventure ]s and a pioneer of science fiction, published his '']'' series.<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Gaetana Marrone|url={{Google books|d9NcAgAAQBAJ|page=PA1654|keywords=|text=|plainurl=yes}}|title=Encyclopedia of Italian Literary Studies|last2=Paolo Puppa|publisher=Routledge|year=2006|isbn=978-1-1354-5530-9|page=1654}}</ref> In 1883, ] published '']'', which became the most celebrated children's classic by an Italian author and one of the world's ] non-religious books.<ref>Giovanni Gasparini. ''La corsa di Pinocchio''. Milano, Vita e Pensiero, 1997. p. 117. {{ISBN|8-8343-4889-3}}</ref> A movement called ] influenced literature in the early 20th century. ] wrote '']'' and called for the use of language and metaphors that glorified the speed, dynamism, and violence of the machine age.<ref>{{Cite book|title=The 20th-Century art book.|publisher=Phaidon Press|year=2001|isbn=978-0-7148-3542-6|edition=Reprinted.|location=dsdLondon}}</ref>


Modern literary figures and Nobel laureates are ], nationalist poet ] 1906 Nobel laureate, realist writer ] 1926 laureate, modern theatre author ] in 1936, short story writer ] in 1960, poets ] in 1959 and ] in 1975, ] in 1980, and satirist and theatre author ] in 1997.<ref>{{Cite web|title=All Nobel Prizes in Literature|url=http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/literature/laureates|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110529091551/http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/literature/laureates|archive-date=29 May 2011|access-date=30 May 2011|publisher=Nobel Foundation}}</ref>
Italy is widely known for being the birthplace of ].<ref name="books.google.co.uk" >{{cite book|url=http://books.google.com/?id=C37Gq2GagZIC&dq=Italian+opera&printsec=frontcover&q= |title=Italian Opera - Google Books |publisher=Books.google.co.uk |date= 1994-04-29|accessdate=20 December 2009|isbn=9780521466431|author1=Kimbell, David R. B}}</ref> ] was believed to have been founded in the early 17th century, in Italian cities such as ] and ].<ref name="books.google.co.uk" /> Later, works and pieces composed by native Italian composers of the 19th and early 20th centuries, such as ], ], ], ] and ], are amongst the most famous operas ever written and today are performed in opera houses across the world. ] operahouse in Milan is also renowned as one of the best in the world. Famous ] singers include ], ], the late ], and ], to name a few.


=== Philosophy ===
Introduced in the early 1920s, ] took a particularly strong foothold in Italy, and remained popular despite the xenophobic cultural policies of the Fascist regime. Today, the most notable centers of jazz music in Italy include Milan, Rome, and Sicily. Later, Italy was at the forefront of the ] movement of the 1970s, with bands like ] and ]. Today, Italian pop music is represented annually with the ], which served as inspiration for the ] song contest, and the ] in ]. Singers such as ] ] ], classical crossover artist ], ] winner ], and European chart-topper ] have attained international acclaim.
{{Main|Italian philosophy}}
Italian philosophy had an influence on ], beginning with the Greeks and Romans, and Renaissance humanism, the ], and ].<ref name="Garin">{{Cite book|last=Garin|first=Eugenio|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sVP3vBmDktQC|title=History of Italian Philosophy|publisher=VIBS|year=2008|isbn=978-9-0420-2321-5}}</ref> Formal philosophy was introduced to Italy by ], founder of the Italian school of philosophy in ].<ref>{{Cite book|last=Herodotus|title=The Histories|publisher=Penguin Classics|page=226}}</ref> Italian philosophers of the Greek period include ], ], and ]. Roman philosophers include ], ], ], ], ], ], and ].<ref name=Garin/>


], theologian;<ref>{{Cite web|title=St. Thomas Aquinas {{!}} Biography, Philosophy, & Facts|url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Saint-Thomas-Aquinas|access-date=20 January 2020|website=Encyclopædia Britannica}}</ref> ], ];<ref>Gatti, Hilary. ''Giordano Bruno and Renaissance Science: Broken Lives and Organizational Power''. Cornell University Press, 2002, 1, {{ISBN|0-8014-8785-4}}</ref> ], ];<ref name="Hostettler-2011">{{Cite book|last=Hostettler|first=John|title=Cesare Beccaria: The Genius of 'On Crimes and Punishments'|date=2011|publisher=Waterside Press|isbn=978-1-9043-8063-4|location=Hampshire|page=160}}</ref> and ], of ]<ref name="Montessori">{{Cite web|title=Introduction to Montessori Method|url=https://amshq.org/Montessori-Education/Introduction-to-Montessori|publisher=American Montessori Society}}</ref>]]
====Cinema====
Italian medieval philosophy was mainly Christian, and included theologians such as ], a classical proponent of ], who reintroduced ] to Christianity.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Blair|first=Peter|title=Reason and Faith: The Thought of Thomas Aquinas|url=http://www.dartmouthapologia.org/articles/show/125|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130913011656/http://www.dartmouthapologia.org/articles/show/125|archive-date=13 September 2013|access-date=18 December 2013|website=The Dartmouth Apologia}}</ref> Renaissance philosophers include: ], a major scientific figure of the West; ], a humanist philosopher; and ], a founder of modern ]. Machiavelli's most famous work is '']'', whose contribution to political thought is the fundamental break between political ] and ].<ref>Moschovitis Group Inc, Christian D. Von Dehsen and Scott L. Harris, ''Philosophers and religious leaders'', (The Oryx Press, 1999), 117.</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=The Enlightenment throughout Europe|url=http://history-world.org/enlightenment_throughout_europe.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130123082708/http://history-world.org/enlightenment_throughout_europe.htm|archive-date=23 January 2013|access-date=12 December 2017|website=International World History Project}}</ref> University cities such as Padua, Bologna, and Naples remained centres of scholarship, with philosophers such as ].<ref name="maritain.nd.edu">{{Cite web|title=History of Philosophy 70|url=http://maritain.nd.edu/jmc/etext/hop70.htm|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170525033238/http://maritain.nd.edu/jmc/etext/hop70.htm|archive-date=25 May 2017|access-date=12 December 2017|website=maritain.nd.edu}}</ref> ] was a significant Enlightenment figure and a father of ] and ].<ref name="Hostettler-2011"/>
{{Main|Cinema of Italy}}
{{See also|List of Italian actors|List of Italian actresses|List of film directors from Italy|List of Italian films}}


Italy had a renowned philosophical movement in the 1800s, with ], ], and ].<ref name="maritain.nd.edu"/> During the late 19th and 20th centuries, there were other movements that gained popularity, such as ],<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Scarangello|first=Anthony|year=1964|title=Major Catholic-Liberal Educational Philosophers of the Italian Risorgimento|journal=History of Education Quarterly|volume=4|issue=4|pages=232–250|doi=10.2307/367499|jstor=367499|s2cid=147563567}}</ref> ], communism, socialism, futurism, fascism, and Christian democracy.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Pernicone|first=Nunzio|title=Italian Anarchism 1864–1892 |publisher=AK Press|year=2009|pages=111–113}}</ref> ] remains a relevant philosopher within communist theory, credited with creating the theory of ]. Italian philosophers were influential in development of the non-Marxist ] philosophy. In the 1960s, left-wing activists adopted the ] pro-working class theories that became known as ] and ].<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Balestrini|first1=Nanni|title=L'orda d'oro 1968–1977. La grande ondata rivoluzionaria e creativa, politica ed esistenziale |last2=Moroni|first2=Primo|publisher=SugarCo|year=1997|isbn=8-8078-1462-5}}</ref>
] ]]
The history of Italian cinema began a few months after the ] began motion picture exhibitions. The first Italian film was a few seconds long, showing ] giving a blessing to the camera. The ] industry was born between 1903 and 1908 with three companies: the ], the ] and the ]. Other companies soon followed in Milan and in Naples. In a short time these first companies reached a fair producing quality, and films were soon sold outside Italy. Cinema was later used by ], who founded Rome's renowned ] studio for the production of Fascist propaganda until the ].<ref></ref>


] include ], ], and ], and proto-feminist philosophies had previously been touched upon by Italian writers. Italian educator ] created the ].<ref name=Montessori/> ] was a founder of analytic philosophy and the contemporary philosophy of mathematics. Analytic philosophers include ], ], ], and ].<ref name=Garin/>
After the war, Italian film was widely recognised and exported until an artistic decline around the 1980s. ] from this period include ], ], ], ], ] and ]. Movies include world cinema treasures such as '']'', '']'' and '']''.
In recent years, the Italian scene has received only occasional international attention, with movies like '']'' directed by ] and '']'' with ].


===Science and technology=== === Theatre ===
{{Main|Theatre of Italy}}
], ], ] and ] ]]
] troupe ] performing, by ], {{circa|1590}}]]
{{Main|Science and technology in Italy|List of Italian inventions|List of Italian explorers}}
Through the centuries, Italy has given birth to some notable scientific minds. Amongst them, and perhaps the most famous polymath in history, ] made several contributions to a variety of fields including art, biology, and technology. ] was a ], ], and ] who played a major role in the ]. His achievements include improvements to the ] and consequent astronomical observations, and support for ]. The physicist ], a Nobel prize laureate, was the leader of the team that built the ] and is also noted for his many other contributions to physics, including the co-development of the ].


Italian theatre came about in the Middle Ages, with its antecedents dating back to ancient Greek colonies in southern Italy (]),<ref>{{Cite web|title=Storia del Teatro nelle città d'Italia|url=https://www.melogranoarte.it/storia-del-teatro-nelle-citta-ditalia|access-date=27 July 2022|language=it}}</ref> as well as the theatre of the ]<ref>{{Cite web|title=Storia del teatro: lo spazio scenico in Toscana|url=https://brunelleschi.imss.fi.it/itinerari/itinerario/storiateatrospazioscenicotoscana.html|access-date=28 July 2022|language=it}}</ref> and the ]. There were two main lines along which theatre developed. The first, dramatization of Catholic liturgies, and the second, formed by pagan forms of spectacle, such as staging for city festivals, court preparations of jesters, and songs of the ]s.<ref>Of this second line, Dario Fo speaks of a true alternative culture to the official one: although widespread as an idea, some scholars such as {{Ill|Giovanni Antonucci|it}} do not agree in considering it as such. In this regard, see {{Cite book|last=Antonucci|first=Giovanni|title=Storia del teatro italiano|publisher=Newton Compton Editori|year=1995|isbn=978-8-8798-3974-7|pages=10–14|language=it}}</ref> Renaissance theatre marked the beginning of modern theatre. Ancient theatrical texts were translated and staged at courts, and moved to public theatres. In the late 15th century, the cities of ] and Rome were important for the rediscovery and renewal of theatre.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Antonucci|first=Giovanni|title=Storia del teatro italiano|publisher=Newton Compton Editori|year=1995|isbn=978-8-8798-3974-7|page=18|language=it}}</ref>
A brief overview of some other notable figures includes the astronomer ], who made many important discoveries about the ]; the physicist ], inventor of the ]; the mathematicians ], ], and ], whose ] is generally recognized as the first modern treatment on mathematics, made fundamental advances to the field; ], a doctor and founder of ]; the biologist ], who conducted important research in bodily functions, animal reproduction, and cellular theory; the physician, pathologist, scientist, and Nobel laureate ], whose many achievements include the discovery of the ], and his role in paving the way to the acceptance of the ]; and ], who received the ] for the ].


During the 16th into the 18th century, ] was a form of ], and is still performed. Travelling troupes of players set up an outdoor stage and provided amusement in the form of ], ], and humorous plays. Plays did not originate from written drama, but scenarios called '']'', loose frameworks around which actors would improvise. The characters of the ''commedia'' usually represent fixed social types and stock characters, each of which has a distinct ].<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Chaffee, Judith|title=The Routledge Companion to Commedia Dell'Arte|last2=Crick, Olly|publisher=Rutledge Taylor and Francis Group|year=2015|isbn=978-0-4157-4506-2|location=London and New York|page=1}}</ref> The first recorded commedia dell'arte performances came from Rome as early as 1551.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Katritzky|first=M. A.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9fV4gz5FmiAC&q=the+art+of+commedia|title=The Art of Commedia: A Study in the Commedia dell'arte 1560–1620 with Special Reference to the Visual Records |publisher=Editions Rodopi|year=2006|isbn=978-9-0420-1798-6|location=New York|page=82}}</ref> Female roles were played by women, documented as early as the 1560s, making them the first known professional actresses in Europe since antiquity. ], named on a 1564 contract, has been referred to as the first Italian actress known by name, with ] and ] as the first ]s.<ref>Giacomo Oreglia (2002). Commedia dell'arte. Ordfront. {{ISBN|9-1732-4602-6}}</ref>
===Sport===
{{Main|Sport in Italy|Italy at the Olympics|Italy at the Paralympics}}
{{See also|Football in Italy|Rugby league in Italy|Rugby union in Italy|Fencing and swordsmanship in Italy}}
] ] car.]]
The sport with the highest spectator attendance and number of registered players is ], the ] being one of the most famous competitions in the world. ] is the second-most-successful team in the world, with four ] victories, the first one of which was in 1934.


Ballet originated in Italy during the Renaissance, as an outgrowth of court pageantry.<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Ballet|url=http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/balt/hd_balt.htm|website=metmuseum.org}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Andros on Ballet – Catherine Medici De|url=http://www.michaelminn.net/andros/index.php?de_medici_catherine|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080209205503/http://www.michaelminn.net/andros/index.php?de_medici_catherine|archive-date=9 February 2008|website=michaelminn.net}}</ref>
Other popular sports include ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ] (mainly in Milan, Trentino-Alto Adige and Veneto), ], ] and ]. ] are most popular in the northern regions, with Italians competing in international games and Olympic venues. ] hosted the ].


=== Music ===
Numerous folk sports are played around the country, sometimes incorporated into Italian festivities. Examples are ] horse racing (the most renowned being the ]) and traditional regattas like the ] ] in Venice and the annual regatta of the ], and reenactments of ancient sports like ].
{{Main|Music of Italy}}
{{multiple image
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| footer = Instruments associated with ], including the ] and ], were invented in Italy.<ref name="Erlich"/>
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From ] to ], music is an intrinsic part of Italian culture. Instruments associated with classical music, including the piano and violin, were invented in Italy,<ref name="Erlich">{{Cite book|last=Erlich|first=Cyril|title=The Piano: A History|publisher=Oxford University Press, US; Revised edition|year=1990|isbn=978-0-1981-6171-4}}; {{Cite book|last=Allen|first=Edward Heron|title=Violin-making, as it was and is: Being a Historical, Theoretical, and Practical Treatise on the Science and Art of Violin-making, for the Use of Violin Makers and Players, Amateur and Professional. Preceded by An Essay on the Violin and Its Position as a Musical Instrument|date=1914|publisher=E. Howe}} Accessed 5 September 2015.</ref> and many prevailing forms, such as the ], concerto, and ], trace their roots back to innovations in 16th- and 17th-century Italian music.
Others folk sports played regularly or on a league base include ], ] and ],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.viveresenigallia.it/index.php?page=articolo&articolo_id=129857 |title=Ad Ostra Vetere il secondo campionato nazionale di lancio della boccia su strada • Vivere Senigallia |publisher=Viveresenigallia.it |date=2006-06-29 |accessdate=2010-08-02}}</ref> a game similar to ].


Italy's most famous composers include the Renaissance ], ], and ]; the ] ], and ]; the classical ], and ]; and the Romantic ] and ]. Classical music has a strong hold in Italy, as evidenced by the fame of its opera houses, such as La Scala, and performers such as the pianist ] and tenor ]. Italy is known as the birthplace of opera.<ref name="Kimbell, David R.B.-1994">{{Cite book|last=Kimbell, David R.B.|url={{Google books|C37Gq2GagZIC|keywords=|text=|plainurl=yes}}|title=Italian Opera|publisher=Cambridge University Press|year=1994|isbn=978-0-5214-6643-1|access-date=20 December 2009}}</ref> ] is believed to have been founded in the 17th century.<ref name="Kimbell, David R.B.-1994"/>
===Fashion===
{{Main|Italian fashion|History of Italian fashion}}
{{See also|List of Italian designers|Fashion in Milan|Fashion designers of Florence}}
] collection]]
Italian fashion has a ], and is regarded as one of the most important in the world, along with ], American fashion, British fashion and Japanese fashion. Milan, Florence and Rome are Italy's main ]s, however Naples, Turin, Venice, Bologna, Genoa and ] are other major centres. According to the 2009 ], Milan was nominated the true fashion capital of the world, even surpassing other international cities, such as New York, Paris, London and Tokyo, and Rome came 4th.<ref name="languagemonitor.com" >{{cite web|url=http://www.languagemonitor.com/popular-culture/fashion |title=The Global Language Monitor » Fashion |publisher=Languagemonitor.com |date=20 July 2009 |accessdate=27 October 2009}}</ref> Major Italian fashion labels, such as ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ] and ], to name a few, are regarded as amongst the finest fashion houses in the world. Also, the fashion magazine ], is considered the most important and prestigious fashion magazine in the world.<ref></ref>


Introduced in the early 1920s, ] gained a strong foothold in Italy, and remained popular despite xenophobic policies of the fascists. Italy was represented in the ] and pop movements of the 1970s, with bands such as ], ], ], ], and ].<ref>{{Cite book|last=Keller, Catalano and Colicci|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Gh03DwAAQBAJ&q=keller%20catalano%20and%20colicci&pg=PT1022|title=Garland Encyclopedia of World Music|date=25 September 2017|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-3515-4426-9|pages=604–625}}</ref> The same period saw diversification in the ], and ] films included complex scores by composers including ]. In the 1980s, the first star to emerge from ] was singer ].<ref>{{Cite news|last=Sisario|first=Ben|date=3 October 2012|title=A Roman Rapper Comes to New York, Where He Can Get Real|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/04/arts/music/jovanotti-italian-rapper-brings-his-act-to-new-york.html|url-access=subscription|url-status=live|archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220103/https://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/04/arts/music/jovanotti-italian-rapper-brings-his-act-to-new-york.html|archive-date=3 January 2022|access-date=24 February 2014|work=The New York Times}}{{Cbignore}}</ref> Italian metal bands include ], ], ], ], and ].<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Sharpe-Young|first1= Garry|author-link1= MusicMight|title= A–Z of Power Metal|series= Rockdetector Series|year= 2003|publisher= Cherry Red Books|isbn= 978-1-901447-13-2}}</ref>
===Design===
{{Main|Italian design}}
] is one of the country's and Europe's largest, most innovative and important industrial design expositions.<ref name="aboutmilan.com"/>]]
{{See also|Italian Renaissance interior design|Italian Baroque interior design|Italian Rococo interior design|Italian Neoclassical interior design}}
Italy is prominent in the field of ], notably ], ], ] and ]. Italy has produced some well-known furniture designers, such as ] and ], and Italian phrases such as ''"Bel Disegno"'' and ''"Linea Italiana"'' have entered the vocabulary of furniture design.<ref>Miller (2005) p.486</ref> Examples of classic pieces of Italian ] and pieces of furniture include ]'s ]s and ]s,<ref name="Insight Guides 2004 p.220">Insight Guides (2004) p.220</ref> the "New Tone" sofas by Atrium,<ref name="Insight Guides 2004 p.220"/> and the post-modern bookcase by Ettore Sottsass, inspired by ]'s song '']''.<ref name="Insight Guides 2004 p.220"/> Today, ] and ] are the nation's leaders in ] and ]. The city of Milan hosts the ], Europe's biggest design fair.<ref name="wiley.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.wiley.com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/productCd-0470026839.html |title=Design City Milan |publisher=Wiley |accessdate=3 January 2010}}</ref> Milan also hosts major design and architecture-related events and venues, such as the "''Fuori Salone''" and the "''Salone del Mobile''", and has been home to the designers ], ], ] and ]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.frieze.com/issue/article/milan_turin |title=Frieze Magazine &#124; Archive &#124; Milan and Turin |publisher=Frieze.com |accessdate=3 January 2010}}</ref>


Italy contributed to the development of ] and ], with ], known for its futuristic sound and prominent use of synthesisers and drum machines, one of the earliest electronic dance genres.<ref>{{Cite news|last=McDonnell|first=John|date=1 September 2008|title=Scene and heard: Italo-disco|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/musicblog/2008/sep/01/sceneandhearditalodisco|access-date=14 July 2012|work=The Guardian|location=London}}</ref> Producers such as ], who won three Academy Awards and four Golden Globes, were influential in the development of electronic dance music.<ref>"This record was a collaboration between Philip Oakey, the big-voiced lead singer of the techno-pop band the Human League, and Giorgio Moroder, the Italian-born father of disco who spent the '80s writing synth-based pop and film music." {{Cite web|last=Evan Cater|title=Philip Oakey & Giorgio Moroder: Overview|url={{AllMusic|class=album|id=r59464|pure_url=yes}}|access-date=21 December 2009|publisher=]}}</ref> Italian pop is represented annually with the ], which served as inspiration for the ].<ref>{{Cite web|last=Yiorgos Kasapoglou|date=27 February 2007|title=Sanremo Music Festival kicks off tonight|url=http://www.esctoday.com/news/read/7817|access-date=18 August 2011|publisher=esctoday.com}}</ref> ], ], and ] won Eurovision, in ], ], and ] respectively. Singers such as ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], Grammy winner ], ], ], Måneskin, and others have received international acclaim.<ref>{{Cite web|first=Federica|last=Cirone|date=29 August 2023|title=Cantanti italiani, quali sono quelli che hanno avuto più successo all'estero|url=https://www.socialboost.it/cantanti-italiani-quali-sono-quelli-che-hanno-avuto-piu-successo-allestero/|access-date=5 June 2024|publisher=socialboost.it|language=it}}</ref>
===Cuisine===
].]]
{{Main|Italian cuisine}}
{{See also|List of Italian dishes|Meal structure in Italy|Pasta in Italian cuisine|List of Italian DOCG wines|List of Italian DOC wines|List of Italian IGT wines|List of Italian chefs|Italian ice cream|Italian pizza|Italian wine|List of Italian cheeses|Beer in Italy|Italian Easter cake|Italian-American cuisine}}
Modern Italian ] has evolved through centuries of social and political changes, with its roots reaching back to the 4th century BC. Significant change occurred with the discovery of the ], when vegetables such as ]es, ]es, ]s, and ] became available. However, these central ingredients of modern Italian cuisine were not introduced in scale before the 18th century.<ref>Del Conte, 11–21.</ref>


=== Cinema ===
Ingredients and dishes vary by region. However, many dishes that were once regional have proliferated in different variations across the country. Cheese and wine are major parts of the cuisine, playing different roles both regionally and nationally with their many variations and '']'' (regulated appellation) laws. ], and more specifically ], has become highly important to the cultural cuisine of Italy. Some famous dishes and items include ], ], ], ], and '']''.
{{Main|Cinema of Italy}}
Italian cinema began just after the ] introduced motion picture exhibitions.<ref>{{Cite web|title=L'œuvre cinématographique des frères Lumière – Pays: Italie|url=https://catalogue-lumiere.com/pays/italie|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180320195614/https://catalogue-lumiere.com/pays/italie|archive-date=20 March 2018|access-date=1 January 2022|language=fr}}; {{Cite web|title=Il Cinema Ritrovato – Italia 1896 – Grand Tour Italiano |url=https://festival.ilcinemaritrovato.it/proiezione/italy-1896-in-honor-of-aldo-bernardini|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180321124127/https://festival.ilcinemaritrovato.it/proiezione/italy-1896-in-honor-of-aldo-bernardini|archive-date=21 March 2018|access-date=1 January 2022|language=it}}</ref> The first Italian director is ], who filmed ] in 1896.<ref>{{Cite web|title=26 febbraio 1896 – Papa Leone XIII filmato Fratelli Lumière |url=https://archivio.quirinale.it/aspr/gianni-bisiach/AV-002-000398/26-febbraio-1896-papa-leone-xiii-filmato-fratelli-lumiere|access-date=1 January 2022|language=it}}</ref> '']'', from 1914, is the most famous Italian ].<ref>{{Citation|title=Cinematografia|volume=III|page=226|year=1970|publisher=]|language=it|encyclopedia=Dizionario enciclopedico italiano}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Andrea Fioravanti|title=La "storia" senza storia. Racconti del passato tra letteratura, cinema e televisione|publisher=Morlacchi Editore|year=2006|isbn=978-8-8607-4066-3|page=121|language=it}}</ref> The oldest European ] cinema movement, ], took place in the late 1910s.<ref>{{Cite web|date=30 September 2017|title=Il cinema delle avanguardie|url=https://www.brevestoriadelcinema.org/04-4-il-cinema-delle-avanguardie|access-date=13 November 2022|language=it}}</ref>
], considered one of the most influential and widely revered filmmakers of the 20th century<ref>{{Cite web|date=20 January 2022|title=Federico Fellini, i 10 migliori film per conoscere il grande regista|url=https://libreriamo.it/intrattenimento/federico-fellini-i-10-film-regista|access-date=10 September 2022|language=it}}</ref>]]


After decline in the 1920s, the industry was revitalised in the 1930s with the arrival of ]. A popular Italian genre, the '']'', consisted of comedies with glamorous backgrounds.<ref>{{Citation|last=Katz|first=Ephraim|title=Italy|pages=682–685|year=2001|publisher=HarperResource|isbn=978-0-0607-4214-0|encyclopedia=The Film Encyclopedia}}</ref> '']'' was a sharp contrast to the ''Telefoni Bianchi''-American style comedies and is rather artistic, highly formalistic, expressive in complexity, and deals mainly with contemporary literary material.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Brunetta|first=Gian Piero|title=Storia del cinema mondiale|publisher=Einaudi|year=2002|isbn=978-8-8061-4528-6|volume=III|pages=357–359|language=it}}</ref> Cinema was used by Mussolini, who founded Rome's renowned ], for the production of ].<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Cinema Under Mussolini|url=http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/italians/resources/Amiciprize/1996/mussolini.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100731200507/http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/italians/resources/Amiciprize/1996/mussolini.html|archive-date=31 July 2010|access-date=30 October 2010|publisher=Ccat.sas.upenn.edu}}</ref>
==Society==
] worldwide (], Italian actress).]]
{{See also|Adoption in Italy|Scouting and Guiding in Italy}}
Italy has been nominated 2009's ],<ref name="nation-branding1" ></ref> (falling short of ], ], ], ] and ], and surpassing the ], ], ], ] and ]), coming ninth in export branding 2008, first in tourism branding, second in cultural branding, third in people branding and ninth in immigration branding.


After World War II, Italian film was widely recognised and exported until an artistic decline occurred in the 1980s.<ref>{{Cite web|title=STORIA 'POCONORMALE' DEL CINEMA: ITALIA ANNI '80, IL DECLINO|url=https://www.mymovies.it/cinemanews/2009/16629|access-date=1 January 2022|language=it}}</ref> ] include ], ], ], ], ], ], ], and ], recognised among the greatest of all time.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Ebert|first=Roger|title=The Bicycle Thief / Bicycle Thieves (1949) |url=http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19990319/REVIEWS08/903190306/1023|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090227023704/http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=%2F19990319%2FREVIEWS08%2F903190306%2F1023|archive-date=27 February 2009|access-date=8 September 2011|work=Chicago Sun-Times}}; {{Cite web|date=7 July 2002|title=The 25 Most Influential Directors of All Time|url=http://www.moviemaker.com/archives/moviemaking/directing/articles-directing/the-25-most-influential-directors-of-all-time-3358|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151211230213/http://www.moviemaker.com/archives/moviemaking/directing/articles-directing/the-25-most-influential-directors-of-all-time-3358|archive-date=11 December 2015|access-date=21 February 2017|website=MovieMaker Magazine}}</ref> The mid-1940s to the early 1950s was the heyday of ], reflecting the poor condition of post-war Italy.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Italian Neorealism – Explore – The Criterion Collection|url=https://www.criterion.com/explore/6-italian-neorealism|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110918102158/http://www.criterion.com/explore/6-italian-neorealism|archive-date=18 September 2011|access-date=7 September 2011|publisher=Criterion.com}}</ref>
===Social class===
{{Main|Social class in Italy}}
Italian society is often divided into different ranks of ]. Italian society is divided between the ], the ] middle class, the petit urban bourgeosie, the petit rural bourgeosie, the urban working class and the rural working class.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/economies/Europe/Italy-POVERTY-AND-WEALTH.html |title=Italy Poverty and wealth, Information about Poverty and wealth in Italy |publisher=Nationsencyclopedia.com |accessdate=27 January 2010}}</ref>


As the country grew wealthier in the 1950s, a form of neorealism known as pink neorealism succeeded, and the '']'' genre and other ]s, such as ] and ]s, were popular in the 1960s and 70s.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Western all'italiana|url=https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/western-all-italiana_%28Enciclopedia-del-Cinema%29|access-date=1 January 2022|language=it}}</ref> Actresses such as ] achieved international stardom. Erotic Italian thrillers, or '']'', produced by directors such as ] in the 1970s, influenced horror.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Tarantino e i film italiani degli anni settanta|url=http://www.corriere.it/solferino/severgnini/09-10-30/09.spm|access-date=1 January 2022|language=it}}</ref> Recently, the Italian scene has received only occasional attention, with movies such as '']'', '']'', and '']''.<ref>{{Cite news|date=21 May 2013|title=Cannes 2013. La grande bellezza |url=https://stanzedicinema.com/2013/05/21/cannes-2013-la-grande-bellezza|access-date=1 January 2022|work=Stanze di Cinema|language=it}}</ref>
===Women===
{{Main|Women in Italy}}
Women have equal rights as men, and have mainly the same job, business and education opportunities. Some traditionalist people in Italian society (especially in the South) still tend to treat women as slightly inferior, but women's rights in Italy are comparable to most western countries.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/articles/article/Italy/Women%E2%80%99s-Rights-in-Italy/314 |title=Women’s Rights in Italy |publisher=Kwintessential.co.uk |accessdate=27 January 2010}}</ref>


Cinecittà studio is the largest film and television production facility in Europe,<ref>{{Cite web|date=30 December 2021|title=Cinecittà, c'è l'accordo per espandere gli Studios italiani|url=https://www.ciakmagazine.it/news/cinecitta-ce-laccordo-per-espandere-gli-studios-italiani|access-date=10 September 2022|language=it}}</ref> where many international box office hits were filmed. In the 1950s, the number of international productions made there led to Rome's being dubbed "]". More than 3,000 productions have been made on its lot, of which 90 received an ] nomination, with 47 wins.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Bondanella|first=Peter E.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PiTBFMc7tp4C|title=Italian Cinema: From Neorealism to the Present|date=2001|publisher=Continuum|isbn=978-0-8264-1247-8|page=13}}</ref> Italy is the most awarded country at the Academy Awards for ], with 14 wins and 3 ].<ref>{{Cite web|date=26 October 2021|title=Oscar 2022: Paolo Sorrentino e gli altri candidati come miglior film internazionale |url=https://www.sorrisi.com/cinema/migliori-film/oscar-2022-paolo-sorrentino-e-gli-altri-candidati-come-miglior-film-internazionale|access-date=1 January 2022|language=it}}</ref> {{As of|2016}}, Italian films have won 12 Palmes d'Or,<ref>{{Cite web|date=13 May 2014|title=10 film italiani che hanno fatto la storia del Festival di Cannes|url=https://www.nanopress.it/articolo/10-film-italiani-che-hanno-fatto-la-storia-del-festival-di-cannes/67505|access-date=1 January 2022|language=it}}</ref> 11 ]s,<ref>{{Cite web|date=28 August 2018|title=I film italiani vincitori del Leone d'Oro al Festival di Venezia|url=https://www.supereva.it/i-film-italiani-vincitori-del-leone-doro-al-festival-di-venezia-51756|access-date=1 January 2022|language=it}}</ref> and 7 ]s.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Film italiani vincitori Orso d'Oro di Berlino|url=https://popcorntv.it/guide/film-italiani-vincitori-orso-doro-di-berlino/32626|access-date=1 January 2022|language=it}}</ref>
===LGBT rights===
{{Main|LGBT rights in Italy}}
{{See also|Recognition of same-sex unions in Italy}}
Italy legally accepts homosexuals and transgenders, however they may face legal challenges not experienced by non-] residents. Both male and female same-sex sexual activity are legal in Italy, but same-sex couples and households headed by same-sex couples are not eligible for the same legal protections available to opposite-sex couples.


=== Sport ===
Italian opinions have changed in the past and people now tend to be more supportive and liberal of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) rights, but tend to be more repressive than other European nations. Tolerance is seen in a peculiar way that is due to the religious influence of the ], which has been ingrained in Italian society for 1,700 years. Conservative Italian politicians such as ] have often been opposed to increasing gay rights.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.turkishpress.com/news.asp?id=117489|title=Berlusconi bids for Catholic vote in Sunday's polls|publisher='']''|date=}}</ref> A ] survey published on December 2006 showed that 31% of Italians surveyed support same-sex marriage and 24% recognise same-sex couple's right to adopt (]-wide average 44% and 33%).<ref>, Angus Reid Global Monitor, 24 December 2006 (based on ] data)</ref> A recent 2007 poll asking whether they supported the civil partnership law for gays. Support for the measure was at 45% support, with 47% oppose. 8% said they were unsure.<ref>, Angus Reid Global Monitor, 21 February 2007</ref> Homosexuals are also allowed to serve fully in ].
{{Main|Sport in Italy}}
] in 2012. ] is the most popular sport in Italy.]]


The most popular sport is ].<ref>{{Cite web|last=Wilson|first=Bill|date=10 March 2014|title=Italian football counts cost of stagnation|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-26351331|access-date=12 June 2015|publisher=BBC News}}; {{Cite book|last1=Hamil|first1=Sean|title=Managing football: an international perspective|last2=Chadwick|first2=Simon|publisher=Elsevier/Butterworth-Heinemann|year=2010|isbn=978-1-8561-7544-9|edition=1st ed., dodr.|location=Amsterdam|page=285}}</ref> Italy's ] is one of the most successful, with four ] victories (], ], ], and ]) and two ] victories (] and ]).<ref>{{Cite web|title=Previous FIFA World Cups|url=https://www.fifa.com/worldcup/archive/index.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110125063612/http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/archive/index.html|archive-date=25 January 2011|access-date=8 January 2011|publisher=FIFA}}</ref> Italian clubs have won 48 major European trophies, making Italy the second most successful country in Europe, after Spain. Italy's top league is ] and is followed by millions of fans around the world.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Le squadre più tifate al mondo: classifica e numero di fan|url=https://www.sisal.it/scommesse-matchpoint/blog/fuori-campo/squadre-piu-tifate-al-mondo-classifica|access-date=4 January 2022|language=it}}</ref>
===Daily life and leisure===


Other popular team sports include basketball, volleyball, and rugby.<ref name="sportface">{{Cite web|date=15 March 2021|title=Sport più seguiti: la (forse) sorprendente classifica mondiale|url=https://www.sportface.it/altro/sport-piu-seguiti-la-forse-sorprendente-classifica-mondiale/1318754|access-date=4 January 2022|language=it}}</ref> Italy's male and female national volleyball teams are often featured among the world's best. The ] won three consecutive ] (in 1990, 1994, and 1998). ]'s best results were gold at ] and ], and silver at the ]. ] is one of the most competitive in Europe.<ref>{{Cite web|date=July 2019|title=Basket Eurolega, l'albo d'oro delle squadre più forti e titolate d'Europa|url=https://williamhillnews.it/basket/basket-eurolega|access-date=4 January 2022|language=it}}</ref> The ] competes in the ], and at the ].
Italians' social customs and daily lives have profoundly changed since ], transforming the nation from a highly traditional, agricultural-based society, into a progressive and modernized one.<ref name="britannica.com" >{{cite web|url=http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/297474/Italy |title=Italy - Britannica Online Encyclopedia |publisher=Britannica.com |accessdate=19 November 2009}}</ref>


Among individual sports, bicycle racing is popular;<ref>{{Cite book|last=Foot|first=John|title=Pedalare! Pedalare!: a history of Italian cycling|publisher=Bloomsbury|year=2012|isbn=978-1-4088-2219-7|location=London|page=312}}</ref> Italians have won the ] ], except ]. The ] is a cycling race held every May and one of the three ]. Alpine skiing is a widespread sport, and the country is a popular skiing destination.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Hall|first=James|date=23 November 2012|title=Italy is best value skiing country, report finds|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/travelnews/9697128/Italy-is-best-value-skiing-country-report-finds.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131003012827/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/travelnews/9697128/Italy-is-best-value-skiing-country-report-finds.html|archive-date=3 October 2013|access-date=29 August 2013|work=The Daily Telegraph|location=London}}</ref> Italian skiers achieve good results in ] and the ]. Tennis has a significant following: it is the fourth most practised sport.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Il tennis è il quarto sport in Italia per numero di praticanti|url=http://www.federtennis.it/DettaglioNews.asp?IDNews=55672|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130927033216/http://www.federtennis.it/DettaglioNews.asp?IDNews=55672|archive-date=27 September 2013|access-date=29 August 2013|publisher=Federazione Italiana Tennis}}</ref> The ], founded in 1930, is one of the most prestigious tennis tournaments.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Internazionali d'Italia di Tennis – Roma 2021 |url=https://www.faretennis.com/tornei/internazionali-italia-tennis|access-date=4 January 2022|language=it}}</ref> Italian players won the ] in 1976 and the ] in 2006, 2009, 2010, and 2013.
Most Italians favour activities such as going to the ], reading ]s, watching ] and listening to the ]; reading books and playing sport has proved less popular.<ref name="britannica.com" /> According to some surveys, Italians are generally highly satisfied with social relations and family, ], daily life and friendship relations; however, Italians find economic status and job opportunities generally less satisfying, especially in parts of ] that suffer from relatively high unemployment.<ref name="britannica.com" /> Meeting up and socializing with friends in the country's abundant ]s, going to ]s, ]s, ]s and ] and finding other forms of entertainment remain popular with Italians, especially the younger generations.<ref name="britannica.com" /> Automobiles still hold a strong part of Italian daily life, however this results in many cities being congested.<ref name="britannica.com" />
] by ], the oldest surviving team in ] racing,<ref name="targaflorio"/> having competed since 1948, and statistically the ]]]


Motorsports are popular.<ref name="sportface"/> Italy has won, by far, the most MotoGP World Championships. Italian ] is the oldest surviving team in ] racing,<ref name="targaflorio">{{Cite web|title=Enzo Ferrari|url=https://www.targaflorio.info/enzoferrari.htm|access-date=4 January 2022|language=it}}</ref> competing since 1948, and the most successful Formula One team with 232 wins. The ] of ] has been held since 1921<ref>{{Cite web|date=3 September 2020|title=GP d'Italia: albo d'oro|url=https://www.motori.it/curiosita/1757728/gp-ditalia-albo-doro.html|access-date=4 January 2022|language=it}}</ref> always at ] (except ]).<ref>{{Cite web|date=7 September 2021|title=GP Italia: a Monza tra storia e passione|url=https://www.f1world.it/amarcord/gp-ditalia-a-monza-tra-storia-e-passione|access-date=4 January 2022|language=it}}</ref> Other successful Italian car manufacturers in motorsports are ], ], ], and ].<ref>{{Cite web|date=5 October 2021|title=L'Italia che vince le corse|url=https://www.museoauto.com/litalia-che-vince-le-corse-la-ferrari-500-f2-del-1952|access-date=4 January 2022|language=it}}</ref>
===Customs and etiquette===
{{Main|Customs and etiquette in Italy}}
Italy has a ] comparable to most ]. Being open and confident and presenting oneself well by dressing elegantly when meeting new people is considered essential for what is called ''la bella figura'', making a good impression.<ref name="kwintessential.co.uk"/><ref name="traveletiquette.co.uk">{{cite web|url=http://www.traveletiquette.co.uk/EtiquetteItaly.html |title=Etiquette in Italy - Travel Etiquette (UK) |publisher=Travel Etiquette |date=2007-10-29 |accessdate=2010-08-02}}</ref> Dining is considered important, with table manners being highly valued. Families tend to eat together around the table, and on Sundays or special occasions people may invite friends or relatives home or out to a restaurant to have a meal together.<ref name="traveletiquette.co.uk"/>


Italy has been successful in the Olympics, taking part from the ] and in 47 Games out of 48 (not ]).<ref>{{Cite web|last=Elio Trifari|title=Che sorpresa: Italia presente a tutti i Giochi|url=http://archiviostorico.gazzetta.it/2008/novembre/28/Che_sorpresa_Italia_presente_tutti_ga_10_081128051.shtml|access-date=4 January 2022|language=it}}</ref> ] have won 618 medals at the ], and 141 at the Winter Olympics, with 259 golds, the sixth most successful for total medals. The country hosted Winter Olympics in ] and ], and will host another in ]; and a Summer games in ].
===Public holidays===
{{Main|Public holidays in Italy}}
List of ]:


=== Fashion and design ===
{|class="wikitable"
{{Main|Italian fashion|Italian design}}
|-
] shop at ] in Milan]]
!Date||English Name||Local Name||Remarks
|-
|1 January||]'s Day||''Capodanno''||
|-
|6 January||]||''Epifania''||
|-
|''Movable''||] Sunday||''Pasqua''||
|-
|''Monday after Easter''||] Monday||''Lunedì dell'Angelo'', ''Pasquetta''||
|-
|25 April ||]||''Festa della Liberazione''||], 1945
|-
|1 May||]||''Festa dei Lavoratori''||
|-
|2 June||]||''Festa della Repubblica''||], 1946
|-
|15 August||]/]||''Ferragosto'' and ''Assunzione''||
|-
|1 November||]||''Ognissanti'' or ''Tutti i santi''||
|-
|8 December||]||''Immacolata Concezione'' (or just ''Immacolata'')||
|-
|25 December||]||''Natale''||
|-
|26 December||]||''Santo Stefano''||
|}


Italian fashion has a long tradition. ''Top Global Fashion Capital Rankings'' (2013), by ], ranked Rome sixth and Milan twelfth.<ref>{{Cite web|title=New York Takes Top Global Fashion Capital Title from London, edging past Paris|url=http://www.languagemonitor.com/fashion/sorry-kate-new-york-edges-paris-and-london-in-top-global-fashion-capital-10th-annual-survey|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222011026/http://www.languagemonitor.com/fashion/sorry-kate-new-york-edges-paris-and-london-in-top-global-fashion-capital-10th-annual-survey|archive-date=22 February 2014|access-date=25 February 2014|publisher=Languagemonitor.com}}</ref> Major Italian fashion labels—such as ], ], ], ], ], ]—are among the finest fashion houses in the world. Jewellers such as ], ], and ] were founded in Italy. The fashion magazine '']'' is one of the most prestigious fashion magazines in the world.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Press|first=Debbie|url={{Google books|pkeaOOxb_isC|page=PA16|keywords=|text=|plainurl=yes}}|title=Your Modeling Career: You Don't Have to Be a Superstar to Succeed|publisher=Allworth Press|year=2000|isbn=978-1-58115-045-2}}; {{Cite web|last=Cardini|first=Tiziana|date=28 October 2020|title=Get to Know the Young Winners of the 2020 International Talent Support Awards |url=https://www.vogue.com/article/internationa-talent-support-award-2020-winners|website=Vogue}}</ref>
==See also==
{{Portal box|Italy|European Union}}
{{Main|Outline of Italy}}
*]
*]
*]
{{Collapsible list|title=Italian language in:
|framestyle=border:1; background:#cfc;
|1=:{{*}}]
|2={{*}}]
|3={{*}}]
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Italy is prominent in the field of design, notably interior, architectural, industrial, and urban designs.<ref>Miller (2005) p. 486</ref><ref>Insight Guides (2004) p. 220</ref> Milan and Turin are the nation's leaders in architectural and industrial design. The city of Milan hosts ], Europe's largest design fair.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Design City Milan|url=http://www.wiley.com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/productCd-0470026839.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101206052654/http://www.wiley.com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/productCd-0470026839.html|archive-date=6 December 2010|access-date=3 January 2010|publisher=Wiley}}</ref> Milan hosts major design- and architecture-related events and venues, such as the ''Fuori Salone'' and the ], and has been home to the designers ], ], ], and ].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Frieze Magazine – Archive – Milan and Turin|url=http://www.frieze.com/issue/article/milan_turin|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100110123141/http://www.frieze.com/issue/article/milan_turin|archive-date=10 January 2010|access-date=3 January 2010|website=Frieze}}</ref>
==Notes==
{{Refbegin}}
# According to Mitrica, an October 2005 Romanian report estimates that 1,061,400 Romanians are living in Italy, constituting 37.2% of 2.8&nbsp;million immigrants in that country<ref>Mitrica, Mihai ("One million Romanians have moved to Italy"). ''Evenimentul Zilei'', 31 October 2005. Visited 11 April 2006.</ref> but it is unclear how the estimate was made, and therefore whether it should be taken seriously.
#See also (in Italian): ''L. Lepschy e G. Lepschy, La lingua italiana: storia, varietà d'uso, grammatica, Milano, Bompiani''
#Official French maps show the border detouring south of the main summit, and claim the highest point in Italy is Mont Blanc de Courmayeur (4,748&nbsp;m), but these are inconsistent with an 1861 convention and topographic watershed analysis.
{{Refend}}


==Bibliography== === Cuisine ===
{{Main|Italian cuisine|Italian meal structure|List of Italian foods and drinks}}
*{{Cite book|title=Northern Italy|publisher=APA Publications|year=2004|isbn=9812349030|unused_data=Insight Guides }}
] and '']'']]
*{{Cite book|last=Miller |first=Judith|title=Furniture: world styles from classical to contemporary|publisher=DK Publishing|year=2005|isbn=075661340X }}
*{{Cite book|title=Italy|publisher=DK|year=2005|isbn=1405307811|unused_data=Eyewitness Travel }}


] is heavily influenced by ], ], ], ], ], and ] cuisines.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2023-04-05|title=The History of Italian Cuisine: A Cultural Journey – Italian Cuisine|url=https://italian-cuisine.org/the-history-of-italian-cuisine-a-cultural-journey|access-date=2024-02-25|website=italian-cuisine.org}}; {{Cite web|title=Italian Cooking: History of Food and Cooking in Rome and Lazio Region, Papal Influence, Jewish Influence, The Essence of Roman Italian Cooking|url=http://www.inmamaskitchen.com/ITALIAN_COOKING/rome_Lazio/Rome_LAZIO.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100410100532/http://www.inmamaskitchen.com/ITALIAN_COOKING/rome_Lazio/Rome_LAZIO.html|archive-date=10 April 2010|access-date=24 April 2010|publisher=Inmamaskitchen.com}}</ref> Significant changes occurred with the discovery of the ], with items such as potatoes, tomatoes, and maize becoming main ingredients from the 18th century.<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Making of Italian Food...From the Beginning|url=http://www.epicurean.com/articles/making-of-italian-food.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100327080045/http://www.epicurean.com/articles/making-of-italian-food.html|archive-date=27 March 2010|access-date=24 April 2010|publisher=Epicurean.com}}; Del Conte, 11–21.</ref> The ] forms the basis of Italian cuisine, which is rich in ], fish, fruits, and vegetables and characterised by its simplicity and variety, with many dishes having only four to eight ingredients.<ref>The Silver Spoon {{ISBN|8-8721-2223-6}}, 1997 ed.</ref> Italian cuisine is noted for its regional diversity,<ref>{{Cite encyclopedia|title=Italian cuisine – Britannica Online Encyclopedia|encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica|url=https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/718430/Italian-cuisine|access-date=24 April 2010|date=2 January 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100716014306/https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/718430/Italian-cuisine|archive-date=16 July 2010|author=Related Articles|url-status=live}}; {{Cite web|title=Italian Food – Italy's Regional Dishes & Cuisine|url=http://www.indigoguide.com/italy/food.htm|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110102020059/http://www.indigoguide.com/italy/food.htm|archive-date=2 January 2011|access-date=24 April 2010|publisher=Indigoguide.com}}; {{Cite web|title=Regional Italian Cuisine|url=http://www.rusticocooking.com/regions.htm|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100410072851/http://www.rusticocooking.com/regions.htm|archive-date=10 April 2010|access-date=24 April 2010|publisher=Rusticocooking.com}}</ref> abundance of difference in taste, and as one of the most popular in the world,<ref>{{Cite web|date=6 January 2013|title=Which country has the best food?|url=http://travel.cnn.com/explorations/eat/worlds-best-food-cultures-453528|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130629071154/http://travel.cnn.com/explorations/eat/worlds-best-food-cultures-453528|archive-date=29 June 2013|access-date=14 October 2013|publisher=CNN}}</ref> wielding strong influence abroad.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Freeman|first=Nancy|date=2 March 2007|title=American Food, Cuisine|url=http://www.sallybernstein.com/food/cuisines/us|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100418064119/http://sallybernstein.com/food/cuisines/us|archive-date=18 April 2010|access-date=24 April 2010|publisher=Sallybernstein.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Most Americans Have Dined Out in the Past Month and, Among Type of Cuisine, American Food is Tops Followed by Italian|url=http://www.harrisinteractive.com/vault/HarrisPoll18-DiningOut_4-3-13.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130520205539/http://www.harrisinteractive.com/vault/HarrisPoll18-DiningOut_4-3-13.pdf|archive-date=20 May 2013|access-date=31 August 2013|publisher=]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=Kazmin|first=Amy|date=26 March 2013|title=A taste for Italian in New Delhi|url=http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/7ab87234-9214-11e2-851f-00144feabdc0.html|url-access=subscription|url-status=live|archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221210/http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/7ab87234-9214-11e2-851f-00144feabdc0.html|archive-date=10 December 2022|access-date=31 August 2013|work=]|location=London}}</ref>
==References==
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}


Italian cuisine relies heavily on traditional products; the country has a large number of traditional specialties protected under ].<ref>{{Cite web|last=Keane|first=John|title=Italy leads the way with protected products under EU schemes|url=http://www.bordbia.ie/industryservices/information/alerts/Pages/ItalyleadsthewaywithprotectedproductsunderEUschemes.aspx|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140329075250/http://www.bordbia.ie/industryservices/information/alerts/Pages/ItalyleadsthewaywithprotectedproductsunderEUschemes.aspx|archive-date=29 March 2014|access-date=5 September 2013|publisher=]}}</ref> Italy is home to 395 ]-rated restaurants.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.michelin.com/en/publications/products-and-services/michelin-guide-2024-italy-two-new-3-michelin-stars-restaurants|title=Michelin Guide 2024 - Italy - Two new 3 Michelin stars restaurants|access-date=20 November 2024}}</ref> ], ], and ] are central to Italian cuisine, with regional declinations and ] or ] labels, along with ] and coffee forming part of gastronomic culture.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Marshall|first=Lee|date=30 September 2009|title=Italian coffee culture: a guide|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/italy/6246202/Italian-coffee-culture-a-guide.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131010212148/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/italy/6246202/Italian-coffee-culture-a-guide.html|archive-date=10 October 2013|access-date=5 September 2013|work=The Daily Telegraph|location=London}}</ref> Desserts have a long tradition of merging local flavours, such as citrus fruits, pistachio, and almonds, with sweet cheeses such as ] and ] or exotic tastes such as cocoa, vanilla, and cinnamon. ],<ref>{{Cite news|last=Jewkes|first=Stephen|date=13 October 2012|title=World's first museum about gelato culture opens in Italy|url=http://www.timescolonist.com/life/travel/world-s-first-museum-about-gelato-culture-opens-in-italy-1.15866|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131016062518/http://www.timescolonist.com/life/travel/world-s-first-museum-about-gelato-culture-opens-in-italy-1.15866|archive-date=16 October 2013|access-date=5 September 2013|work=]}}</ref> ],<ref>{{Cite news|last=Squires|first=Nick|date=23 August 2013|title=Tiramisu claimed by Treviso|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/italy/10261930/Tiramisu-claimed-by-Treviso.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130829091009/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/italy/10261930/Tiramisu-claimed-by-Treviso.html|archive-date=29 August 2013|access-date=5 September 2013|work=The Daily Telegraph|location=London}}</ref> and ] are among the most famous examples of Italian desserts.
==External links==
{{Sister project links}}
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The ] is typical of the Mediterranean region and differs from North, Central, and East European meal structures, although it still often consists of breakfast ('']''), lunch ('']''), and dinner ('']'').<ref>{{Cite web|title=Mangiare all'italiana|url=https://www.studiare-in-italia.it/php5/study-italy.php?idorizz=5&idvert=62|access-date=12 November 2021|language=it}}</ref> However, much less emphasis is placed on breakfast, which is often skipped or involves lighter portions than are seen in non-Mediterranean Western countries.<ref>{{Cite web|date=29 March 2016|title=Colazioni da incubo in giro per il mondo|url=https://www.lacucinaitaliana.it/news/in-primo-piano/colazioni-strane-nel-mondo|access-date=12 November 2021|language=it}}</ref> Late-morning and mid-afternoon snacks, called '']'' ({{Plural form}}: ''merende''), are often included.<ref>{{Cite web|date=12 August 2021|title=Merenda, una abitudine tutta italiana: cinque ricette salutari per tutta la famiglia|url=https://www.corriere.it/cook/news/cards/merenda-abitudine-tutta-italiana-cinque-ricette-salutari-tutta-famiglia/merenda-come-deve-essere_principale.shtml|access-date=12 November 2021|language=it}}</ref>
;General
*{{CIA World Factbook link|it|Italy}}
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* at ''UCB Libraries GovPubs''
*{{dmoz|Regional/Europe/Italy}}
*{{Wikiatlas|Italy}}
*{{Wikitravel}}


=== Public holidays, festivals and folklore ===
; Government
{{Main|Public holidays in Italy|Traditions of Italy|Folklore of Italy}}
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]'', with the smoke trail representing the ], above the ] in Rome during the celebrations of the '']'']]
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Public holidays include religious, national, and regional observances. Italy's National Day, the '']'' ('Republic Day'),<ref>{{Cite web|title=Le feste mobili. Feste religiose e feste civili in Italia|url=http://calendario.eugeniosongia.com/feste.htm|access-date=29 December 2022|language=it}}</ref> is celebrated on 2 June, with the main celebration taking place in Rome, and commemorates the birth of the Italian Republic in 1946.<ref name="Italian Embassy in London">{{Cite web|title=Festività nazionali in Italia|url=http://www.amblondra.esteri.it/Ambasciata_Londra/Menu/In_linea_con_utente/Domande_frequenti/altro.htm|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120624220055/http://www.amblondra.esteri.it/Ambasciata_Londra/Menu/In_linea_con_utente/Domande_frequenti/altro.htm|archive-date=24 June 2012|access-date=15 April 2012|publisher=Italian Embassy in London|language=it}}</ref> The ceremony includes deposition of a wreath as a tribute to the ] and a military parade along ] in Rome.
; Public institutions
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], on 13 December, is popular among children in some Italian regions, where she plays a role similar to Santa Claus.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Saint Lucy – Sicily's Most Famous Woman – Best of Sicily Magazine|url=http://www.bestofsicily.com/mag/art333.htm|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121015021932/http://bestofsicily.com/mag/art333.htm|archive-date=15 October 2012|website=bestofsicily.com}}</ref> The ] is associated with the ] figure of ], a broomstick-riding old woman who, on the night of 5 January, brings good children gifts, and bad ones charcoal or bags of ashes.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Roy|first=Christian|url={{Google books|IKqOUfqt4cIC|page=PA144|keywords=|text=|plainurl=yes}}|title=Traditional Festivals|date=2005|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=978-1-5760-7089-5|page=144|access-date=13 January 2015}}</ref> The ] coincides with '']'' on 15 August, the summer vacation period.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Jonathan Boardman|url={{Google books|VHAUAQAAIAAJ|keywords=|text=|plainurl=yes}}|title=Rome: A Cultural and Literary Companion|publisher=Signal Books|year=2000|isbn=978-1-902669-15-1|location=University of California|page=219|format=Google Books}}</ref> The Italian national ], on 4 October, celebrates ]. Each city or town also celebrates a public holiday on the festival of the local patron saint.<ref name="Italian Embassy in London"/> ], historically known as ''Dies Romana'' and also referred to as Romaia, is the festival linked to the ], celebrated on 21 April.<ref name="Plutarch12">], ''] - Life of Romulus'', (from ])</ref>
; History and prehistory

*{{Cite web|title=History of Italy: Primary Documents|first=Richard|last=Hacken|publisher=EuroDocs: Harold B. Lee Library: Brigham Young University|url=http://eudocs.lib.byu.edu/index.php/History_of_Italy:_Primary_Documents|accessdate=6 March 2010}}
Festivals and festivities include the ] horse race, ] rites, ] of Arezzo, and the '']''. In 2013, ] included among the ] Italian festivals and '']'', such as the ], the ] in ], and ''faradda di li candareri'' in ].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Celebrations of big shoulder-borne processional structures|url=http://www.unesco.org/culture/ich/index.php?lg=en&pg=00011&RL=00721|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141213122708/http://www.unesco.org/culture/ich/index.php?lg=EN|archive-date=13 December 2014|access-date=29 November 2014|publisher=UNESCO}}</ref> Other festivals include ] in Venice, ], ], ], and ]. The ], awarding the ] and held since 1932, is the oldest in the world and one of the "Big Three" European film festivals, alongside ] and ].<ref>{{Cite web|last=Anderson|first=Ariston|date=24 July 2014|title=Venice: David Gordon Green's 'Manglehorn,' Abel Ferrara's 'Pasolini' in Competition Lineup|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/venice-film-festival-unveils-lineup-720770|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160218220740/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/venice-film-festival-unveils-lineup-720770|archive-date=18 February 2016|website=]}}; {{Cite magazine|title=Addio, Lido: Last Postcards from the Venice Film Festival|url=https://time.com/3291348/addio-lido-last-postcards-from-the-venice-film-festival/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140920162423/http://time.com/3291348/addio-lido-last-postcards-from-the-venice-film-festival|archive-date=20 September 2014|magazine=Time}}</ref>
*{{Cite web|title=FastiOnline: A database of archaeological excavations since the year 2000|date=2004-2007|publisher=International Association of Classical Archaeology (AIAC)|url=http://www.fastionline.org/|accessdate=6 March 2010}}

*{{Cite web|title=Italy History - Italian History Index|language=Italian, English|date=1995-2010|publisher=European University Institute, The World Wide Web Virtual Library|url=http://vlib.iue.it/hist-italy/Index.html|accessdate=6 March 2010}}
== See also ==
<br />
{{Portal|Italy|Europe}}
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|title = Articles Related to Italy

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== Notes ==
{{Italy topics|state=autocollapse}}
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|title = ]{{nbsp}}Geographic locale
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'''] {{Coord|41|54|N|12|29|E|display=inline}} <span style="color:darkblue;">(Rome)</span>'''

{{Countries of Europe}}
== Bibliography ==
{{Refbegin|30em}}
* {{Cite book|last1=Cushman-Roisin|first1=Benoit|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OFwkVgQNHlsC|title=Physical oceanography of the Adriatic Sea|last2=Gačić|first2=Miroslav|last3=Poulain|first3=Pierre-Marie|publisher=Springer|year=2001|isbn=978-1-4020-0225-0}}
* {{Cite web|date=2004–2007|title=FastiOnline: A database of archaeological excavations since the year 2000 |url=https://www.fastionline.org|access-date=6 March 2010|publisher=International Association of Classical Archaeology (AIAC)}}
* Hibberd, Matthew. ''The media in Italy'' (McGraw-Hill International, 2007)
* Sarti, Roland, ed. ''Italy: A reference guide from the Renaissance to the present'' (2004)
* Sassoon, Donald. ''Contemporary Italy: politics, economy and society since 1945'' (Routledge, 2014)
* {{Cite web|date=1995–2010|title=Italy History – Italian History Index|url=http://vlib.iue.it/hist-italy/Index.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210815124837/http://vlib.iue.it/hist-italy/Index.html|archive-date=15 August 2021|access-date=6 March 2010|publisher=European University Institute, The World Wide Web Virtual Library|language=it, en}}
{{Refend}}

== External links ==
{{Wikibooks|Wikijunior:Countries A-Z|Italy}}
{{Sister project links|voy=Italy|d=Q38}}
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* . '']''. ].
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* {{Wikiatlas|Italy}}
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* from ]
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Revision as of 22:30, 23 December 2024

Country in Southern Europe "Italia" redirects here. For other uses, see Italy (disambiguation) and Italia (disambiguation).

Italian RepublicRepubblica Italiana (Italian)
Flag of Italy Flag Emblem of Italy Emblem
Anthem: "Il Canto degli Italiani"
"The Song of the Italians"
Show globeShow map of EuropeLocation of Italy (dark green)

– in Europe (light green & dark grey)
– in the European Union (light green)  –  [Legend]

Capitaland largest cityRome
41°54′N 12°29′E / 41.900°N 12.483°E / 41.900; 12.483
Official languagesItalian
Nationality (2021)
Native languagesSee main article
Religion (2020)
Demonym(s)Italian
GovernmentUnitary parliamentary republic
• President Sergio Mattarella
• Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni
• President of the Senate Ignazio La Russa
• President of the Chamber of Deputies Lorenzo Fontana
LegislatureParliament
• Upper houseSenate of the Republic
• Lower houseChamber of Deputies
Formation
• Unification 17 March 1861
• Republic 12 June 1946
• Current constitution 1 January 1948
Area
• Total301,340 km (116,350 sq mi) (71st)
• Water (%)1.24 (2015)
Population
• 2024 estimateNeutral increase 58,968,501 (25th)
• Density195.7/km (506.9/sq mi) (71st)
GDP (PPP)2024 estimate
• TotalIncrease $3.597 trillion (13th)
• Per capitaIncrease $60,992 (30th)
GDP (nominal)2024 estimate
• TotalIncrease $2.376 trillion (8th)
• Per capitaIncrease $40,286 (26th)
Gini (2020)Positive decrease 32.5
medium inequality
HDI (2022)Steady 0.906
very high (30th)
CurrencyEuro (€) (EUR)
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Calling code+39
ISO 3166 codeIT
Internet TLD.it
  1. German is co-official in South Tyrol and Friuli-Venezia Giulia; French is co-official in the Aosta Valley; Slovene is co-official in the province of Trieste, the province of Gorizia, and Friuli-Venezia Giulia; Ladin is co-official in South Tyrol, in Trentino and in other northern areas; Friulian is co-official in Friuli-Venezia Giulia; Sardinian is co-official in Sardinia.
  2. Before 2002, the Italian lira. The euro is accepted in Campione d'Italia but its official currency is the Swiss franc.
  3. To call Campione d'Italia, it is necessary to use the Swiss code +41.

Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern and Western Europe. It consists of a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land border, as well as nearly 800 islands, notably Sicily and Sardinia. Italy shares its borders with France, Switzerland, Austria, Slovenia, and two enclaves: Vatican City and San Marino. It is the tenth-largest country in Europe by area, covering 301,340 km (116,350 sq mi), and the third-most populous member state of the European Union, with a population of nearly 60 million. Italy's capital and largest city is Rome; other major urban areas include Milan, Naples, Turin, Palermo, Bologna, Florence, Genoa, and Venice.

The history of Italy goes back to numerous Italic peoples, notably including the ancient Romans, who conquered the Mediterranean world during the Roman Republic and ruled it for centuries during the Roman Empire. With the spread of Christianity, Rome became the seat of the Catholic Church and the Papacy. Between late antiquity and the Early Middle Ages, Italy experienced the arrival of Germanic tribes and the fall of the Western Roman Empire. By the 11th century, Italian city-states and maritime republics expanded, bringing renewed prosperity through commerce and laying the groundwork for modern capitalism. The Italian Renaissance flourished during the 15th and 16th centuries and spread to the rest of Europe. Italian explorers discovered new routes to the Far East and the New World, contributing significantly to the European Age of Discovery.

After centuries of political and territorial divisions, Italy was almost entirely unified in 1861, following wars of independence and the Expedition of the Thousand, establishing the Kingdom of Italy. From the late 19th to the early 20th century, Italy rapidly industrialised, mainly in the north, and acquired a colonial empire, while the south remained largely impoverished, fueling a large immigrant diaspora to the Americas. From 1915 to 1918, Italy took part in World War I with the Entente against the Central Powers. In 1922, the Italian fascist dictatorship was established. During World War II, Italy was first part of the Axis until its surrender to the Allied powers (1940–1943), then a co-belligerent of the Allies during the Italian resistance and the liberation of Italy (1943–1945). Following the war, the monarchy was replaced by a republic and the country enjoyed a strong recovery.

A developed country with an advanced economy, Italy has the ninth-largest nominal GDP in the world, the second-largest manufacturing industry in Europe, and plays a significant role in regional and global economic, military, cultural, and diplomatic affairs. Italy is a founding and leading member of the European Union, and is part of numerous international institutions, including NATO, the G7 and G20, the Latin Union and the Union for the Mediterranean. As a cultural superpower, Italy has long been a renowned global centre of art, music, literature, cuisine, fashion, science and technology, and the source of multiple inventions and discoveries. It has the highest number of World Heritage Sites (60) and is the fifth-most visited country in the world.

Name

Main article: Name of Italy
Denarius of Roman emperor Hadrian displaying the inscription ITALIA on the verge of a personification of Italy holding scepter and cornucopia

Hypotheses for the etymology of Italia are numerous. One theory suggests it originated from an Ancient Greek term for the land of the Italói, a tribe that resided in the region now known as Calabria. Originally thought to be named Vituli, some scholars suggest their totemic animal to be the calf (Latin: vitulus; Umbrian: vitlo; Oscan: Víteliú). Several ancient authors said it was named after a local ruler Italus.

The ancient Greek term for Italy initially referred only to the south of the Bruttium peninsula and parts of Catanzaro and Vibo Valentia. The larger concept of Oenotria and "Italy" became synonymous, and the name applied to most of Lucania as well. Before the Roman Republic's expansion, the name was used by Greeks for the land between the strait of Messina and the line connecting the gulfs of Salerno and Taranto, corresponding to Calabria. The Greeks came to apply "Italia" to a larger region. In addition to the "Greek Italy" in the south, historians have suggested the existence of an "Etruscan Italy", which consisted of areas of central Italy.

The borders of Roman Italy, Italia, are better established. Cato's Origines describes Italy as the entire peninsula south of the Alps. In 264 BC, Roman Italy extended from the Arno and Rubicon rivers of the centre-north to the entire south. The northern area, Cisalpine Gaul, considered geographically part of Italy, was occupied by Rome in the 220s BC, but remained politically separated. It was legally merged into the administrative unit of Italy in 42 BC. Sardinia, Corsica, Sicily, and Malta were added to Italy by Diocletian in 292 AD, which made late-ancient Italy coterminous with the modern Italian geographical region.

The Latin Italicus was used to describe "a man of Italy" as opposed to a provincial, or one from the Roman province. The adjective italianus, from which Italian was derived, is from medieval Latin and was used alternatively with Italicus during the early modern period. After the fall of the Western Roman Empire, the Ostrogothic Kingdom of Italy was created. After the Lombard invasions, Italia was retained as the name for their kingdom, and its successor kingdom within the Holy Roman Empire.

History

Main article: History of Italy

Prehistory and antiquity

Main articles: Prehistoric Italy, Italic peoples, Etruscan civilisation, Greek colonisation, and Magna Graecia
Etruscan fresco in the Monterozzi necropolis, 5th century BC

Lower Paleolithic artefacts, dating back 850,000 years, have been recovered from Monte Poggiolo. Excavations throughout Italy revealed a Neanderthal presence in the Middle Palaeolithic period 200,000 years ago, while modern humans appeared about 40,000 years ago at Riparo Mochi.

The ancient peoples of pre-Roman Italy were Indo-European, specifically the Italic peoples. The main historic peoples of possible non-Indo-European or pre-Indo-European heritage include the Etruscans, the Elymians and Sicani of Sicily, and the prehistoric Sardinians, who gave birth to the Nuragic civilisation. Other ancient populations include the Rhaetian people and Camunni, known for their rock drawings in Valcamonica. A natural mummy, Ötzi, dated 3400–3100 BC, was discovered in the Similaun glacier in 1991.

The first colonisers were the Phoenicians, who established emporiums on the coasts of Sicily and Sardinia. Some became small urban centers and developed parallel to Greek colonies. During the 8th and 7th centuries, Greek colonies were established at Pithecusae, eventually extending along the south of the Italian Peninsula and the coast of Sicily, an area later known as Magna Graecia. Ionians, Doric colonists, Syracusans, and the Achaeans founded various cities. Greek colonisation placed the Italic peoples in contact with democratic forms of government and high artistic and cultural expressions.

Ancient Rome

Main articles: Ancient Rome, Roman expansion in Italy, and Roman Italy The Colosseum, one of the great works of architecture and engineering of ancient history  Roman Empire in AD 117 at its greatest extent   vassal states

Ancient Rome, a settlement on the river Tiber in central Italy, founded in 753 BC, was ruled for 244 years by a monarchical system. In 509 BC, the Romans, favouring a government of the Senate and the People (SPQR), expelled the monarchy and established an oligarchic republic.

The Italian Peninsula, named Italia, was consolidated into a unified entity during Roman expansion, the conquest of new territories often at the expense of the other Italic tribes, Etruscans, Celts, and Greeks. A permanent association, with most of the local tribes and cities, was formed, and Rome began the conquest of Western Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East. In the wake of Julius Caesar's assassination in 44 BC, Rome grew into a massive empire stretching from Britain to the borders of Persia, engulfing the whole Mediterranean basin, in which Greek, Roman, and other cultures merged into a powerful civilisation. The long reign of the first emperor, Augustus, began an age of peace and prosperity. Roman Italy remained the metropole of the empire, homeland of the Romans and territory of the capital.

As Roman provinces were being established throughout the Mediterranean, Italy maintained a special status which made it domina provinciarum ('ruler of the provinces'), and—especially in relation to the first centuries of imperial stability—rectrix mundi ('governor of the world') and omnium terrarum parens ('parent of all lands').

The Roman Empire was among the largest in history, wielding great economical, cultural, political, and military power. At its greatest extent, it had an area of 5 million square kilometres (1.9 million square miles). The Roman legacy has deeply influenced Western civilisation shaping the modern world. The widespread use of Romance languages derived from Latin, numerical system, modern Western alphabet and calendar, and the emergence of Christianity as a world religion, are among the many legacies of Roman dominance.

Middle Ages

Main article: Italy in the Middle Ages

After the fall of the Western Roman Empire, Italy fell under the Odoacer's kingdom, and was seized by the Ostrogoths. Invasions resulted in a chaotic succession of kingdoms and the supposed "Dark Ages". The invasion of another Germanic tribe in the 6th century, the Lombards, reduced Byzantine presence and ended political unity of the peninsula. The north formed the Lombard kingdom, central-south was also controlled by the Lombards, and other parts remained Byzantine.

Marco Polo, 13th-century explorer

The Lombard kingdom was absorbed into Francia by Charlemagne in the late 8th century and became the Kingdom of Italy. The Franks helped form the Papal States. Until the 13th century, politics was dominated by relations between the Holy Roman Emperors and the Papacy, with city-states siding with the former (Ghibellines) or with the latter (Guelphs) for momentary advantage. The Germanic emperor and Roman pontiff became the universal powers of medieval Europe. However, conflict over the Investiture Controversy and between Guelphs and Ghibellines ended the imperial-feudal system in the north, where cities gained independence. In 1176, the Lombard League of city-states, defeated Holy Roman Emperor Frederick Barbarossa, ensuring their independence.

City-states—e.g. Milan, Florence, Venice—played a crucially innovative role in financial development by devising banking practices, and enabling new forms of social organisation. In coastal and southern areas, maritime republics dominated the Mediterranean and monopolised trade to the Orient. They were independent thalassocratic city-states, in which merchants had considerable power. Although oligarchical, the relative political freedom they afforded was conducive to academic and artistic advancement. The best-known maritime republics were Venice, Genoa, Pisa, and Amalfi. Each had dominion over overseas lands, islands, lands on the Adriatic, Aegean, and Black seas, and commercial colonies in the Near East and North Africa.

MapLeft: flag of the Italian Navy. Clockwise, from upper left: the coat of arms of Venice, Genoa, Pisa and Amalfi.
Right: trade routes, colonies of the Genoa and Venice.

Venice and Genoa were Europe's gateways to the East, and producers of fine glass, while Florence was a centre of silk, wool, banking, and jewellery. The wealth generated meant large public and private artistic projects could be commissioned. The republics participated in the Crusades, providing support, transport, but mostly taking political and trading opportunities. Italy first felt the economic changes which led to the commercial revolution: Venice was able to sack Byzantine's capital and finance Marco Polo's voyages to Asia; the first universities were formed in Italian cities, and scholars such as Aquinas obtained international fame; capitalism and banking families emerged in Florence, where Dante and Giotto were active around 1300. In the south, Sicily had become an Arab Islamic emirate in the 9th century, thriving until the Italo-Normans conquered it in the late 11th century, together with most of the Lombard and Byzantine principalities of southern Italy. The region was subsequently divided between the Kingdom of Sicily and Kingdom of Naples. The Black Death of 1348 killed perhaps a third of Italy's population.

Early modern period

Main articles: Italian Renaissance and History of early modern Italy
Italian states before the Italian Wars in 1494

During the 1400s and 1500s, Italy was the birthplace and heart of the Renaissance. This era marked the transition from the medieval period to the modern age and was fostered by the wealth accumulated by merchant cities and the patronage of dominant families. Italian polities were now regional states effectively ruled by princes, in control of trade and administration, and their courts became centres of the arts and sciences. These princedoms were led by political dynasties and merchant families, such as the Medici of Florence. After the end of the Western Schism, newly elected Pope Martin V returned to the Papal States and restored Italy as the sole centre of Western Christianity. The Medici Bank was made the credit institution of the Papacy, and significant ties were established between the Church and new political dynasties.

Leonardo da Vinci, quintessential Renaissance man, in a self-portrait (c. 1512)

In 1453, despite activity by Pope Nicholas V to support the Byzantines, the city of Constantinople fell to the Ottomans. This led to the migration of Greek scholars and texts to Italy, fuelling the rediscovery of Greek humanism. Humanist rulers such as Federico da Montefeltro and Pope Pius II worked to establish ideal cities, founding Urbino and Pienza. Pico della Mirandola wrote the Oration on the Dignity of Man, considered the manifesto of the Renaissance. In the arts, the Italian Renaissance exercised a dominant influence on European art for centuries, with artists such as Leonardo da Vinci, Botticelli, Michelangelo, Raphael, Giotto, Donatello, and Titian, and architects such as Filippo Brunelleschi, Andrea Palladio, and Donato Bramante. Italian explorers and navigators from the maritime republics, eager to find an alternative route to the Indies to bypass the Ottomans, offered their services to monarchs of Atlantic countries and played a key role in ushering the Age of Discovery and colonization of the Americas. The most notable were: Christopher Columbus, who opened the Americas for conquest by Europeans; John Cabot, the first European to explore North America since the Norse; and Amerigo Vespucci, for whom the continent of America is named.

A defensive alliance known as the Italic League was formed between Venice, Naples, Florence, Milan, and the Papacy. Lorenzo the Magnificent de Medici was the Renaissance's greatest patron, his support allowed the League to abort invasion by the Turks. The alliance, however, collapsed in the 1490s; the invasion of Charles VIII of France initiated a series of wars in the peninsula. During the High Renaissance, popes such as Julius II (1503–1513) fought for control of Italy against foreign monarchs; Paul III (1534–1549) preferred to mediate between the European powers to secure peace. In the middle of such conflicts, the Medici popes Leo X (1513–1521) and Clement VII (1523–1534) faced the Protestant Reformation in Germany, England and elsewhere.

In 1559, at the end of the Italian wars between France and the Habsburgs, about half of Italy (the southern Kingdoms of Naples, Sicily, Sardinia, and the Duchy of Milan) was under Spanish rule, while the other half remained independent (many states continued to be formally part of the Holy Roman Empire). The Papacy launched the Counter-Reformation, whose key events include: the Council of Trent (1545–1563); adoption of the Gregorian calendar; the Jesuit China mission; the French Wars of Religion; end of the Thirty Years' War (1618–1648); and the Great Turkish War. The Italian economy declined in the 1600s and 1700s.

Flag of the Cispadane Republic, the first Italian tricolour adopted by a sovereign Italian state (1797)

During the war of the Spanish succession (1700–1714), Austria acquired most of the Spanish domains in Italy, namely Milan, Naples and Sardinia; the latter was given to the House of Savoy in exchange for Sicily in 1720. Later, a branch of the Bourbons ascended to the throne of Sicily and Naples. During the Napoleonic Wars, north and central Italy were reorganised as Sister Republics of France and, later, as a Kingdom of Italy. The south was administered by Joachim Murat, Napoleon's brother-in-law. 1814's Congress of Vienna restored the situation of the late 18th century, but the ideals of the French Revolution could not be eradicated, and re-surfaced during the political upheavals that characterised the early 19th century. The first adoption of the Italian tricolour by an Italian state, the Cispadane Republic, occurred during Napoleonic Italy, following the French Revolution, which advocated national self-determination. This event is celebrated by Tricolour Day.

Unification

Main article: Unification of Italy

The birth of the Kingdom of Italy was the result of efforts of Italian nationalists and monarchists loyal to the House of Savoy to establish a united kingdom encompassing the entire Italian Peninsula. By the mid-19th century, rising Italian nationalism led to revolution. Following the Congress of Vienna in 1815, the political and social Italian unification movement, or Risorgimento, emerged to unite Italy by consolidating the states and liberating them from foreign control. A radical figure was the patriotic journalist Giuseppe Mazzini, founder of the political movement Young Italy in the 1830s, who favoured a unitary republic and advocated a broad nationalist movement. 1847 saw the first public performance of "Il Canto degli Italiani", which became the national anthem in 1946.

Giuseppe Mazzini (left), highly influential leader of the Italian revolutionary movement; and Giuseppe Garibaldi (right), celebrated as one of the greatest generals of modern times and as the "Hero of the Two Worlds" because of his military enterprises in South America and Europe, who fought in many military campaigns that led to Italian unification

The most famous member of Young Italy was the revolutionary and general Giuseppe Garibaldi who led the republican drive for unification in southern Italy. However, the Italian monarchy of the House of Savoy, in the Kingdom of Sardinia, whose government was led by Camillo Benso, Count of Cavour, also had ambitions of establishing a united Italian state. In the context of the 1848 liberal revolutions that swept Europe, an unsuccessful First Italian War of Independence was declared against Austria. In 1855, Sardinia became an ally of Britain and France in the Crimean War. Sardinia fought the Austrian Empire in the Second Italian War of Independence of 1859, with the aid of France, resulting in liberating Lombardy. On the basis of the Plombières Agreement, the Sardinia ceded Savoy and Nice to France, an event that caused the Niçard exodus.

In 1860–1861, Garibaldi led the drive for unification in Naples and Sicily. Teano was the site of a famous meeting between Garibaldi and Victor Emmanuel II, the last king of Sardinia, during which Garibaldi shook Victor Emanuel's hand and hailed him as King of Italy. Cavour agreed to include Garibaldi's southern Italy in a union with the Kingdom of Sardinia in 1860. This allowed the Sardinian government to declare a united Italian kingdom on 17 March 1861, with Victor Emmanuel II as its first king. In 1865, the kingdom's capital was moved from Turin to Florence. In 1866, Victor Emmanuel II, allied with Prussia during the Austro-Prussian War, waged the Third Italian War of Independence, which resulted in Italy annexing Venetia. Finally, in 1870, as France abandoned Rome during the Franco-Prussian War, the Italians captured the Papal States, unification was completed, and the capital moved to Rome.

Liberal period

Main articles: Kingdom of Italy, Italian diaspora, Italian Empire, and Military history of Italy during World War I Victor Emmanuel II (left) and Camillo Benso, Count of Cavour (right), leading figures in unification, became respectively the first King and prime minister of unified Italy.

Sardinia's constitution was extended to all of Italy in 1861, and provided basic freedoms for the new state; but electoral laws excluded the non-propertied classes. The new kingdom was governed by a parliamentary constitutional monarchy dominated by liberals. As northern Italy quickly industrialised, southern and northern rural areas remained underdeveloped and overpopulated, forcing millions to migrate and fuelling a large and influential diaspora. The Italian Socialist Party increased in strength, challenging the traditional liberal and conservative establishment. In the last two decades of the 19th century, Italy developed into a colonial power by subjugating Eritrea, Somalia, Tripolitania, and Cyrenaica in Africa. In 1913, male universal suffrage was adopted. The pre-World War I period was dominated by Giovanni Giolitti, prime minister five times between 1892 and 1921.

The Redipuglia War Memorial is a World War I memorial. It is the largest war memorial in Italy and one of the largest in the world.

Italy entered into the First World War in 1915 with the aim of completing national unity, so it is also considered the Fourth Italian War of Independence, from a historiographical perspective, as the conclusion of the unification of Italy. Italy, nominally allied with German and the Austro-Hungarian empires in the Triple Alliance, in 1915 joined the Allies, entering World War I with a promise of substantial territorial gains that included west Inner Carniola, the former Austrian Littoral, and Dalmatia, as well as parts of the Ottoman Empire. The country's contribution to the Allied victory earned it a place as one of the "Big Four" powers. Reorganisation of the army and conscription led to Italian victories. In October 1918, the Italians launched a massive offensive, culminating in victory at the Battle of Vittorio Veneto. This marked the end of war on the Italian Front, secured dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and was instrumental in ending the war less than two weeks later.

During the war, more than 650,000 Italian soldiers and as many civilians died, and the kingdom was on the brink of bankruptcy. The Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye (1919) and Treaty of Rapallo (1920) allowed for annexation of Trentino Alto-Adige, the Julian March, Istria, the Kvarner Gulf, and the Dalmatian city of Zara. The subsequent Treaty of Rome (1924) led to annexation of Fiume by Italy. Italy did not receive other territories promised by the Treaty of London, so this outcome was denounced as a "mutilated victory", by Benito Mussolini, which helped lead to the rise of Italian fascism. Historians regard "mutilated victory" as a "political myth", used by fascists to fuel Italian imperialism. Italy gained a permanent seat in the League of Nations's executive council.

Fascist regime and World War II

Main articles: Fascist Italy, Military history of Italy during World War II, Italian Civil War, and Italian campaign (World War II)
The fascist dictator Benito Mussolini titled himself Duce and ruled the country from 1922 to 1943.

The socialist agitations that followed the devastation of the Great War, inspired by the Russian Revolution, led to counter-revolution and repression throughout Italy. The liberal establishment, fearing a Soviet-style revolution, started to endorse the small National Fascist Party, led by Mussolini. In October 1922, the Blackshirts of the National Fascist Party organised a mass demonstration and the "March on Rome" coup. King Victor Emmanuel III appointed Mussolini as prime minister, transferring power to the fascists without armed conflict. Mussolini banned political parties and curtailed personal liberties, establishing a dictatorship. These actions attracted international attention and inspired similar dictatorships in Nazi Germany and Francoist Spain.

Fascism was based upon Italian nationalism and imperialism, seeking to expand Italian possessions via irredentist claims based on the legacy of the Roman and Venetian empires. For this reason the fascists engaged in interventionist foreign policy. In 1935, Mussolini invaded Ethiopia and founded Italian East Africa, resulting in international isolation and leading to Italy's withdrawal from the League of Nations. Italy then allied with Nazi Germany and the Empire of Japan, and strongly supported Francisco Franco in the Spanish Civil War. In 1939, Italy annexed Albania.

Italy entered World War II on 10 June 1940. At different times, Italians advanced in British Somaliland, Egypt, the Balkans, and eastern fronts. They were, however, defeated on the Eastern Front as well as in the East African and North African campaigns, losing their territories in Africa and the Balkans. Italian war crimes included extrajudicial killings and ethnic cleansing by deportation of about 25,000 people—mainly Yugoslavs—to Italian concentration camps and elsewhere. Yugoslav Partisans perpetrated their own crimes against the ethnic Italian population during and after the war, including the foibe massacres. An Allied invasion of Sicily began in July 1943, leading to the collapse of the Fascist regime on 25 July. Mussolini was deposed and arrested by order of King Victor Emmanuel III. On 8 September, Italy signed the Armistice of Cassibile, ending its war with the Allies. The Germans, with the assistance of Italian fascists, succeeded in taking control of north and central Italy. The country remained a battlefield, with the Allies moving up from the south.

Italian partisans in Milan during the final insurrection leading to the liberation of Italy in April 1945

In the north, the Germans set up the Italian Social Republic (RSI), a Nazi puppet state and collaborationist regime with Mussolini installed as leader after he was rescued by German paratroopers. What remained of the Italian troops was organised into the Italian Co-belligerent Army, which fought alongside the Allies, while other Italian forces, loyal to Mussolini, opted to fight alongside the Germans in the National Republican Army. German troops, with RSI collaboration, committed massacres and deported thousands of Jews to death camps. The post-armistice period saw the emergence of the Italian Resistance, who fought a guerrilla war against the Nazi German occupiers and collaborators. This has been described as an Italian civil war due to fighting between partisans and fascist RSI forces. In April 1945, with defeat looming, Mussolini attempted to escape north, but was captured and summarily executed by partisans.

Hostilities ended on 29 April 1945, when the German forces in Italy surrendered. Nearly half a million Italians died in the conflict, society was divided, and the economy all but destroyed—per capita income in 1944 was at its lowest point since 1900. The aftermath left Italy angry with the monarchy for its endorsement of the Fascist regime, contributing to a revival of Italian republicanism.

Republican era

Main article: History of the Italian Republic

Italy became a republic after the 1946 Italian institutional referendum held on 2 June, a day celebrated since as Festa della Repubblica. This was the first time women voted nationally. Victor Emmanuel III's son, Umberto II, was forced to abdicate. The Republican Constitution was approved in 1948. Under the Treaty of Paris between Italy and the Allied Powers, areas next to the Adriatic Sea were annexed by Yugoslavia, resulting in the Istrian-Dalmatian exodus, which involved the emigration of around 300,000 Istrian and Dalmatian Italians. Italy lost all colonial possessions, ending the Italian Empire.

Alcide De Gasperi, first republican prime minister of Italy and one of the Founding fathers of the European Union

Fears of a Communist takeover proved crucial in 1948, when the Christian Democrats, under Alcide De Gasperi, won a landslide victory. Consequently, in 1949 Italy became a member of NATO. The Marshall Plan revived the economy, which, until the late 1960s, enjoyed a period called the Economic Miracle. In the 1950s, Italy became a founding country of the European Communities, a forerunner of the European Union. From the late 1960s until the early 1980s, the country experienced the Years of Lead, characterised by economic difficulties, especially after the 1973 oil crisis; social conflicts; and terrorist massacres.

The economy recovered and Italy became the world's fifth-largest industrial nation after it gained entry into the G7 in the 1970s. However, national debt skyrocketed past 100% of GDP. Between 1992 and 1993, Italy faced terror attacks perpetrated by the Sicilian Mafia as a consequence of new anti-mafia measures by the government. Voters—disenchanted with political paralysis, massive public debt and extensive corruption uncovered by the Clean Hands investigation—demanded radical reform. The Christian Democrats, who had ruled for almost 50 years, underwent a crisis and disbanded, splitting into factions. The Communists reorganised as a social-democratic force. During the 1990s and 2000s, centre-right (dominated by media magnate Silvio Berlusconi) and centre-left coalitions (led by professor Romano Prodi) alternately governed.

In 2011, amidst the Great Recession, Berlusconi resigned and was replaced by the technocratic cabinet of Mario Monti. In 2014, Matteo Renzi became prime minister and the government started constitutional reform. This was rejected in a 2016 referendum and Paolo Gentiloni became prime minister.

During the European migrant crisis of the 2010s, Italy was the entry point and leading destination for most asylum seekers entering the EU. Between 2013 and 2018, it took in over 700,000 migrants, mainly from sub-Saharan Africa, which put a strain on the public purse and led to a surge in support for far-right or euro-sceptic parties. After the 2018 general election, Giuseppe Conte became prime minister of a populist coalition.

With almost 200,000 victims, Italy was one of the countries with the most deaths in the COVID-19 pandemic and one of the most affected economically. In February 2021, after a government crisis, Conte resigned. Mario Draghi, former president of the European Central Bank, formed a national unity government supported by most main parties, pledging to implement an economic stimulus to face the crisis caused by the pandemic. In 2022, Giorgia Meloni was sworn in as Italy's first female prime minister.

Geography

Main article: Geography of Italy Further information: Geology of Italy, Volcanism of Italy, List of rivers of Italy, List of lakes of Italy, List of islands of Italy, and Italy (geographical region)
Topographic map of Italy

Italy, whose territory largely coincides with the eponymous geographical region, is located in Southern Europe (and is also considered part of Western Europe) between latitudes 35° and 47° N, and longitudes 6° and 19° E. To the north, from west to east, Italy borders France, Switzerland, Austria, and Slovenia, and is roughly delimited by the Alpine watershed, enclosing the Po Valley and the Venetian Plain. It consists of the entirety of the Italian Peninsula, Sicily and Sardinia (the biggest islands of the Mediterranean), and many smaller islands. Some of Italy's territory extends beyond the Alpine basin, and some islands are located outside the Eurasian continental shelf.

The country's area is 301,230 square kilometres (116,306 sq mi), of which 294,020 km (113,522 sq mi) is land and 7,210 km (2,784 sq mi) is water. Including the islands, Italy has a coastline of 7,600 kilometres (4,722 miles) on the Mediterranean Sea, the Ligurian and Tyrrhenian seas, the Ionian Sea, and the Adriatic Sea. Its border with France runs for 488 km (303 mi); Switzerland, 740 km (460 mi); Austria, 430 km (267 mi); and Slovenia, 232 km (144 mi). The sovereign states of San Marino and Vatican City (the smallest country in the world and headquarters of the worldwide Catholic Church under the governance of the Holy See) are enclaves within Italy, while Campione d'Italia is an Italian exclave in Switzerland. The border with San Marino is 39 km (24 mi) long, that with Vatican City, 3.2 km (2.0 mi).

Mont Blanc (Monte Bianco) in Aosta Valley, the highest point in the European Union

Over 35% of Italian territory is mountainous. The Apennine Mountains form the peninsula's backbone, and the Alps form most of its northern boundary, where Italy's highest point is located on the summit of Mont Blanc (Monte Bianco) at 4,810 m (15,780 ft). Other well-known mountains include the Matterhorn (Monte Cervino) in the western Alps, and the Dolomites in the eastern Alps. Many parts of Italy are of volcanic origin. Most small islands and archipelagos in the south are volcanic islands. There are active volcanoes: Mount Etna in Sicily (the largest in Europe), Vulcano, Stromboli, and Vesuvius.

Most rivers of Italy drain into the Adriatic or Tyrrhenian Sea. The longest is the Po, which flows from the Alps on the western border, and crosses the Padan plain to the Adriatic. The Po Valley is the largest plain, with 46,000 km (18,000 sq mi), and contains over 70% of the country's lowlands. The largest lakes are, in descending size: Garda (367.94 km or 142 sq mi), Maggiore (212.51 km or 82 sq mi), and Como (145.9 km or 56 sq mi).

Climate

Main article: Climate of Italy
Köppen-Geiger climate classification map of Italy

The climate is influenced by the seas that surround Italy on every side except the north, which constitute a reservoir of heat and humidity. Within the southern temperate zone, they determine a Mediterranean climate with local differences. Because of the length of the peninsula and the mostly mountainous hinterland, the climate is highly diverse. In most inland northern and central regions, the climate ranges from humid subtropical to humid continental and oceanic. The Po Valley is mostly humid subtropical, with cool winters and hot summers. The coastal areas of Liguria, Tuscany, and most of the south generally fit the Mediterranean climate stereotype, as in the Köppen climate classification.

Conditions on the coast are different from those in the interior, particularly during winter when the higher altitudes tend to be cold, wet, and often snowy. The coastal regions have mild winters, and hot and generally dry summers; lowland valleys are hot in summer. Winter temperatures vary from 0 °C (32 °F) in the Alps to 12 °C (54 °F) in Sicily; so, average summer temperatures range from 20 °C (68 °F) to over 25 °C (77 °F). Winters can vary widely with lingering cold, foggy, and snowy periods in the north, and milder, sunnier conditions in the south. Summers are hot across the country, except at high altitude, particularly in the south. Northern and central areas can experience strong thunderstorms from spring to autumn.

Biodiversity

Main articles: Fauna of Italy and Flora of Italy Further information: Italian garden

Italy's varied geography, including the Alps, Apennines, central Italian woodlands, and southern Italian Garigue and Maquis shrubland, contribute to habitat diversity. As the peninsula is in the centre of the Mediterranean, forming a corridor between Central Europe and North Africa, and having 8,000 km (5,000 mi) of coastline, Italy has received species from the Balkans, Eurasia, and the Middle East. Italy has probably the highest level of faunal biodiversity in Europe, with over 57,000 species recorded, representing more than a third of all European fauna, and the highest level of biodiversity of animal and plant species within the EU.

The Italian wolf, the national animal of Italy

The fauna of Italy includes 4,777 endemic animal species, which include the Sardinian long-eared bat, Sardinian red deer, spectacled salamander, brown cave salamander, Italian newt, Italian frog, Apennine yellow-bellied toad, Italian wall lizard, and Sicilian pond turtle. There are 119 mammals species, 550 bird species, 69 reptile species, 39 amphibian species, 623 fish species, and 56,213 invertebrate species, of which 37,303 are insect species.

The flora of Italy was traditionally estimated to comprise about 5,500 vascular plant species. However, as of 2005, 6,759 species are recorded in the Data bank of Italian vascular flora. Italy has 1,371 endemic plant species and subspecies, which include Sicilian fir, Barbaricina columbine, Sea marigold, Lavender cotton, and Ucriana violet. Italy is a signatory to the Berne Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats and the Habitats Directive.

Italy has many botanical and historic gardens. The Italian garden is stylistically based on symmetry, axial geometry, and the principle of imposing order on nature. It influenced the history of gardening, especially French and English gardens. The Italian garden was influenced by Roman and Italian Renaissance gardens.

The Italian wolf is the national animal of Italy, while the national tree is the strawberry tree. The reasons for this are that the Italian wolf, which inhabits the Apennine Mountains and the Western Alps, features prominently in Latin and Italian cultures, such as the legend of the founding of Rome, while the green leaves, white flowers, and red berries of the strawberry tree, native to the Mediterranean, recall the colours of the flag. The national bird is the Italian sparrow, while the national flower is the flower of the strawberry tree.

Environment

See also: List of national parks of Italy, List of regional parks of Italy, and List of Marine Protected Areas of Italy
National and regional parks in Italy

After its quick industrial growth, Italy took time to address its environmental problems. After improvements, Italy now ranks 84th in the world for ecological sustainability. The total area protected by national parks, regional parks, and nature reserves covers about 11% of Italian territory, and 12% of Italy's coastline is protected.

Italy has been one of the world's leading producers of renewable energy, in 2010 ranking as the fourth largest provider of installed solar energy capacity and sixth largest of wind power capacity. Renewable energy provided approximately 37% Italy's energy consumption in 2020.

The country operated nuclear reactors between 1963 and 1990 but, after the Chernobyl disaster and referendums, the nuclear programme was terminated, a decision overturned by the government in 2008, with plans to build up to four nuclear power plants. This was in turn struck down by a referendum following the Fukushima nuclear accident.

Air pollution remains severe, especially in the industrialised north. Italy is the twelfth-largest carbon dioxide producer. Extensive traffic and congestion in large cities continue to cause environmental and health issues, even if smog levels have decreased since the 1970s and 1980s, with smog becoming an increasingly rare phenomenon and levels of sulphur dioxide decreasing.

Deforestation, illegal building, and poor land-management policies have led to significant erosion in Italy's mountainous regions, leading to ecological disasters such as the 1963 Vajont Dam flood, the 1998 Sarno, and the 2009 Messina mudslides.

Politics

Main article: Politics of Italy

Italy has been a unitary parliamentary republic since 1946, when the monarchy was abolished. The president of Italy, Sergio Mattarella since 2015, is Italy's head of state. The president is elected for a single seven-year term by the Italian Parliament and regional voters in joint session. Italy has a written democratic constitution that resulted from a Constituent Assembly formed by representatives of the anti-fascist forces that contributed to the defeat of Nazi and Fascist forces during the liberation of Italy, in World War II.

Government

Main article: Government of Italy Sergio Mattarella
President of Italy
since 2015Giorgia Meloni
Prime Minister of Italy
since 2022

Italy has a parliamentary government based on a mixed proportional and majoritarian voting system. The parliament is perfectly bicameral; each house has the same powers. The two houses: the Chamber of Deputies meets in Palazzo Montecitorio, and the Senate of the Republic in Palazzo Madama. A peculiarity of the Italian Parliament is the representation given to Italian citizens permanently living abroad: 8 Deputies and 4 Senators are elected in four distinct overseas constituencies. There are senators for life, appointed by the president "for outstanding patriotic merits in the social, scientific, artistic or literary field". Former presidents are ex officio life senators.

Palazzo Madama in Rome, seat of the Senate of the Republic, the upper house of the Italian Parliament

The prime minister of Italy is head of government and has executive authority, but must receive a vote of approval from the Council of Ministers to execute most policies. The prime minister and cabinet are appointed by the president, and confirmed by a vote of confidence in parliament. To remain as prime minister, one has to pass votes of confidence. The role of prime minister is similar to most other parliamentary systems, but they are not authorised to dissolve parliament. Another difference is that the political responsibility for intelligence is with the prime minister, who has exclusive power to coordinate intelligence policies, determine financial resources, strengthen cybersecurity, apply and protect State secrets, and authorise agents to carry out operations, in Italy or abroad.

The major political parties are the Brothers of Italy, Democratic Party, and Five Star Movement. During the 2022 general election, these three and their coalitions won 357 of the 400 seats in the Chamber of Deputies, and 187 of 200 in the Senate. The centre-right coalition, which included Giorgia Meloni's Brothers of Italy, Matteo Salvini's League, Silvio Berlusconi's Forza Italia, and Maurizio Lupi's Us Moderates, won most seats in parliament. The rest were taken by the centre-left coalition, which included the Democratic Party, the Greens and Left Alliance, Aosta Valley, More Europe, Civic Commitment, the Five Star Movement, Action – Italia Viva, South Tyrolean People's Party, South calls North, and the Associative Movement of Italians Abroad.

Law and criminal justice

Main articles: Law of Italy, Judiciary of Italy, and Law enforcement in Italy
The Supreme Court of Cassation, Rome

The law of Italy has several sources. These are hierarchical: the law or regulation from a lower source cannot conflict with the rule of an upper source (hierarchy of sources). The Constitution of 1948 is the highest source. The Constitutional Court of Italy rules on the conformity of laws with the constitution. The judiciary bases their decisions on Roman law modified by the Napoleonic Code and later statutes. The Supreme Court of Cassation is the highest court for both criminal and civil appeals.

Italy lags behind other Western European nations in LGBT rights. Italy's law prohibiting torture is considered behind international standards.

Law enforcement is complex with multiple police forces. The national policing agencies are the Polizia di Stato ('State Police'), the Carabinieri, the Guardia di Finanza ('Financial Police'), and the Polizia Penitenziaria ('Prison Police'), as well as the Guardia Costiera ('Coast Guard Police'). Although policing is primarily provided on a national basis, there are also the provincial and municipal police.

Since their appearance in the middle of the 19th century, Italian organised crime and criminal organisations have infiltrated the social and economic life of many regions in southern Italy; the most notorious is the Sicilian Mafia, which expanded into foreign countries, including the US. Mafia receipts may reach 9% of GDP. A 2009 report identified 610 comuni which have a strong Mafia presence, where 13 million Italians live and 15% of GDP is produced. The Calabrian 'Ndrangheta, probably the most powerful crime syndicate of Italy, accounts alone for 3% of GDP.

At 0.013 per 1,000 people, Italy has the 47th highest murder rate, compared to 61 countries, and the 43rd highest number of rapes per 1,000 people, compared to 64 countries in the world. These are relatively low figures among developed countries.

Foreign relations

Main article: Foreign relations of Italy
Group photo of the G7 leaders at the 43rd G7 summit in Taormina, Sicily

Italy is a founding member of the European Economic Community (EEC), now the European Union (EU), and of NATO. Italy was admitted to the United Nations in 1955, and is a member and strong supporter of international organisations, such as the OECD, the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade/World Trade Organization (GATT/WTO), the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), the Council of Europe, and the Central European Initiative. Its turns in the rotating presidencies of international organisations include the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe in 2018, G7 in 2017, and the EU Council in 2014. Italy is a recurrent non-permanent member of the UN Security Council.

Italy strongly supports multilateral international politics, endorsing the UN and its international security activities. In 2013, Italy had 5,296 troops deployed abroad, engaged in 33 UN and NATO missions in 25 countries. Italy deployed troops in support of UN peacekeeping missions in Somalia, Mozambique, and East Timor. Italy provides support for NATO and UN operations in Bosnia, Kosovo, and Albania, and deployed over 2,000 troops to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) from 2003.

Italy supported international efforts to reconstruct and stabilise Iraq, but it had withdrawn its military contingent of 3,200 troops by 2006. In August 2006, Italy deployed about 2,450 troops for the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon. Italy is one of the largest financiers of the Palestinian Authority, contributing €60 million in 2013 alone.

Military

Main articles: Italian Armed Forces and Military history of Italy See also: List of wars involving Italy
Aircraft carrier MM Cavour, the flagship of the Italian Navy
A tank destroyer B1 Centauro during a patrol in Bosnia-Herzegovina as part of IFOR

The military history of Italy chronicles a vast time period, lasting from the military conflicts fought by the ancient peoples of Italy, most notably the conquest of the Mediterranean world by the ancient Romans, through the expansion of the Italian city-states and maritime republics during the medieval period and the involvement of the historical Italian states in the Italian Wars and the wars of succession, to the Napoleonic period, the Italian unification, the campaigns of the colonial empire, the two world wars, and into the modern day, with world peacekeeping operations under the aegis of NATO, the EU or the UN.

The Italian Army, Navy, Air Force, and Carabinieri collectively form the Italian Armed Forces, under the command of the High Council of Defence, presided over by the president, per the Constitution of Italy. According to Article 78, the Parliament has the authority to declare a state of war and vest the necessary war-making powers in the government.

Despite not being a branch of the armed forces, the Guardia di Finanza has military status and is organised along military lines. Since 2005, military service has been voluntary. In 2010, the Italian military had 293,202 personnel on active duty, of which 114,778 are Carabinieri. As part of NATO's nuclear sharing strategy, Italy hosts 90 US B61 nuclear bombs located at the Ghedi and Aviano air bases.

The Army is the national ground defence force. It was formed in 1946, when Italy became a republic, from what remained of the "Royal Italian Army". Its best-known combat vehicles are the Dardo infantry fighting vehicle, the B1 Centauro tank destroyer, and the Ariete tank, and among its aircraft are the Mangusta attack helicopter, deployed on EU, NATO, and UN missions. It has at its disposal Leopard 1 and M113 armoured vehicles.

The Italian Navy is a blue-water navy. It was also formed in 1946 from what remained of the Regia Marina (the 'Royal Navy'). The Navy, being a member of the EU and NATO, has taken part in coalition peacekeeping operations around the world. In 2014, the Navy operated 154 vessels in service, including minor auxiliary vessels.

The Italian Air Force was founded as an independent service arm in 1923 by King Victor Emmanuel III as the Regia Aeronautica ('Royal Air Force'). After World War II, it was renamed as the Regia Aeronautica. In 2021, the Italian Air Force operated 219 combat jets. A transport capability is guaranteed by a fleet of 27 C-130Js and C-27J Spartan. The acrobatic display team is the Frecce Tricolori ('Tricolour Arrows').

An autonomous corps of the military, the Carabinieri are the gendarmerie and military police of Italy, policing the military and civilian population alongside Italy's other police forces. While different branches of the Carabinieri report to separate ministries, the corps reports to the Ministry of Internal Affairs when maintaining public order and security.

Administrative divisions

Main articles: Regions of Italy, Provinces of Italy, Metropolitan cities of Italy, and Comune Apulia Basilicata Calabria Sicily Molise Campania Abruzzo Lazio Umbria Marche Tuscany Sardinia Emilia-Romagna Liguria Piedmont Friuli-
Venezia Giulia Aosta
Valley Trentino-
Alto Adige Veneto Lombardy Adriatic Sea Ionian Sea Mediterranean Sea Tyrrhenian Sea Ligurian Sea

Italy is constituted of 20 regions (regioni)—five of which have special autonomous status which enables them to enact legislation on additional matters.

The regioni contain 107 provinces (province) or metropolitan cities (città metropolitane), and 7,904 municipalities (comuni).

Demographics

Main article: Demographics of Italy See also: Italians, Internal migration in Italy, Italian diaspora, Genetic history of Italy, and List of cities in Italy
Map of Italy's population density at the 2011 census
Italian diaspora in the world

In 2020, Italy had 60,317,116 inhabitants. The population density, of 202 inhabitants per square kilometre (520/sq mi), is higher than most West European countries. However, distribution is uneven: the most densely populated areas are the Po Valley (almost half the population) and the metropolitan areas of Rome and Naples, while vast regions such as the Alps and Apennine highlands, the plateaus of Basilicata, and the island of Sardinia, as well as much of Sicily, are sparsely populated.

Italy's population almost doubled during the 20th century, but the pattern of growth was uneven because of large-scale internal migration from the rural south to the industrial north, a consequence of the Italian economic miracle of the 1950–1960s. High fertility and birth rates persisted until the 1970s, after which they started to decline; the total fertility rate (TFR) reached an all-time low of 1.2 children per woman in 1995, well below the replacement rate of 2.1 and considerably below the high of 5 in 1883. Since 2008, when the rate climbed slightly to 1.4, the number of births has consistently declined every year, reaching a record low of 379,000 in 2023—the fewest since 1861. Although the TFR was expected to reach 1.6–1.8 in 2030, as of 2024, it stood at 1.2.

As a result of these trends, Italy's population is rapidly aging and gradually shrinking. Nearly one in four Italians is over 65, and the country has the fourth oldest population in the world, with a median age of 48 and an average age of 46.6. The overall population has been falling steadily since 2014 and is estimated to have fallen just below 59 million in 2024, representing a cumulative loss of more than 1.36 million people over the span of a decade.

From the late 19th century to the 1960s, Italy was a country of mass emigration. Between 1898 and 1914, the peak years of Italian diaspora, approximately 750,000 Italians emigrated annually. The diaspora included more than 25 million Italians and is considered the greatest mass migration of recent times.

Largest cities

  Largest cities or towns in Italy
ISTAT estimates for 31 December 2022
Rank Name Region Pop. Rank Name Region Pop.
Rome
Rome
Milan
Milan 		1 Rome Lazio 2,748,109 11 Verona Veneto 255,588 Naples
Naples
Turin
Turin
2 Milan Lombardy 1,354,196 12 Venice Veneto 250,369
3 Naples Campania 913,462 13 Messina Sicily 218,786
4 Turin Piedmont 841,600 14 Padua Veneto 206,496
5 Palermo Sicily 630,167 15 Trieste Friuli-Venezia Giulia 198,417
6 Genoa Liguria 558,745 16 Parma Emilia-Romagna 196,885
7 Bologna Emilia-Romagna 387,971 17 Brescia Lombardy 196,567
8 Florence Tuscany 360,930 18 Prato Tuscany 195,820
9 Bari Apulia 316,015 19 Taranto Apulia 188,098
10 Catania Sicily 298,762 20 Modena Emilia-Romagna 184,153

Immigration

Main article: Immigration to Italy
Foreign residents as a percentage of the regional population at the 2011 census

In the 1980s, until then a linguistically and culturally homogeneous society, Italy began to attract substantial flows of immigrants. After the fall of the Berlin Wall, and enlargements of the EU, waves of migration originated from the former socialist countries of East Europe. Another source of immigration is neighbouring North Africa, with arrivals soaring as a consequence of the Arab Spring. Growing migration fluxes from Asia-Pacific (notably China and the Philippines) and Latin America have been recorded.

As of 2010, the foreign-born population was from the following regions: Europe (54%), Africa (22%), Asia (16%), the Americas (8%), and Oceania (0.06%). The distribution of the foreign population is geographically varied: in 2020, 61% of foreign citizens lived in the north, 24% in the centre, 11% in the south, and 4% on the islands.

In 2021, Italy had about 5.2 million foreign residents, making up 9% of the population. The figures include more than half a million children born in Italy to foreign nationals, but exclude foreign nationals who have subsequently acquired Italian citizenship; in 2016, about 201,000 people became Italian citizens. The official figures also exclude illegal immigrants, which was estimated to be 670,000 as of 2008. About one million Romanian citizens are registered as living in Italy, representing the largest migrant population.

Languages

Main articles: Languages of Italy, Italian language, Regional Italian, and Geographical distribution of Italian speakers
Map of the languages spoken in Italy

Italy's official language is Italian. There are an estimated 64 million native Italian speakers around the world, and another 21 million use it as a second language. Italian is often natively spoken as a regional dialect, not to be confused with Italy's regional and minority languages; however, during the 20th century, the establishment of a national education system led to a decrease in regional dialects. Standardisation was further expanded in the 1950s and 1960s, due to economic growth and the rise of mass media and television.

Twelve "historical minority languages" are formally recognised: Albanian, Catalan, German, Greek, Slovene, Croatian, French, Franco-Provençal, Friulian, Ladin, Occitan, and Sardinian. Four of these enjoy co-official status in their respective regions: French in the Aosta Valley; German in South Tyrol, and Ladin as well in some parts of the same province and in parts of the neighbouring Trentino; and Slovene in the provinces of Trieste, Gorizia, and Udine. Other Ethnologue, ISO, and UNESCO languages are not recognised under Italian law. Like France, Italy has signed the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages, but has not ratified it.

Due to recent immigration, Italy has sizeable populations whose native language is not Italian, nor a regional language. According to the Italian National Institute of Statistics, Romanian is the most common mother tongue among foreign residents: almost 800,000 people speak Romanian as their first language (22% of foreign residents aged 6 and over). Other prevalent mother tongues are Arabic (spoken by over 475,000; 13% of foreign residents), Albanian (380,000), and Spanish (255,000).

Religion

Main article: Religion in Italy See also: List of cathedrals in Italy
St. Peter's Basilica, viewed from the Tiber, the Vatican Hill in the back and Castel Sant'Angelo to the right, Rome (both the basilica and the hill are part of the sovereign state of Vatican City, the Holy See of the Catholic Church)

The Holy See, the episcopal jurisdiction of Rome, contains the government of Vatican City and the worldwide Catholic Church. It is recognised as a sovereign entity, headed by the pope, who is also the Bishop of Rome, with which diplomatic relations can be maintained.

Although historically dominated by Catholicism, religiosity in Italy is declining. Most Catholics are nominal; the Associated Press describes Italian Catholicism as "nominally embraced but rarely lived". Italy has the world's fifth-largest Catholic population and the largest in Europe. Since 1985, Catholicism is no longer the official religion.

In 2011, minority Christian faiths included an estimated 1.5 million Orthodox Christians, while Protestantism has been growing. Italy has for centuries welcomed Jews expelled from other countries, notably Spain. However, about 20% of Italian Jews were killed during the Holocaust. This, together with emigration before and after World War II, has left around 28,000 Jews. There are 120,000 Hindus and 70,000 Sikhs.

The state devolves shares of income tax to recognised religious communities, under a regime known as eight per thousand. Donations are allowed to Christian, Jewish, Buddhist, and Hindu communities; however, Islam remains excluded, as no Muslim communities have signed a concordat. Taxpayers who do not wish to fund a religion contribute their share to the welfare system.

Education

Main article: Education in Italy
Bologna University, established in 1088 AD, is the world's oldest university in continuous operation.

Education is mandatory and free from ages six to sixteen, and consists of five stages: kindergarten, primary school, lower secondary school, upper secondary school, and university.

Primary school lasts eight years. Students are given a basic education in Italian, English, mathematics, natural sciences, history, geography, social studies, physical education, and visual and musical arts. Secondary school lasts for five years and includes three traditional types of schools focused on different academic levels: the liceo prepares students for university studies with a classical or scientific curriculum, while the istituto tecnico and the istituto professionale prepare pupils for vocations.

In 2018, secondary education was evaluated as being below the average among OECD countries. Italy scored below the OECD average in reading and science, and near the OECD average in maths. A wide gap exists between northern schools, which perform near average, and the south, which had much poorer results.

Tertiary education is divided between public universities, private universities, and the prestigious and selective superior graduate schools, such as the Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa. 33 Italian universities were ranked among the world's top 500 in 2019. Bologna University, founded in 1088, is the oldest university still in operation, and one of the leading academic institutions in Europe. Bocconi University, the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, LUISS, the Polytechnic University of Turin, the Polytechnic University of Milan, the Sapienza University of Rome, and the University of Milan are also ranked among the best.

Health

Main articles: Health in Italy and Healthcare in Italy
Olive oil and vegetables are central to the Mediterranean diet.

Italy's life expectancy in 2015 was 80.5 years for men and 84.8 for women, placing the country 5th in the world. Compared to other Western countries, Italy has a low rate of adult obesity (below 10%), as the health benefits of the Mediterranean diet are very significant. In 2013, UNESCO, prompted by Italy, added the Mediterranean diet to the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity of Italy, Morocco, Spain, Portugal, Greece, Cyprus, and Croatia.

The proportion of daily smokers was 22% in 2012, down from 24% in 2000 but above the OECD average. Since 2005, smoking in public places has been restricted to "specially ventilated rooms".

Since 1978, the state has run a universal public healthcare system. However, healthcare is provided to all citizens and residents by a mixed public-private system. The public part is the Servizio Sanitario Nazionale, which is organised under the Ministry of Health and administered on a devolved regional basis. Healthcare spending accounted for 10% of GDP in 2020. Italy's healthcare system has been consistently ranked among the best in the world; according to research by the World Health Organization (WHO) dating back to 2000, Italy had the second best healthcare system in the world in terms of spending efficiency and access to public care for citizens, after France.

Economy

Main article: Economy of Italy See also: List of largest Italian companies

Italy has an advanced mixed economy that is the third-largest in the eurozone and 13th-largest in the world by purchasing power parity-adjusted GDP. It has the ninth-largest national wealth and the third-largest central bank gold reserve. As a founding member of the G7, the eurozone, and the OECD, it is one of the most industrialised nations and a leading country in international trade. It is a developed country ranked 30th on the Human Development Index. It performs well in life expectancy, healthcare, and education. The country is well known for its creative and innovative businesses, a competitive agricultural sector (with the world's largest wine production), and for its influential and high-quality automobile, machinery, food, design, and fashion industries.

Milan is the economic capital of Italy, and a global financial centre and fashion capital of the world.
Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena, founded in 1472, is the world's oldest or second oldest bank in continuous operation.
Eni is considered one of the world's oil and gas supermajors.

Italy is the sixth-largest manufacturing country, characterised by fewer multinational corporations than other economies of comparable size and many dynamic small and medium-sized enterprises, clustered in industrial districts, which are the backbone of Italian industry. This has produced a niche-markets manufacturing sector often focused on the export of luxury products. While less capable of competing on quantity, it can compete with Asian economies that have lower labor costs through higher-quality products. Italy was the world's 10th-largest exporter in 2019. Its closest trade ties are with other EU countries and largest export partners in 2019 were Germany (12%), France (11%), and the US (10%).

Its automotive industry is a significant part of the manufacturing sector with over 144,000 firms, and almost 485,000 employees in 2015, contributing 9% to GDP. The country boasts a wide range of products, from city cars to luxury supercars such as Maserati, Pagani, Lamborghini, and Ferrari.

The Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena is the world's oldest or second oldest bank in continuous operation, depending on the definition, and the fourth-largest Italian commercial and retail bank. Italy has a strong cooperative sector with the largest share in the EU of the population (4.5%) employed by a cooperative. The Val d'Agri area, Basilicata, hosts the largest onshore hydrocarbon field in Europe. Moderate natural gas reserves, mainly in the Po Valley and offshore under the Adriatic, have been discovered and constitute the country's most important mineral resource. Italy is one of the world's leading producers of pumice, pozzolana, and feldspar. Another notable resource is marble, especially the famous white Carrara marble from Tuscany.

Italy is part of a monetary union, the eurozone, which represents around 330 million citizens, and of the European single market, which represents more than 500 million consumers. Several domestic commercial policies are determined by agreements among EU members and EU legislation. Italy joined the common European currency, the euro, in 2002. Its monetary policy is set by the European Central Bank.

Italy was hit hard by the 2007–2008 financial crisis, which exacerbated structural problems. After strong GDP growth of 5–6% per year from the 1950s to the early 1970s, and a progressive slowdown in the 1980–90s, the country stagnated in the 2000s. Political efforts to revive growth with massive government spending produced a severe rise in public debt, that stood at over 132% of GDP in 2017, the second highest in the EU, after Greece. The largest portion of Italian public debt is owned by national subjects, a major difference between Italy and Greece, and the level of household debt is much lower than the OECD average.

A gaping north–south divide is a major factor of socio-economic weakness; there is a huge difference in official income between northern and southern regions and municipalities. The richest province, Alto Adige-South Tyrol, earns 152% of the national GDP per capita, while the poorest region, Calabria, earns 61%. The unemployment rate (11%) is above the eurozone average, but the disaggregated figure is 7% in the north and 19% in the south. The youth unemployment rate (32% in 2018) is extremely high.

Agriculture

Main article: Agriculture in Italy Vineyards in Langhe and Montferrat, Piedmont. Italy is the world's largest wine producer, and has the widest variety of indigenous grapevines.

According to the last agricultural census, there were 1.6 million farms in 2010 (−32% since 2000) covering 12,700,000 ha or 31,382,383 acres (63% are in south Italy). 99% are family-operated and small, averaging only 8 ha (20 acres). Of the area in agricultural use, grain fields take up 31%, olive orchards 8%, vineyards 5%, citrus orchards 4%, sugar beets 2%, and horticulture 2%. The remainder is primarily dedicated to pastures (26%) and feed grains (12%).

Italy is the world's largest wine producer, and a leading producer of olive oil, fruits (apples, olives, grapes, oranges, lemons, pears, apricots, hazelnuts, peaches, cherries, plums, strawberries, and kiwifruits), and vegetables (especially artichokes and tomatoes). The most famous Italian wines are the Tuscan Chianti and the Piedmontese Barolo. Other famous wines are Barbaresco, Barbera d'Asti, Brunello di Montalcino, Frascati, Montepulciano d'Abruzzo, Morellino di Scansano, and the sparkling wines Franciacorta and Prosecco.

Quality goods in which Italy specialises, particularly wines and regional cheeses, are often protected under the quality assurance labels DOC/DOP. This geographical indication certificate, accredited by the EU, is considered important to avoid confusion with ersatz goods.

Transport

Main article: Transport in Italy See also: Railway stations in Italy
The Autostrada dei Laghi ('Lakes Motorway'; part of the A8 and A9), the first motorway built in the world

Italy was the first country to build motorways, the autostrade, reserved for fast traffic and motor vehicles. In 2002 there were 668,721 km (415,524 mi) of serviceable roads in Italy, including 6,487 km (4,031 mi) of motorways, state-owned but privately operated by Atlantia. In 2005, about 34,667,000 cars (590 per 1,000 people) and 4,015,000 goods vehicles circulated on the network.

An ETR 500 train on the Florence–Rome high-speed line, the first high-speed railway built in Europe

The railway network, state-owned and operated by Rete Ferroviaria Italiana (FSI), in 2008 totalled 16,529 km (10,271 mi), of which 11,727 km (7,287 mi) is electrified, and on which 4,802 locomotives and railcars run. The main public operator of high-speed trains is Trenitalia, part of FSI. High-speed trains are in three categories: Frecciarossa ('red arrow') trains operate at a maximum 300 km/h on dedicated high-speed tracks; Frecciargento ('silver arrow') operate at a maximum 250 km/h on high-speed and mainline tracks; and Frecciabianca ('white arrow') operate on high-speed regional lines at a maximum 200 km/h. Italy has 11 rail border crossings over the Alpine mountains with neighbouring countries.

Italy is fifth in Europe by number of passengers using air transport, with about 148 million passengers, or about 10% of the European total in 2011. In 2022, there were 45 civil airports, including the hubs of Milan Malpensa Airport and Rome Fiumicino Airport. Since 2021, Italy's flag carrier has been ITA Airways, which took over from Alitalia.

In 2004, there were 43 major seaports, including Genoa, the country's largest and second-largest in the Mediterranean. In 2005, Italy maintained a civilian air fleet of about 389,000 units and a merchant fleet of 581 ships. The national inland waterways network had a length of 2,400 km (1,491 mi) for commercial traffic in 2012. North Italian ports, such as the deep-water port of Trieste, with its extensive rail connections to Central and Eastern Europe, are the destination of subsidies and significant foreign investment.

Energy

Main article: Energy in Italy Further information: Renewable energy in Italy and Electricity sector in Italy
Solar panels in Piombino, Tuscany. Italy is one of the world's largest producers of renewable energy.

Italy has become one of the world's largest producers of renewable energy, ranking as the second largest producer in the EU and the ninth in the world. Wind power, hydroelectricity, and geothermal power are significant sources of electricity in the country. Renewable sources account for 28% of all electricity produced, with hydro alone reaching 13%, followed by solar at 6%, wind at 4%, bioenergy at 3.5%, and geothermal at 1.6%. The rest of the national demand is supplied by fossil fuels (natural gas 38%, coal 13%, oil 8%) and imports. Eni, operating in 79 countries, is one of the seven "Big Oil" companies, and one of the world's largest industrial companies.

Solar energy production alone accounted for 9% of electricity in 2014, making Italy the country with the highest contribution from solar energy in the world. The Montalto di Castro Photovoltaic Power Station, completed in 2010, is the largest photovoltaic (PV) power station in Italy. Italy was the first country to exploit geothermal energy to produce electricity. Nuclear power in Italy was abandoned after 1987 referendums (in the wake of the 1986 Chernobyl disaster), although Italy still imports nuclear energy from Italy-owned reactors in foreign territories.

Science and technology

Main article: Science and technology in Italy See also: List of Italian inventions and discoveries
Galileo Galilei, widely considered the father of modern science, physics and astronomy

Through the centuries, Italy has fostered a scientific community that produced major discoveries the sciences. Galileo Galilei played a major role in the Scientific Revolution and is considered the "father" of observational astronomy, modern physics, and the scientific method.

The Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso (LNGS) is the largest underground research centre in the world. ELETTRA, Eurac Research, ESA Centre for Earth Observation, Institute for Scientific Interchange, International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Centre for Maritime Research and Experimentation, and the International Centre for Theoretical Physics conduct basic research. Trieste has the highest percentage of researchers in Europe, in relation to the population. Italy was ranked 26th in the Global Innovation Index in 2024. There are technology parks in Italy such as the Science and Technology Parks Kilometro Rosso (Bergamo), the AREA Science Park (Trieste), The VEGA-Venice Gateway for Science and Technology (Venezia), the Toscana Life Sciences (Siena), the Technology Park of Lodi Cluster (Lodi), and the Technology Park of Navacchio (Pisa), as well as science museums such as the Museo Nazionale Scienza e Tecnologia Leonardo da Vinci in Milan.

The north–south large difference in income leads to a "digital divide".

Tourism

Main article: Tourism in Italy
The Amalfi Coast is one of Italy's major tourist destinations.

People have visited Italy for centuries, yet the first to visit the peninsula for tourism were aristocrats during the Grand Tour, which began in the 17th century, and flourished in the 18th and the 19th centuries. This was a period in which European aristocrats, many of whom were British, visited parts of Europe, with Italy as a key destination. For Italy, this was in order to study ancient architecture, local culture, and admire its natural beauty.

Italy is the fourth most visited country, with a total of 57 million arrivals in 2023. In 2014, the income from travel and tourism was EUR163 billion (10% of GDP) and 1,082,000 jobs were directly related to it (5% of employment).

Tourist interest is mainly in culture, cuisine, history, architecture, art, religious sites and routes, wedding tourism, naturalistic beauties, nightlife, underwater sites, and spas. Winter and summer tourism are present in locations in the Alps and the Apennines, while seaside tourism is widespread among locations along the Mediterranean. Italy is the leading cruise tourism destination in the Mediterranean. Small, historical, and artistic villages are promoted through the association I Borghi più belli d'Italia (lit. 'The most beautiful villages of Italy').

The most visited regions are Veneto, Tuscany, Lombardy, Emilia-Romagna, and Lazio. Rome is the third most visited city in Europe, and 12th in the world, with 9.4 million arrivals in 2017. Venice and Florence are among the world's top 100 destinations.

Italy has the most World Heritage Sites: 59; 53 are cultural and 6 natural.

Culture

Main article: Culture of Italy
Augustus created during the Roman Empire for the first time an administrative region called Italia with inhabitants called Italicus Populus; for this reason historians called him Father of Italians.

Italy is one of the birthplaces of Western culture and a cultural superpower. Italy's culture has been shaped by a multitude of regional customs and local centres of power and patronage. Italy has made a substantial contribution to the cultural and historical heritage of Europe.

Architecture

Main article: Italian architecture
Royal Palace of Caserta is the largest former royal residence in the world.

Italy is known for its architectural achievements, such as the construction of arches, domes, and similar structures by ancient Rome, the founding of the Renaissance architectural movement in the late 14th to 16th centuries, and as the home of Palladianism, a style that inspired movements such as Neoclassical architecture and influenced designs of country houses all over the world, notably in the UK and US during the late 17th to early 20th centuries.

The first to begin a recognised sequence of designs were the Greeks and the Etruscans, progressing to classical Roman, then the revival of the classical Roman era during the Renaissance, and evolving into the Baroque era. The Christian concept of the basilica, a style that came to dominate in the Middle Ages, was invented in Rome. Romanesque architecture, which flourished from approximately 800 to 1100 AD, was one of the most fruitful and creative periods in Italian architecture, when masterpieces, such as the Leaning Tower of Pisa and the Basilica of Sant'Ambrogio in Milan, were built. It was known for its usage of Roman arches, stained glass windows, and curved columns. The main innovation of Italian Romanesque architecture was the vault, which had never been seen in Western architecture.

Italian architecture significantly evolved during the Renaissance. Filippo Brunelleschi contributed to architectural design with his dome for the Cathedral of Florence, a feat of engineering not seen since antiquity. A popular achievement of Italian Renaissance architecture was St. Peter's Basilica, designed by Donato Bramante in the early 16th century. Andrea Palladio influenced architects throughout Western Europe with the villas and palaces he designed.

The Baroque period produced outstanding Italian architects. The most original work of late Baroque and Rococo architecture is the Palazzina di caccia of Stupinigi. In 1752, Luigi Vanvitelli began the construction of the Royal Palace of Caserta. In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, Italy was influenced by the Neoclassical architectural movement. Villas, palaces, gardens, interiors, and art began again to be based on ancient Roman and Greek themes.

During the Fascist period, the supposedly "Novecento movement" flourished, based on the rediscovery of imperial Rome. Marcello Piacentini, responsible for the urban transformations of cities, devised a form of simplified Neoclassicism.

Visual art

Main article: Italian art
The Last Supper (1494–1499), Leonardo da Vinci, Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie, Milan

The history of Italian visual arts is significant to Western painting. Roman art was influenced by Greece and can be taken as a descendant of ancient Greek painting. The only surviving Roman paintings are wall paintings. These may contain the first examples of trompe-l'œil, pseudo-perspective, and pure landscape.

The Italian Renaissance is considered to be the golden age of painting, spanning from the 14th through the mid-17th centuries and having significant influence outside Italy. Artists such as Masaccio, Filippo Lippi, Tintoretto, Sandro Botticelli, Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael, and Titian took painting to a higher level through the use of perspective. Michelangelo was also active as a sculptor; his works include masterpieces such as David, Pietà, and Moses.

In the 15th and 16th centuries, the High Renaissance gave rise to a stylised art known as Mannerism. In place of the balanced compositions and rational approach to perspective that characterised art at the dawn of the 16th century, the Mannerists sought instability, artifice, and doubt. The unperturbed faces and gestures of Piero della Francesca and the calm Virgins of Raphael were replaced by the troubled expressions of Pontormo and emotional intensity of El Greco.

The Birth of Venus (1484–1486), Sandro Botticelli, Uffizi Gallery, Florence

In the 17th century, among the greatest painters of Italian Baroque are Caravaggio, Artemisia Gentileschi, Carlo Saraceni, and Bartolomeo Manfredi. In the 18th century, Italian Rococo was mainly inspired by French Rococo. Italian Neoclassical sculpture focused, with Antonio Canova's nudes, on the idealist aspect of the movement.

In the 19th century, Romantic painters included Francesco Hayez and Francesco Podesti. Impressionism was brought from France to Italy by the Macchiaioli, and realism by Gioacchino Toma and Giuseppe Pellizza da Volpedo. In the 20th century, with futurism, Italy rose again as a seminal country for evolution in painting and sculpture. Futurism was succeeded by the metaphysical paintings of Giorgio de Chirico, who exerted an influence on the surrealists.

Literature

Main article: Italian literature

Formal Latin literature began in 240 BC, when the first stage play was performed in Rome. Latin literature was, and is, highly influential, with numerous writers, poets, philosophers, and historians, such as Pliny the Elder, Pliny the Younger, Virgil, Horace, Propertius, Ovid, and Livy. The Romans were famous for their oral tradition, poetry, drama, and epigrams. In the early 13th century, Francis of Assisi was the first Italian poet, with his religious song Canticle of the Sun.

Dante Alighieri, one of the greatest poets. His epic poem The Divine Comedy ranks among the finest works of world literature.

At the court of Emperor Frederick II in Sicily, in the 13th century, lyrics modelled on Provençal forms and themes were written in a refined version of the local vernacular. One of these poets was Giacomo da Lentini, inventor of the sonnet form; the most famous early sonneteer was Petrarch.

Guido Guinizelli is the founder of the Dolce Stil Novo, a school that added a philosophical dimension to love poetry. This new understanding of love, expressed in a smooth style, influenced the Florentine poet Dante Alighieri, who established the basis of modern Italian. Dante's work, the Divine Comedy, is among the finest in literature. Petrarch and Giovanni Boccaccio sought and imitated the works of antiquity and cultivated their own artistic personalities. Petrarch achieved fame through his collection of poems, Il Canzoniere. Equally influential was Boccaccio's The Decameron, a very popular collection of short stories.

Renaissance authors' works include Niccolò Machiavelli's The Prince, an essay on political science in which the "effectual truth" is taken to be more important than any abstract ideal. Giovanni Francesco Straparola and Giambattista Basile, who wrote The Facetious Nights of Straparola (1550–55) and the Pentamerone (1634), respectively, printed some of the first known versions of fairy tales in Europe. The Baroque period produced the clear scientific prose of Galileo. In the 17th century, the Arcadians began a movement to restore simplicity and classical restraint to poetry.

Italian writers embraced Romanticism in the 19th century; it coincided with ideas of the Risorgimento, the movement that brought Italian unification. Unification was heralded by the poets Vittorio Alfieri, Ugo Foscolo, and Giacomo Leopardi. Works by Alessandro Manzoni, the leading Italian Romantic, are a symbol of Italian unification for their patriotic message and because of his efforts in the development of modern, unified Italian.

Machiavelli, the founder of modern political science

In the late 19th century, a literary movement called verismo, which extolled realism, played a major role in Italian literature. Emilio Salgari, a writer of action-adventure swashbucklers and a pioneer of science fiction, published his Sandokan series. In 1883, Carlo Collodi published The Adventures of Pinocchio, which became the most celebrated children's classic by an Italian author and one of the world's most translated non-religious books. A movement called futurism influenced literature in the early 20th century. Filippo Tommaso Marinetti wrote Manifesto of Futurism and called for the use of language and metaphors that glorified the speed, dynamism, and violence of the machine age.

Modern literary figures and Nobel laureates are Gabriele D'Annunzio, nationalist poet Giosuè Carducci 1906 Nobel laureate, realist writer Grazia Deledda 1926 laureate, modern theatre author Luigi Pirandello in 1936, short story writer Italo Calvino in 1960, poets Salvatore Quasimodo in 1959 and Eugenio Montale in 1975, Umberto Eco in 1980, and satirist and theatre author Dario Fo in 1997.

Philosophy

Main article: Italian philosophy

Italian philosophy had an influence on Western philosophy, beginning with the Greeks and Romans, and Renaissance humanism, the Age of Enlightenment, and modern philosophy. Formal philosophy was introduced to Italy by Pythagoras, founder of the Italian school of philosophy in Crotone. Italian philosophers of the Greek period include Xenophanes, Parmenides, and Zeno. Roman philosophers include Cicero, Lucretius, Seneca the Younger, Plutarch, Epictetus, Marcus Aurelius, and Augustine of Hippo.

Clockwise from top left: Aquinas, theologian; Bruno, cosmologist; Beccaria, criminologist; and Montessori, of Montessori education

Italian medieval philosophy was mainly Christian, and included theologians such as Thomas Aquinas, a classical proponent of natural theology, who reintroduced Aristotelian philosophy to Christianity. Renaissance philosophers include: Giordano Bruno, a major scientific figure of the West; Marsilio Ficino, a humanist philosopher; and Niccolò Machiavelli, a founder of modern political science. Machiavelli's most famous work is The Prince, whose contribution to political thought is the fundamental break between political idealism and realism. University cities such as Padua, Bologna, and Naples remained centres of scholarship, with philosophers such as Giambattista Vico. Cesare Beccaria was a significant Enlightenment figure and a father of classical criminal theory and penology.

Italy had a renowned philosophical movement in the 1800s, with idealism, sensism, and empiricism. During the late 19th and 20th centuries, there were other movements that gained popularity, such as Ontologism, anarchism, communism, socialism, futurism, fascism, and Christian democracy. Antonio Gramsci remains a relevant philosopher within communist theory, credited with creating the theory of cultural hegemony. Italian philosophers were influential in development of the non-Marxist liberal socialism philosophy. In the 1960s, left-wing activists adopted the anti-authoritarian pro-working class theories that became known as autonomism and workerism.

Italian feminists include Sibilla Aleramo, Alaide Gualberta Beccari, and Anna Maria Mozzoni, and proto-feminist philosophies had previously been touched upon by Italian writers. Italian educator Maria Montessori created the philosophy of education that bears her name. Giuseppe Peano was a founder of analytic philosophy and the contemporary philosophy of mathematics. Analytic philosophers include Carlo Penco, Gloria Origgi, Pieranna Garavaso, and Luciano Floridi.

Theatre

Main article: Theatre of Italy
Commedia dell'arte troupe I Gelosi performing, by Hieronymus Francken I, c. 1590

Italian theatre came about in the Middle Ages, with its antecedents dating back to ancient Greek colonies in southern Italy (Magna Graecia), as well as the theatre of the Italic peoples and the theatre of ancient Rome. There were two main lines along which theatre developed. The first, dramatization of Catholic liturgies, and the second, formed by pagan forms of spectacle, such as staging for city festivals, court preparations of jesters, and songs of the troubadours. Renaissance theatre marked the beginning of modern theatre. Ancient theatrical texts were translated and staged at courts, and moved to public theatres. In the late 15th century, the cities of Ferrara and Rome were important for the rediscovery and renewal of theatre.

During the 16th into the 18th century, commedia dell'arte was a form of improvisational theatre, and is still performed. Travelling troupes of players set up an outdoor stage and provided amusement in the form of juggling, acrobatics, and humorous plays. Plays did not originate from written drama, but scenarios called lazzi, loose frameworks around which actors would improvise. The characters of the commedia usually represent fixed social types and stock characters, each of which has a distinct costume. The first recorded commedia dell'arte performances came from Rome as early as 1551. Female roles were played by women, documented as early as the 1560s, making them the first known professional actresses in Europe since antiquity. Lucrezia Di Siena, named on a 1564 contract, has been referred to as the first Italian actress known by name, with Vincenza Armani and Barbara Flaminia as the first prima donnas.

Ballet originated in Italy during the Renaissance, as an outgrowth of court pageantry.

Music

Main article: Music of Italy Instruments associated with classical music, including the violin and piano, were invented in Italy.

From folk to classical, music is an intrinsic part of Italian culture. Instruments associated with classical music, including the piano and violin, were invented in Italy, and many prevailing forms, such as the symphony, concerto, and sonata, trace their roots back to innovations in 16th- and 17th-century Italian music.

Italy's most famous composers include the Renaissance Palestrina, Monteverdi, and Gesualdo; the Baroque Scarlatti, and Vivaldi; the classical Paganini, and Rossini; and the Romantic Verdi and Puccini. Classical music has a strong hold in Italy, as evidenced by the fame of its opera houses, such as La Scala, and performers such as the pianist Maurizio Pollini and tenor Luciano Pavarotti. Italy is known as the birthplace of opera. Italian opera is believed to have been founded in the 17th century.

Introduced in the early 1920s, jazz gained a strong foothold in Italy, and remained popular despite xenophobic policies of the fascists. Italy was represented in the progressive rock and pop movements of the 1970s, with bands such as PFM, Banco del Mutuo Soccorso, Le Orme, Goblin, and Pooh. The same period saw diversification in the cinema of Italy, and Cinecittà films included complex scores by composers including Ennio Morricone. In the 1980s, the first star to emerge from Italian hip hop was singer Jovanotti. Italian metal bands include Rhapsody of Fire, Lacuna Coil, Elvenking, Forgotten Tomb, and Fleshgod Apocalypse.

Italy contributed to the development of disco and electronic music, with Italo disco, known for its futuristic sound and prominent use of synthesisers and drum machines, one of the earliest electronic dance genres. Producers such as Giorgio Moroder, who won three Academy Awards and four Golden Globes, were influential in the development of electronic dance music. Italian pop is represented annually with the Sanremo Music Festival, which served as inspiration for the Eurovision Song Contest. Gigliola Cinquetti, Toto Cutugno, and Måneskin won Eurovision, in 1964, 1990, and 2021 respectively. Singers such as Domenico Modugno, Mina, Andrea Bocelli, Raffaella Carrà, Il Volo, Al Bano, Toto Cutugno, Nek, Umberto Tozzi, Giorgia, Grammy winner Laura Pausini, Eros Ramazzotti, Tiziano Ferro, Måneskin, and others have received international acclaim.

Cinema

Main article: Cinema of Italy

Italian cinema began just after the Lumière brothers introduced motion picture exhibitions. The first Italian director is Vittorio Calcina, who filmed Pope Leo XIII in 1896. Cabiria, from 1914, is the most famous Italian silent film. The oldest European avant-garde cinema movement, Italian futurism, took place in the late 1910s.

Federico Fellini, considered one of the most influential and widely revered filmmakers of the 20th century

After decline in the 1920s, the industry was revitalised in the 1930s with the arrival of sound. A popular Italian genre, the Telefoni Bianchi, consisted of comedies with glamorous backgrounds. Calligrafismo was a sharp contrast to the Telefoni Bianchi-American style comedies and is rather artistic, highly formalistic, expressive in complexity, and deals mainly with contemporary literary material. Cinema was used by Mussolini, who founded Rome's renowned Cinecittà studio, for the production of Fascist propaganda.

After World War II, Italian film was widely recognised and exported until an artistic decline occurred in the 1980s. Italian film directors include Federico Fellini, Sergio Leone, Pier Paolo Pasolini, Duccio Tessari, Luchino Visconti, Vittorio De Sica, Michelangelo Antonioni, and Roberto Rossellini, recognised among the greatest of all time. The mid-1940s to the early 1950s was the heyday of Italian neorealism, reflecting the poor condition of post-war Italy.

As the country grew wealthier in the 1950s, a form of neorealism known as pink neorealism succeeded, and the commedia all'italiana genre and other film genres, such as sword-and-sandal and spaghetti Westerns, were popular in the 1960s and 70s. Actresses such as Sophia Loren achieved international stardom. Erotic Italian thrillers, or gialli, produced by directors such as Dario Argento in the 1970s, influenced horror. Recently, the Italian scene has received only occasional attention, with movies such as Life Is Beautiful, Cinema Paradiso, and Il Postino: The Postman.

Cinecittà studio is the largest film and television production facility in Europe, where many international box office hits were filmed. In the 1950s, the number of international productions made there led to Rome's being dubbed "Hollywood on the Tiber". More than 3,000 productions have been made on its lot, of which 90 received an Academy Award nomination, with 47 wins. Italy is the most awarded country at the Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film, with 14 wins and 3 Special Awards. As of 2016, Italian films have won 12 Palmes d'Or, 11 Golden Lions, and 7 Golden Bears.

Sport

Main article: Sport in Italy
The Azzurri in 2012. Football is the most popular sport in Italy.

The most popular sport is football. Italy's team is one of the most successful, with four World Cup victories (1934, 1938, 1982, and 2006) and two UEFA Euro victories (1968 and 2020). Italian clubs have won 48 major European trophies, making Italy the second most successful country in Europe, after Spain. Italy's top league is Serie A and is followed by millions of fans around the world.

Other popular team sports include basketball, volleyball, and rugby. Italy's male and female national volleyball teams are often featured among the world's best. The men's team won three consecutive World Championships (in 1990, 1994, and 1998). Italy men's basketball team's best results were gold at EuroBasket 1983 and 1999, and silver at the 2004 Olympics. Lega Basket Serie A is one of the most competitive in Europe. The Italy national rugby union team competes in the Six Nations Championship, and at the Rugby World Cup.

Among individual sports, bicycle racing is popular; Italians have won the UCI World Championships more than any other country, except Belgium. The Giro d'Italia is a cycling race held every May and one of the three Grand Tours. Alpine skiing is a widespread sport, and the country is a popular skiing destination. Italian skiers achieve good results in Winter Olympic Games and the Alpine Ski World Cup. Tennis has a significant following: it is the fourth most practised sport. The Rome Masters, founded in 1930, is one of the most prestigious tennis tournaments. Italian players won the Davis Cup in 1976 and the Fed Cup in 2006, 2009, 2010, and 2013.

A Ferrari 248 F1 by Scuderia Ferrari, the oldest surviving team in Grand Prix racing, having competed since 1948, and statistically the most successful Formula One team in history

Motorsports are popular. Italy has won, by far, the most MotoGP World Championships. Italian Scuderia Ferrari is the oldest surviving team in Grand Prix racing, competing since 1948, and the most successful Formula One team with 232 wins. The Italian Grand Prix of Formula One has been held since 1921 always at Autodromo Nazionale Monza (except 1980). Other successful Italian car manufacturers in motorsports are Alfa Romeo, Lancia, Maserati, and Fiat.

Italy has been successful in the Olympics, taking part from the first Olympiad and in 47 Games out of 48 (not 1904). Italians have won 618 medals at the Summer Olympic Games, and 141 at the Winter Olympics, with 259 golds, the sixth most successful for total medals. The country hosted Winter Olympics in 1956 and 2006, and will host another in 2026; and a Summer games in 1960.

Fashion and design

Main articles: Italian fashion and Italian design
Prada shop at Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II in Milan

Italian fashion has a long tradition. Top Global Fashion Capital Rankings (2013), by Global Language Monitor, ranked Rome sixth and Milan twelfth. Major Italian fashion labels—such as Gucci, Armani, Prada, Versace, Valentino, Dolce & Gabbana—are among the finest fashion houses in the world. Jewellers such as Bulgari, Damiani, and Buccellati were founded in Italy. The fashion magazine Vogue Italia is one of the most prestigious fashion magazines in the world.

Italy is prominent in the field of design, notably interior, architectural, industrial, and urban designs. Milan and Turin are the nation's leaders in architectural and industrial design. The city of Milan hosts Fiera Milano, Europe's largest design fair. Milan hosts major design- and architecture-related events and venues, such as the Fuori Salone and the Milan Furniture Fair, and has been home to the designers Bruno Munari, Lucio Fontana, Enrico Castellani, and Piero Manzoni.

Cuisine

Main articles: Italian cuisine, Italian meal structure, and List of Italian foods and drinks
Italian wine and salumi

Italian cuisine is heavily influenced by Etruscan, ancient Greek, ancient Roman, Byzantine, Arabic, and Jewish cuisines. Significant changes occurred with the discovery of the New World, with items such as potatoes, tomatoes, and maize becoming main ingredients from the 18th century. The Mediterranean diet forms the basis of Italian cuisine, which is rich in pasta, fish, fruits, and vegetables and characterised by its simplicity and variety, with many dishes having only four to eight ingredients. Italian cuisine is noted for its regional diversity, abundance of difference in taste, and as one of the most popular in the world, wielding strong influence abroad.

Italian cuisine relies heavily on traditional products; the country has a large number of traditional specialties protected under EU law. Italy is home to 395 Michelin Star-rated restaurants. Cheese, cold cuts, and wine are central to Italian cuisine, with regional declinations and protected designation of origin or protected geographical indication labels, along with pizza and coffee forming part of gastronomic culture. Desserts have a long tradition of merging local flavours, such as citrus fruits, pistachio, and almonds, with sweet cheeses such as mascarpone and ricotta or exotic tastes such as cocoa, vanilla, and cinnamon. Gelato, tiramisu, and cassata are among the most famous examples of Italian desserts.

The Italian meal structure is typical of the Mediterranean region and differs from North, Central, and East European meal structures, although it still often consists of breakfast (colazione), lunch (pranzo), and dinner (cena). However, much less emphasis is placed on breakfast, which is often skipped or involves lighter portions than are seen in non-Mediterranean Western countries. Late-morning and mid-afternoon snacks, called merenda (pl.: merende), are often included.

Public holidays, festivals and folklore

Main articles: Public holidays in Italy, Traditions of Italy, and Folklore of Italy
The Frecce Tricolori, with the smoke trail representing the national colours of Italy, above the Victor Emmanuel II Monument in Rome during the celebrations of the Festa della Repubblica

Public holidays include religious, national, and regional observances. Italy's National Day, the Festa della Repubblica ('Republic Day'), is celebrated on 2 June, with the main celebration taking place in Rome, and commemorates the birth of the Italian Republic in 1946. The ceremony includes deposition of a wreath as a tribute to the Italian Unknown Soldier and a military parade along Via dei Fori Imperiali in Rome.

Saint Lucy's Day, on 13 December, is popular among children in some Italian regions, where she plays a role similar to Santa Claus. The Epiphany is associated with the folklore figure of Befana, a broomstick-riding old woman who, on the night of 5 January, brings good children gifts, and bad ones charcoal or bags of ashes. The Assumption of Mary coincides with Ferragosto on 15 August, the summer vacation period. The Italian national patronal day, on 4 October, celebrates Saints Francis and Catherine. Each city or town also celebrates a public holiday on the festival of the local patron saint. Natale di Roma, historically known as Dies Romana and also referred to as Romaia, is the festival linked to the foundation of Rome, celebrated on 21 April.

Festivals and festivities include the Palio di Siena horse race, Holy Week rites, Saracen Joust of Arezzo, and the calcio storico fiorentino. In 2013, UNESCO included among the intangible cultural heritage Italian festivals and pasos, such as the Varia di Palmi, the Macchina di Santa Rosa in Viterbo, and faradda di li candareri in Sassari. Other festivals include carnivals in Venice, Viareggio, Satriano di Lucania, Mamoiada, and Ivrea. The Venice Film Festival, awarding the Golden Lion and held since 1932, is the oldest in the world and one of the "Big Three" European film festivals, alongside Cannes and Berlin.

See also

Notes

  1. Italian: Italia, pronounced [iˈtaːlja]
  2. Italian: Repubblica Italiana, pronounced [reˈpubblika itaˈljaːna]
  3. Italy is often grouped in Western Europe.
  4. Kingdom of Naples is used by historians, but not by its rulers, who kept the original 'Kingdom of Sicily' (i.e., there existed two Kingdoms of Sicily).
  5. The Guardia di Finanza operates a large fleet of ships, aircraft and helicopters, enabling it to patrol Italy's waters and to participate in warfare scenarios.
  6. The Holy See's sovereignty has been recognised explicitly in many international agreements and is particularly emphasised in article 2 of the Lateran Treaty of 11 February 1929, in which "Italy recognises the sovereignty of the Holy See in international matters as an inherent attribute in conformity with its traditions and the requirements of its mission to the world" (Lateran Treaty, English translation).

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