Italy By mr hyett
Italy is a country with a great and rich history. The Roman Empire, starting in Rome (Italy's capital city), once spanned all the way across Europe as far as Britain, into the North of Africa, as well as the Middle East as far as Iraq.
Italy is located in South Central Europe surrounded by the Ligurian, Tyrrhenian, Adriatic, Ionian and Mediterranean Seas.
To the south of the mainland is Siciliy and to the west is Sardinia, both Italian owned islands.
Most people are able to easily locate Italy on a map due to the unique shape of the country's borders. Italy's mainland looks much like a boot, and Sicily, an Italian owned island, sits at the tips of the toes. To some, it looks like Italy is kicking Siciliy.
Italy shares land borders with France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia.
Running through the spine of Italy are the Apennines Mountains. This mountain range begins towards the north of the country and spreads beyond Florence, Rome and Naples towards the southern most tip of the mainlaind.
A map showing the Appenines mountain range and its span across Italy's mainland.
Mount Vesuvius, situated near the coastal city of Naples, caused the most devastating destruction of life in Italian history when it erupted on 24th August 79AD, burying the city of Pompeii beneath the ash and lava.
Due to Italy's vast mountain ranges it is a popular holiday destination for skiers and other winter sports enthusiasts.
Throughout Italy there are many beautiful lakes, surrounded by mountainous terrain. Lake Como is regarded by many as the most picturesque and is a very popular tourist destination.
There are many rivers running into and through the Italian mainland. The longest of those is the River Po which spans from the very east of northern Italy to the west where it departs into the Adriatic Sea. It travels through Turin, Milan and Venice amongst other cities.
The historic city of Rome is Italy's capital city. Rome is situated near the western coast of central Italy.
Florence is another of Italy's most populated and visited cities. The city is filled with great architecture, culture and art making it popular with tourists. It is North West of Rome and located inland beside the Appennines (as seen in the background others picture).
Venice is a 'floating' city built upon 117 small islands separated by canals and linked by bridges. It is situated towards the north of Italy on the eastern coast. The waters of Venice's canals spill out into the Adriatic Sea. This unique city is one of Italy's most popular tourist destinations and is listed as a World Heritage site.
Milan is recognised as one of the fashion capitals of the world and is famed for its designer shopping. It is towards the very north west of the country, quite near to the Swiss border.
Turin is a major industrial city. It is less glamorous than the likes of Venice and Florence, but is an important manufacturing city and vital to Italy's economy. It is situated west of Milan in the north of Italy and is close to both the French and Swiss borders. Turin is perhaps most famous to the wider world as the home of Juventus Football Club.
Created with images by romanboed - "Aosta Valley Morning" • sabl-13 - "lake como italy mountains" • Peggychoucair - "rome vatican river" • Waldo93 - "firenze florence italy" • Unsplash - "venice italy canals" • IgorSaveliev - "city centre street milan" • dalbera - "Le palais Carignano (Turin)"