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Italy
Italy is situated in Mediterranean Europe and has land frontiers with France in the northwest, Switzerland and Austria in the north and Slovenia in the northeast. The Ligurian Sea, the Sardinian Sea, the Tyrrhenian Sea in the west, the Sicilian Sea, the Ionian Sea in the south and the Adriatic Sea in the east, surround the peninsula. Italian is the language of majority of the population but there are minorities speaking German, French, Slovene and Ladino. English is also well understood by the Italians.
 "Italy Tourist Spot")
There is a great deal of assortment in the landscape in Italy, although it is characterized predominantly by two mountain chains: the Alps and the Apennines. The former extends over 600 miles from east to west. It consists of great formations in the western sector, with peaks rising to over 14,000 feet, including Monte Bianco (Mont Blanc), Monte Rosa and Cervino (the Matterhorn). The chain is lower in the eastern sector, although the mountains, the Dolomites, are still of outstanding beauty.
At the foot of the Alpine stretches the vast Po Valley plain, cut down the middle by the course of the river Po, the longest in Italy (390 miles), which has its source in the Pian de Re (Monviso) and flows into the Adriatic through a magnificent delta. Large lakes characterize the Alpine foothills: Lake Maggiore and the lakes of Como, Iseo and Garda. The Apennines forms the backbone of the peninsula, stretching in a wide arc concave to the Tyrrhenian Sea. The Corno Grande (Gran Sasso d'Italia) is the highest peak.
A large part of central Italy is characterized by a green hilly landscape, through which the rivers Arno and Tevere (Tiber) run. The southern section of the chain pushes out to the east forming the Gargano promontory and, sloping down further south, the Salentine peninsula. It then proceeds to the west with the Calabrian and Peloritano massif stretching across the Strait of Messina into Sicilia. The principal islands are Sicilia, rising up to the great volcanic cone of Etna (10,860 feet) and Sardegna. The main archipelagos are the Tremiti Islands in the Adriatic Sea, the Tuscan Archipelago, the Pontine Islands, the Aeolian Islands and the Egadi Islands in the Tyrrhenian Sea off the coast of Sicilia.
According to UNESCO, the United Nations' cultural branch, two thirds of the world's historical artistic heritages are in Italy. Tuscany, which is only one region of Italy, by itself owns more artistic treasures than the whole of Spain, which is the second country in the world for cultural heritage. Practically all-major styles of western architecture can be found in Italy. Europe's kinky over-the-knee boot has it all: popes, painters, polenta, paramours, poets, political puerility and potentates. Its dreamy light and sumptuous landscapes seem made for romance, and its three millennia of history, culture and cuisine seduces just about everyone.
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Each of Italy's major cities has its own enticing character. Rome is about grandeur, history and haste. Florence, the cradle of the Renaissance, is a masterpiece of studied elegance. Venice is ethereal and mysterious. Milan has powerhouse pace. The countryside is from paintings or dreams.
Florence
 "Florance")
Florence, The cultural and historical impact of Florence (or Firenze) is overwhelming. Close up, however, it is one of Italy's most atmospheric and pleasant cities, retaining a strong resemblance to the small late-medieval centre that contributed so much to the cultural and political development of Europe. Its striking buildings, formidable galleries and treasure-crammed churches attest to the Florentine love of display. Even long after it had set on the political and economic horizon, Florence upheld its elegant appearance: its skyline, all russet rooftops and lofty domes, which is indeed picturesque.
Milan
Milan is all about worldly pleasures. Shopping is of almost religious significance. Theatre and cinema flourish in this fashionable milieu, as does a hopping club scene and a slew of tempting restaurants. Apart from a few gems, the city is not renowned for its looks; it's the lifestyle that counts. The hard-working Milanese run their busy metropolis with efficiency and aplomb. Milano is the country's economic engine room, home to Italy's stock market and business centers. This stylish city is also the world's design capital and rivals Paris as a leading fashion centre.
Naples
Naples (Napoli if you live there) is raucous, polluted, anarchic, deafening, crumbling and grubby. It's also a lot of fun. Superbly positioned on a bay, Naples has a little - and often a lot - of everything. It pulsates with noisy street markets and their colourful characters. 'Naples is an ill-built, ill-paved, ill-lighted, ill-drained, ill-watched, ill-governed and ill-ventilated city', whinged in Cook's Tourist's Handbook in 1884. Italy's third-largest city has made big strides forward since then but Cook's observations retain more than a grain of truth.
Rome
 "Rome Tourist Spot")
It's hard to say what you'll find most breathtaking about the eternal city - the arrogant opulence of the Vatican, the timelessness of the Forum, the top speed of a Fiat Bambino, the millions of cats in the Colosseum, trying to cross a major intersection, or the bill for your latte. Make like the locals and souse your senses in the glut of pleasures the city has to offer, from the grandiose thrill of feeling centuries of turbulent history under your feet to the small but potent intoxication of eating chestnut gelati on a hot day.
Sicily
The island of Sicily is a place of contrasts, from the crumbling grandeur of its capital, Palermo, to the Greek ruins at Syracuse, volatile Mt Etna and the Aeolian Islands. It's home to touristy Lipari, jet-set Panarea, rugged Vulcano and spectacularly spouting Stromboli. Squatting strategically in the Mediterranean, and its largest island, Sicily has attracted waves of invaders and colonisers, leaving a historical detritus that includes Greek temples, Roman ruins, Norman churches and castles, and Arab and Byzantine domes.
Venice
Venezia, La Serenissima, Queen of the Adriatic, city of canals and palaces...or tawdry sewer alive with crowds and charlatans. Venice's nature is dual: water and land, long history and doubtful future, airy delicacy and dim melancholy. When this precious place sinks, the world will be the poorer. For a thousand years the city was one of the most enduring mercantile sea powers on the face of the earth. Today the brilliance and influence have long since faded, leaving a town of tarnished glories, out of time and out of place, so achingly beautiful it's hard not to look for the back of the set.
Weather
 "Italy Tourist Spot")
Italy is at its best in spring (April-May) and autumn (October-November). During these seasons, the scenery is beautiful, the temperature is pleasant and the crowd is relatively less. Try to avoid August, as this is the time that most Italians take their vacations, and many shops and businesses are closed as a result.