map of Rome.ogf2		map of Florence.ogf2		map of Italy.ogf2

    Italy is a modern, industrialized nation. Tight budget travellers will find find eating and sleeping in Italy expensive. It is possible squeeze by on around ˆ40/day if you stay in hostels, prepare your own food, avoid drinking much alcohol and don't visit too many museums. A budget of ˆ100-150 a day will enable you to stay in comfortable hotels, eat out regularly in restaurants and visit lots of museums and galleries. Hiring a car will double your expenses.

Italy is located in Southern Europe, and is mainly a peninsula extending into the central Mediterranean Sea, northeast of Tunisia. It borders Austria along 430 km, France 488 km, Vatican City 3.2 km, San Marino 39 km, Slovenia 232 km, Switzerland 740 km. Much of Italy is covered by mountains. The Dolomite mountains which extend across northern Italy are part of the Alps mountain range. The Apennine mountains cut down the center of Italy,stretching from north to south, dividing the east and west coasts. The Po Valley, just south of the Dolomite mountains, is the basin of the Po River. It is fertile farm land. Italy includes two large islands: Sicily and Sardinia. Sicily is the largest island in the Mediterranean, with active volcanoes and earthquakes. Sardinia is basically mountains rising out of the ocean. Italy also has two independent countries within its borders. Vatican City is the center for the Roman Catholic Church, and is the world's smallest country. San Marino, on the north east coast of Italy, is an independent republic.

Capital is Rome city.

Currency: The Italian currency unit is the euro.

Climate: Summer is hot, especially in the south. Spring and autumn are mild with fine, sunny weather. Winter in the south is much drier and warmer than in northern and central areas. Mountain regions are colder with heavy winter snowfalls.