Italy Tourist Attractions
General Information
The Italian Republic is located on the Apennine Peninsula on the Mediterranean Sea in Southern Europe. It has a population of approximately 60 millions, mainly native Italians, but also Germans, Greek, Frenchmen and Slovene people. The dominant religion is Catholicism, but also small Protestant, Jewish and Muslim groups live here as a result of a growing number of emigrants from Arab countries.
Italy is mainly a mountainous country. The northern boundary constitute the Alps. Also the Apennines spread at the length of 1,350 kilometers from the Cadibona Pass in the north to the Strait of Messina in the south. In the western range of the Apennines, many peaks are of volcanic origin. The famous Vesuvius, the eruption of which destroyed in 79 AD a city of Pompeii, is located there. Its last eruption dates back to 1944. South to the Alpine chain, a wide and densely populated lowland- called the Padana Lowland spreads. Rivers in the northern part of the country create a dense network. Many of them flow from the Alpine glaciers or from the northern Apennines. They transit water mainly to the main river in Italy, the Po, which is a 652-kilomerter long river. Its waters pose a serious flooding threat, but they have also many advantages. For many centuries, the ships have been sailing there, so the river is a very important communication route. The second-longest river in Italy flowing directly into the Adriatic Sea is the Adige River. Its sources are located in the Alps. On the Apennine peninsula and islands, the rivers are short and water-deficient mainly during hot summers. The third river in Italy is the Tiber River which flows through Rome.
North-eastern Italy with its Dolomite mountains, which are the favorite place for mountain hiking, climbing with many ski resorts, is very attractive for tourists. Moreover, very beautiful cities such as Venice, Verona and Padova known in the whole world for their magnificent historical relics and monuments are situated here.
The north-western part of Italy comprises three geographic regions: soaring
Alps, a flat plain, and corrugated coast of the Mediterranean Sea. In this diversified
landscape, which remained partly wild and untouched, there are the traces of
a rich cultural heritage of this country. Tourists visit here mainly Milan,
Genoa, San Remo and Turin. Central Italy is known for beautiful and diversified
scenery, cities full of historical monuments and interesting architectonics
like Florence, which is a cultural capital city of Italy. Southern Italy is
one of the most attractive regions for tourists, where the fans of relaxation
on the beach by the sea, staying in well-prepared resorts as well as the fans
of sightseeing and active relaxation will be delighted. The best-known and the
most popular historical monuments visited by tourists are located in Rome and
Lacium and they also include the ruins of Roman Pompeii. The two largest islands
in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia, also belong to the territory
of Italy. Here, you may check italian lakes holidays. Many other small islands building small archipelagos belong also to
Italy. Most interesting islands are volcanic Aeolian Islands with active volcanoes
Stromboli and Vulcano.
Check other Italy tourist attractions and interesting places.