"Felice di conoscerla." Italy by seagoingJLW

Is there anyone who is not fond of Italy? Venice is one of my favorite cities in the whole world.

History

The Kingdom of Italy didn't exist before the nineteenth century. Before that the cities were independent. Sometimes they still act that way. We must have gone through customs and immigration at least a dozen times during our sojourns from port to port in Italy.

Italy has long been the target of invasion by the Sabines, the Carthaginians, and the Etruscans. After a great struggles against Hannibal's Carthaginian force in 146 BC, Rome emerged victorious. Then came the spread of Roman influence to the African shores of the Mediterranean as well as to Greece, Macedonia, and Asia Minor. This foreshadowed an empire that ruled the entire civilized world. Newly conquered territories were economically exploited and their citizens taken as slaves.

The lower classes began to revolt against the oppressive upper classes. As tensions escalated, Julius Caesar emerged as a hero who warded off disaster and restored the monarchy, thus leading to the Golden Age of Roma.

In subsequent centuries Rome was ruled by foreign kings, invaded by barbarians, and a witness to the growth of the papacy. Independent states and several kingdoms developed, and in time the power of the cities counterbalanced the increasing power of the pope.

Noble families brought scholars and artists to their cities thus launchinf the Italian Renaissance. At the same time foreign powers were fighting for control of the peninsula. French, German, and Spanish armies fought over Italian land. After years of conflict, citizens appealed for one united government instead of the several city-states ruled by powerful familiers or the Roman Catholic church. This led to a unification movement known as Resogimento. Italy finally became one kingdom in 1861 under Victor Emmanual II

Dissatisfaction with the economy and continued religious influenceled the Italians to the leadership of Benito Mussolini and the Fascist Party. He led Italy into World War II devastating both the economy and the countryside. Postwar Italy became a Democratic Republic which has been administered by a myriad of governments.

Miscellaneous Information

Italy is approximately 708 miles long and projects into the Mediterranean from the Po River basin. The Apennine Mountains form the backbone of the peninsula. Italy's northern boundary is formed by the Alps. The total area is 116,305 square miles.

There are many lakes in the north, including Garda, Maggiore, and Como.

Several islands form part of Italy. Sicily with 9,926 square miles, lies off the toe of the boot across the Strait of Messina. Sixty two miles southwest of Sicily is Pantelleria, which is 45 square miles. South of that are Lampedusa and Linosa. Sardinia, which is just south of Corsica, is 9,301 square miles.

The population of Italy is 57,679,825 (2001 estimate), and the density is 496 per square mile. Rome is the largest city with 2,693,383. Other large cities include, Milan (1,561,438), Naples (1,204,149), Turin (952,736), Genoa (706,754), Palermo (694,749), Florence (460,924), Bologna (394,969), Catania (372,212), Bari (355,352), and Venice (306,439).

Italian is the official language with small German, French and Slovene speaking minorities. The country is 85% Roman Catholic and 5% Jewish and Protestant, with others making up the difference.

• Pros:There is almost too much to see in Italy
• Cons:You don't know where to begin
• In a nutshell:Spend a lot of time here.