Italy flag

Italy

History

Italic peoples settled the peninsula before Rome's rise.
Tradition dates the founding of Rome to this year.
Ostrogoths, Lombards and Byzantium divided the peninsula after Rome fell.
Venice, Florence, Genoa and Milan grew rich as independent city-states.
The Kingdom of Italy emerged, giving the area a defined monarchical state structure.
Italy began acquiring colonies on the Red Sea.
A referendum abolished the monarchy and created the republic.
Europe thumbnailPart ofEuropeMore countries, cities and routes.
CapitalRome
Population58.9M
Area301,340 km2
Currencyeuro

Short facts

RegionSouthern Europe
LanguageItalian, Catalan
Time zoneCET (UTC+1)
Drives onRight

Worth seeing

  • Rome: The Colosseum, Vatican and Trevi Fountain concentrate millennia of history.
  • Venice: A city of canals, gondolas and Byzantine-Gothic architecture, slowly sinking.
  • Tuscany: Renaissance art in Florence, Chianti wine and rolling hills of cypress trees.

Find a city in Italy

Showing all cities

Rome thumbnailRomeCityVenice thumbnailVeniceCity

Planning questions

What is Italy known for?Rome, Venice, Tuscany.
What is the capital?Rome.
Which language is useful?Italian, Catalan.
When is the national day?2 June.

Upcoming events

Showing all 12 events

Venice Biennale Arte thumbnailVenice Biennale Arte9 May 2026 – 22 November 2026 — Venice — ItalyLucca Comics and Games thumbnailLucca Comics and Games28 October 2026 – 1 November 2026 — Lucca — ItalyVenice Carnival thumbnailVenice Carnival30 January 2027 – 9 February 2027 — Venice — ItalySanremo Music Festival thumbnailSanremo Music Festival16 February 2027 – 20 February 2027 — Sanremo — ItalyStrade Bianche thumbnailStrade Bianche8 March 2027 — Siena — ItalyMilan–San Remo thumbnailMilan–San Remo22 March 2027 — San Remo — ItalyFesta della Repubblica thumbnailFesta della Repubblica2 June 2027 — Across Italy — ItalyPizzafest Naples thumbnailPizzafest Naples7 July 2027–12 July 2027 — Naples — ItalyUmbria Jazz thumbnailUmbria Jazz9 July 2027 – 18 July 2027 — Perugia — ItalyATP Finals thumbnailATP Finals14 November 2027 – 21 November 2027 — Italy — ItalyGiro d Italia thumbnailGiro d Italia8 May 2028 – 1 June 2028 — Milan — ItalyItalian MotoGP thumbnailItalian MotoGP29 May 2028 – 1 June 2028 — Mugello — Italy

Use Rome as the first planning anchor for Italy, then compare the city, food and worth-seeing notes on this page.

Food & drink

Pizza thumbnailPizzaSignature dishEspresso thumbnailEspressoLocal drink

Known for

RomeThe ColosseumVaticanVeniceA city of canalsgondolasslowly sinking.Tuscany
Eurovision Song Contest thumbnailMusic & CultureFestivals, concerts and cultural calendars.