This event typically takes place on the Sunday following Ascension Day. It is a 32km (20-mile) boat race from St Mark's Square to the island of...
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Tuscan vineyard
© 123rf.com / Temistocle Lucarelli
Italy Travel Guide
Key Facts
Area:
301,338 sq km (116,346 sq miles).
Population:
60 million (2009).
Population density:
199 per sq km.
Capital:
Rome. Population: 2.7 million (2009).
Government:
Kingdom of Italy declared in 1861. Republic since 1946.
Head of state:
President Giorgio Napolitano since 2006.
Head of government:
Prime Minister Mario Monti since 2011.
Electricity:
230 volts AC, 50Hz. Plugs are of the two round-pin type.
Rightly considered one of the world’s most iconic travel destinations, Italy manages to be many things – a vision of golden countryside, a mass of seething cityscapes, a repository for ancient culture, a mecca for fashion – whilst never being anything less than resolutely Italian.
Its many faces are a big part of its appeal. From the scooter-honk of Naples to the bosomy hills of Tuscany, and from the Renaissance splendour of Florence to the football crowds of Turin, it’s somewhere that draws you in repeatedly. Trying to take the country in on one trip is akin to settling down to read an entire library – far better to concentrate on one or two of its numberless highlights and immerse yourself in the mix of hospitality, style and volatility that makes Italy so intoxicating. Oh, and did we mention the food?
Top destinations
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Most visitors are overwhelmed by the artistic opulence of Florence and spend their visit dashing... |
Sometimes it appears as if life in Siena has been unchanged for centuries. The walls that... |
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Rome is like a moveable feast of endless courses. No matter how much you gorge yourself on its... |
Venice is one of those must-see destinations of our era. A unique city of 116 islands, ancient... |
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