Italy in Focus

Italy is a land of romance, culture, history, and enchantment, from the awe-inspiring ruins of Pompeii to the sophisticated allure of the Italian Riviera. The country is filled with architectural treasures of the ancient Roman Empire and early Christianity.

Rome (Roma) is the tourist center of Italy and the site of the Forum, the administrative and financial center of ancient Rome, and the Colosseum, where vast crowds were entertained by gladiator fights and public executions. Under the reign of Nero, 2,000 Christians were killed in the arena, many of them devoured by lions. The Pantheon, built by Marcus Agrippa in the seventh century, is one of the best preserved structures of ancient Rome. The first two kings and the first queen of Italy are entombed in monument, which was dedicated by its builder to St. Mary of the Martyrs. At the Piazza Navona is a famous fountain designed by Giovanni Bernini. The Palazzo Venezia, built in the late 1400s, was the first great architectural work of the Renaissance.

The Capitoline Hill has a stone stairway leading to a majestic square, the Campidoglio. Designed by Michaelangelo, the square is set between two palaces and guarded by a bronze statue of Marcus Aurelius. The walkways leads past the Church of the Aracoeli, built in the eleventh century, and the cage of the live she-wolf, symbolizing the wolf that nurtured Romulus and Reums. Fine Roman mosaics and sculptures are displayed in the Capitoline Museum. Other points of interest include the Via Appia Antica, the Catcombs, the Castel Sant'Angelo, and the Villa Borghese. Every year, tourists toss more than 100,000 coins into Trevi Fountain to ensure their return to the city.

Inside the city limits of Rome is Vatican City, the seat of the Roman Catholic religion. The main part of the city is formed by the Apostolic Palaces, a group of majestic buildings leading from the Basilica of St. Peter's to the old city walls. The basilica was consecrated by Pope Urban VIII in 1626 and stands on the site of the old Basilica of Constantine. After the first stone was laid by Pope Julius II in 1506, the structure took 120 years to complete. The church has 44 altars, 8 small cupolas, and 800 marble, bronze, and stucco columns. Remains believed to be those of the apostle Peter were found in a niche hollowed out of a wall in the Vatican Grottoes, a series of artificial caverns beneath the basilica. The basilica dome and grottoes are open to the public.

Audiences with the Pope may be arranged with the Prefect of the Casa Pontificia. Permits to visit the Vatican gardens can be obtained from the office for Pilgrims and Tourists in St. Peter's Square. The Vatican houses a large number of artistic and architectural treasures, including Michaelangelo's Pieta, the Sacrament Chapel with a decorative canpoy designed by Bernini, and monuments to former popes, benefactors, and saints. The Vatican also has several museums and galleries, including one of the world's best collections of Egyptian artifacts.

The north part of the Italian peninsula comprises four regions: Liguria, Piedmont, Lombardy, and Veneto. Together, these areas offer a rich variety of sights, ranging from snow-covered Alps to the sunny Riviera. The capital of Liguria is Genoa, a historic coastal city that was the birthplace of Christopher Columbus. The city is the site of numerous buildings of historical importance, including the 17th-century Palazzo Reale, which houses a fine art and antique furniture gallery featuring the works of Tintoretto, Titian, Van Dyck, and other masters.

The stretch of the Riviera that extends westward from Genoa to the French border is known as the Riviera di Ponente and is characterized by a mild climate and green, Mediterranean vegetation. The second part of the Riviera, which stretches from Genoa southeast to the Gulf of La Spezia, is known as the Riviera di Levante. The town of Portofino is located on a bluff that juts into the Mediterranean Sea. The Italian Alps, which mark Italy's border with Switzerland and France, begin at Piedmont. Turin, the main city, sits on the banks of the Po River and is a major commercial, cultural, and industrial center. Lombardy, in the central Po Valley, is Italy's most populated region.

Milan (Milano), the region's capital, is the banking center for southern Europe and one of the world's top fashion cities. La Scala theater, designed in neo-classical style, was opened in 1778 and restored in 1948. In the Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie, Leonardo da Vinci's Last Supper is displayed.

In Venice (Venezia), the city of canals, situated in southeast Veneto on the Adriatic coast, travelers enter the 12th century. Visitors can ride on gondolas down the Grand Canal, visit St. Mark's Square and the Murano Glass Works, or explore the city's labyrinthine walkways. The Grand Canal is Venice's major waterway; along its banks stand more than 200 stately palaces, built between the 12th and 18th centuries. The Hotel Danieli is one of the most picturesque hotels in the world.

Florence (Firenze), in north central Italy, was the heart of the Italian Renaissance and is the home of the Uffizi Gallery, Bargello Museum, and Accademia di Belle Arti. The city is a filled with open-air markets displaying leather goods, sunglasses, and trinkets.

In Naples (Napoli) are the Naples National Museum, Mount Vesuvius, Pompeii, and the San Carlo Opera House. Naples is also the gateway to Capri, the Blue Grotto tourism area, and the island of Sicily. Virtually every activity in Pisa is centered around his famous leaning tower, one of the most photographed structures in the world. Galileo was born in the tower and used it to conduct gravity experiments.

Country Profile

Italy has the fifth largest free-market economy in the world and is a major producer of machinery equipment and fashion apparel. Two thirds of the Italian population own residential property, the highest rate of home ownership in Europe. Rome, the capital and largest city, is the former center of the Roman Empire. Whereas northern Italy is industrialized, the southern part of the country is mainly devoted to agriculture. Slightly larger in size than Arizona, Italy has a population of over 57.6 million.

According to legend, Rome was founded in 753 B.C. by two brothers, Romulus and Remus, who were raised by a wolf. When the industrious Remus had finished building the fortress walls, he was slain by his jealous brother, who named the city after himself and became its first ruler. Eventually, Rome grew to become the most powerful state in the world. The Italian Peninsula was unified in 265 B.C. and, by the end of the first century, Rome ruled all of the Western world from Britain to the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.

The Romans created the free enterprise system based on the ownership of private property. Much of the lands of the Roman empire were conquered under Julius Caesar, who made important contributions as a general, statesman, and historian. After the fall of Rome in 476, Italy was divided into small city states. One of these states, Venice, rose to become a major trading center in the Middle Ages. Florence also became an important financial and trading state in the 14th and 15th centuries. The wealth of these states produced the Renaissance.