Geography
Italy is a country located in the southern part of Europe. In the north of the country there is a border with Austria and Switzerland, in the eastern part with Slovenia, in the northwestern part with France. Italy is washed by the seas from three sides: from the east – by the Adriatic, from the south – by the Mediterranean and Ionian, from the west – by the Ligurian, Tyrrhenian and Mediterranean seas. See Italy abbreviations.
Countries such as the Vatican and San Marino are located on the territory of the country; a visa is not needed to travel there from Italy.
Territorially, the islands of Sicily, Elba, Sardinia and a number of others also belong to the department of the state.
Most of Italy is located on the Apennine Peninsula. The Italian Alps lie in its northern part. Here is the highest point of the country – Mount Mont Blanc (Monte Bianco) (4807m). Among other peaks of Italy, Monte Cervino (4478 m) and Monte Rosa (4634 m) are known. In the valley between the Alps and the Apennines, there is the Lombard (Padana) plain. The Apennines are located between two gulfs: Taranto and the gulf in Calabria. The highest point of the Apennines is 2914 m (Mount Corno). The third part of Italy is occupied by plains. In addition to the main (Lombard) swamps, the Pontic swamps, Campagna di Roma and Maremma are located here.
The main rivers of Italy – Po and Adige – originate in the northern part of the country and flow into the Adriatic Sea. The Arno and the Tiber flow through the peninsula itself. Large lakes of the country: Garda, Lugano, Como, Lago Maggiore, Bracchiano, Bolsena and Trasimeno.
There are three active volcanoes on the territory of the country: Vesuvius (near Naples), Stromboli (Aeolian Islands) and Etna (Sicily). Sometimes they cause earthquakes and strong shocks. The most significant of them over the last hundred years were registered in 1908 and 1980.
Climate
According to 800zipcodes, the climate of Italy depends on the relief features of a particular region. Thus, in the Alps, weather conditions are close to arctic, while in the western part of the peninsula and on the coast of the Ligurian Sea, a subtropical climate prevails.
In the northern part of Italy, the climate is transitional. Depending on the season, it varies from temperate continental to subtropical. Summer is hot here. The temperature in July reaches +22…+24 °C. Winter is cold, with frequent fogs. In January the temperature is 0°C.
The Mediterranean climate prevails on the Apennine Peninsula and the islands adjacent to it. It is sunny here most of the year. It is hot and dry in summer, the air warms up to +26 °C in July. It is warm in winter, even in January the air temperature is +8… +10 °С. In the southern part of the peninsula, hot winds blow from the Sahara-sirocco. From March to October, the thermometer shows up to +35 ° C.
Winters are harsh in the Alps. The first snow falls closer to mid-September and lasts until mid-spring.
Major cities: Rome, Venice, Naples, Genoa, Florence, Bologna
Beach resorts in Italy: Emilia Romagna, Liguria, Riviera Lazio, Lido de Esoro, Tuscany, Rimini, San Remo, Lake Garda.
Wellness: Lake Garda, Fiuggi, Ischia
Ski resorts: Val di Fasa, Val Gardena, Courmayeur, Cervinia, Bormio, Aosta
Islands of Italy: Sicily, Sardinia, Capri, Ischia
Italian cuisine
Italian dishes are famous for their taste, they are very useful for the body. Cooking in Italy is based on the principles of the “Mediterranean diet”, which is typical for most countries in North Africa and Southern Europe. The main ingredients of the dishes are: olive oil, fruits, as well as dough products – there are several hundred of their varieties in Italy.
Italian cuisine was finally formed relatively recently (in the second half of the 19th century), after the unification of the country. Up to this point, there were scattered counties that were constantly at enmity with each other. Their cooking habits were also different.
Nevertheless, among the culinary preferences of the country, several types of dishes can be distinguished that have become its symbols.
The most popular Italian dishes:
- Pizza. It was first prepared for the poor, but today pizza takes its rightful place among the assortment of dishes of local restaurants. Outwardly, it is a flat cake covered with herbs and tomatoes, sometimes it is sprinkled with cheese.
- Pasta. Unlike pizza, which Italians refer to as a “show dish”, locals eat pasta daily. Its varieties include: spaghetti, linguine, fettuccine, rigatoni, tagliatelle, etc.
- Lasagna (from Italian, “stretched”) is a type of pasta. Prepared from minced egg, stretched into rectangular sheets. Fish, meat, vegetable, mushroom or combined stuffing is placed on each of them. Sprinkle all layers with grated parmesan cheese.
- Risotto is rice with various additives. It is used as a first course.
- Minestrone is a vegetable soup.
Among the appetizers in Italy, dishes such as antipasti are popular, which are served on the table before the main meal. It is believed that to improve digestion before a meal, you need to eat fruit. It is on this principle that one of the popular Italian appetizers is based – pieces of ham or ham with slices of peach, melon and figs.
As a second (il secondo piatto), Italians use fish and meat dishes with an obligatory vegetable side dish (contorni).
Popular dessert preferences in Italy include tiramisu, cassata, pannacotta and ice cream. And, of course, no dish is complete without cheese. In total, more than 100 varieties of cheese are produced in Italy, such as parmesan, ricotta, mozzarella and gorgonzola.
Finish the meal with traditional coffee. Italians drink cappuccino at breakfast, and espresso the rest of the day. The best coffee is considered to be a drink brewed in Naples – this is facilitated by the purest water and fresh air of the area.
Among alcoholic drinks in Italy, various wines are very popular, without which a traditional Italian table cannot do. Vineyards occupy a significant area of farmland here. And such brands of Italian winemakers as Chianti, Martini, Campari, Asti, Amaretto, Sambuca and many others are known far beyond the borders of the country all over the world.
Popular in Italy is the local national vodka “grappa”, made from grape “waste” – seeds and pulp.
