{{About|the republic}}

{{Redirect2|Italia|Italian Republic|other uses|Italia (disambiguation)|the short-lived 19th-century state|Italian Republic (Napoleonic)}}

{{EngvarB|date=August 2014}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2014}}

{{Infobox country

|conventional_long_name = Italian Republic

|native_name = {{native name|it|Repubblica italiana<!--italiana is without uppercase; see Italian wiki-->}}

|common_name = Italy

|nickname(s) = Il Belpaese

|image_flag = Flag of Italy.svg

|image_coat = Italy-Emblem.svg

|symbol_type = Emblem

|image_map = EU-Italy.svg

|map_caption = {{map caption |location_color=dark green |region=Europe |region_color=dark grey |subregion=the [[European Union]] |subregion_color= light green |legend=EU-Italy.svg}}

|national_anthem = {{native name|it|[[Il Canto degli Italiani]]}}<br/>{{small|"The Song of the Italians"}} [[File:Inno di Mameli instrumental.ogg|center]]

|official_languages = [[Italian language|Italian]]^a

|Religion= [[Roman Catholic]]

|capital = [[Rome]]

|latd=41 |latm=54 |latNS=N |longd=12 |longm=29 |longEW=E

|largest_city = capital

|largest_metropolitan area = {{hlist |[[Milan]] |[[Naples]]}}

|demonym = [[Italians|Italian]]

|government_type = {{no wrap|[[Unitary state|Unitary]] [[parliamentary system|parliamentary]]<br>[[constitutional republic]]}}

|leader_title1 = [[President of Italy|President]]

|leader_name1 = [[Sergio Mattarella]]

|leader_title2 = [[Prime Minister of Italy|Prime Minister]]

|leader_name2 = [[Matteo Renzi]]

|legislature = [[Parliament of Italy|Parliament]]

|upper_house = [[Italian Senate|Senate]]

|lower_house = [[Italian Chamber of Deputies|Chamber of Deputies]]

|accessionEUdate = 25 March 1957 (founding member)

|EUseats = 78

|area_rank = 72nd

|area_magnitude = 1 E11

|area_km2 = 301,338

|area_sq_mi = 116,347 <!--Do not remove per [[WP:MOSNUM]]-->

|percent_water = 2.4

|population_census = 59,433,744<ref name="Istat">{{cite web |url=http://www.istat.it/it/files/2012/12/volume_popolazione-legale_XV_censimento_popolazione.pdf|title=Census 2011 - final results |publisher=[[National Institute of Statistics (Italy)|ISTAT]] |accessdate=19 December 2012}}</ref>

|population_census_year = 2011

|population_census_rank = 23rd

|population_estimate = 60,795,612<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.istat.it/en/archive/162261|title=National demographic balance, year 2014|publisher=[[National Institute of Statistics (Italy)|ISTAT]] |accessdate=16 June 2015}}</ref>

|population_estimate_year = 2014

|population_estimate_rank = 23rd

|population_density_rank = 63rd

|population_density_km2 = 201.7

|population_density_sq_mi = 522.4 <!--Do not remove per [[WP:MOSNUM]]-->

|GDP_PPP = $2.157 trillion<ref name=autogenerated1 >{{cite web |url=http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2015/01/weodata/weorept.aspx?pr.x=39&pr.y=6&sy=2015&ey=2015&scsm=1&ssd=1&sort=country&ds=.&br=1&c=136&s=NGDPD%2CNGDPDPC%2CPPPGDP%2CPPPPC&grp=0&a= |title=Italy |publisher=International Monetary Fund |accessdate=25 April 2015}}</ref>

|GDP_PPP_rank = 12th

|GDP_PPP_year = 2015

|GDP_PPP_per_capita = $35,811<ref name=autogenerated1/>

|GDP_PPP_per_capita_rank = 32nd

|GDP_nominal = $1.843 trillion<ref name=autogenerated1/>

|GDP_nominal_rank = 8th

|GDP_nominal_year = 2015

|GDP_nominal_per_capita = $30,594<ref name=autogenerated1/>

|GDP_nominal_per_capita_rank = 27th

|sovereignty_type = [[History of Italy|Formation]]

|established_event1 = [[Italian unification|Unification]]

|established_date1 = 17 March 1861

|established_event2 = [[Italian constitutional referendum, 1946|Republic]]

|established_date2 = 2 June 1946

|established_event3 = {{nowrap|[[Enlargement of the European Union#Founding members|Founded]] the [[European Economic Community|EEC]]}} {{nowrap|(now the [[European Union]])}}

|established_date3 = 1 January 1958

|Gini_year = 2011

|Gini_change = <!--increase/decrease/steady-->

|Gini = 31.9 <!--number only-->

|Gini_ref = <ref name=eurogini>{{cite web|title=Gini coefficient of equivalised disposable income (source: SILC)|url=http://appsso.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/nui/show.do?dataset=ilc_di12|publisher=Eurostat Data Explorer|accessdate=13 August 2013}}</ref>

|Gini_rank =

|HDI_year = 2013<!-- Please use the year to which the data refers, not the publication year-->

|HDI_change = steady<!--increase/decrease/steady-->

|HDI = 0.872 <!--number only-->

|HDI_ref = <ref name="HDI">{{cite web |url=http://hdr.undp.org/sites/default/files/hdr14-summary-en.pdf |title=2014 Human Development Report Summary |date=2014 |accessdate=27 July 2014 |publisher=United Nations Development Programme | pages=21–25}}</ref>

|HDI_rank = 26th

|currency = Euro ([[Euro sign|€]])^b

|currency_code = EUR

|country_code =

|time_zone = [[Central European Time|CET]]

|utc_offset = +1

|time_zone_DST = [[Central European Summer Time|CEST]]

|utc_offset_DST = +2

|drives_on = right

|calling_code = [[Telephone numbers in Italy|39]]^c

|cctld = [[.it]]^d

|footnote_a = <span style="font-size:100%;">French is co-official in the [[Aosta Valley]]; [[Slovene language|Slovene]] is co-official in the [[province of Trieste]] and the [[province of Gorizia]]; German and [[Ladin language|Ladin]] are co-official in [[South Tyrol]].</span>

|footnote_b = <span style="font-size:100%;">Before 2002, the [[Italian lira|Italian Lira]]. The euro is accepted in [[Campione d'Italia]], but the official currency there is the [[Swiss Franc]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.comune.campione-d-italia.co.it/ |title=Comune di Campione d'Italia |publisher=Comune.campione-d-italia.co.it |date=14 July 2010 |accessdate=30 October 2010}}</ref></span>

|footnote_c = <span style="font-size:100%;">To call [[Campione d'Italia]], it is necessary to use the Swiss code [[+41]].</span>

|footnote_d = <span style="font-size:100%;">The [[.eu]] domain is also used, as it is shared with other [[European Union]] member states.</span>

}}

'''Italy''' ({{IPAc-en|audio=en-us-Italy.ogg|ˈ|ɪ|t|ə|l|i}}; {{lang-it|Italia}} {{IPA-it|iˈtaːlja||It-Italia.ogg}}), officially the '''Italian Republic''' ({{lang-it|Repubblica italiana|links=no}}),<ref>[http://ue.eu.int/policies/agreements/search-the-agreements-database?command=searchResult&partyId=HR&doclang=en&lang=en Search the agreements database] Council of the European Union (retrieved 13 October 2013).</ref><ref>[https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/it.html Italy: The World Factbook] Central Intelligence Agency (retrieved 13 October 2013).</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pcgn.org.uk/country_names.htm|title=Country names|publisher=}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-17433143|title=BBC News - Italy profile - Facts|work=BBC News}}</ref> is a [[Unitary state|unitary]] [[parliamentary republic]] in [[Europe]].<ref group="note">[[Southern Italy]] and [[Central Italy]] are located in [[Southern Europe]], North Italy can be placed partly or totally in [[Central Europe]]. Because of cultural, political and historical reasons, Italy is described as a [[Western Europe|Western European]] country.</ref> Italy covers an area of {{convert|301338|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}} and has a largely [[Köppen climate classification#scheme|temperate climate]]; due to its shape, it is often referred to in Italy as ''lo Stivale'' (the [[Boot]]).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.romagnaoggi.it/cronaca/maltempo-e-emergenza-su-tutto-lo-stivale-si-cercano-due-dispersi.html|title=Maltempo, è emergenza su tutto lo Stivale. Si cercano due dispersi|work=RomagnaOggi}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tgcom24.mediaset.it/magazine/2014/notizia/l-italia-vista-dallo-spazio-lo-stivale-illuminato-di-notte-e-uno-spettacolo_2061127.shtml|title=L'Italia vista dallo spazio: lo stivale illuminato di notte è uno spettacolo|date=4 August 2014|work=Tgcom24}}</ref> With 61 million inhabitants, it is the [[List of European Union member states by population|4th most populous EU member state]]. Italy is a highly [[List of countries by Human Development Index|developed country]]<ref name="UNDP2014">{{cite web|url=http://hdr.undp.org/en/content/human-development-report-2014 |title= Human Development Report 2014 – "Sustaining Human Progress: Reducing Vulnerabilities and Building Resilience"|publisher=[[Human Development Report|HDRO (Human Development Report Office)]] [[United Nations Development Programme]]|accessdate=25 July 2014}}</ref> and has the third largest economy in the [[Eurozone]] and the [[List of countries by GDP (nominal)|eighth]]-largest in the world.<ref>{{Cite web|url = http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2015/01/weodata/weorept.aspx?pr.x=23&pr.y=9&sy=2014&ey=2014&scsm=1&ssd=1&sort=country&ds=.&br=1&c=512%2C668%2C914%2C672%2C612%2C946%2C614%2C137%2C311%2C962%2C213%2C674%2C911%2C676%2C193%2C548%2C122%2C556%2C912%2C678%2C313%2C181%2C419%2C867%2C513%2C682%2C316%2C684%2C913%2C273%2C124%2C868%2C339%2C921%2C638%2C948%2C514%2C943%2C218%2C686%2C963%2C688%2C616%2C518%2C223%2C728%2C516%2C558%2C918%2C138%2C748%2C196%2C618%2C278%2C624%2C692%2C522%2C694%2C622%2C142%2C156%2C449%2C626%2C564%2C628%2C565%2C228%2C283%2C924%2C853%2C233%2C288%2C632%2C293%2C636%2C566%2C634%2C964%2C238%2C182%2C662%2C453%2C960%2C968%2C423%2C922%2C935%2C714%2C128%2C862%2C611%2C135%2C321%2C716%2C243%2C456%2C248%2C722%2C469%2C942%2C253%2C718%2C642%2C724%2C643%2C576%2C939%2C936%2C644%2C961%2C819%2C813%2C172%2C199%2C132%2C733%2C646%2C184%2C648%2C524%2C915%2C361%2C134%2C362%2C652%2C364%2C174%2C732%2C328%2C366%2C258%2C734%2C656%2C144%2C654%2C146%2C336%2C463%2C263%2C528%2C268%2C923%2C532%2C738%2C944%2C578%2C176%2C537%2C534%2C742%2C536%2C866%2C429%2C369%2C433%2C744%2C178%2C186%2C436%2C925%2C136%2C869%2C343%2C746%2C158%2C926%2C439%2C466%2C916%2C112%2C664%2C111%2C826%2C298%2C542%2C927%2C967%2C846%2C443%2C299%2C917%2C582%2C544%2C474%2C941%2C754%2C446%2C698%2C666&s=NGDPD&grp=0&a=|title = World Economic Outlook Database, April 2015|date = |accessdate = |website = |publisher = |last = |first = }}</ref>

Since [[classical antiquity|ancient times]] [[Etruscan civilization|Etruscan]], [[Magna Graecia]] and other [[Prehistoric Italy|cultures]] have flourished in the territory of present-day Italy, being eventually absorbed by [[Ancient Rome|Rome]], that has for centuries remained the leading political and religious centre of [[Western world|Western civilisation]], capital of the [[Roman Empire]] and [[Christianity]]. During the [[Dark Ages (historiography)|Dark Ages]], the [[Italian Peninsula]] faced calamitous [[Migration Period|invasions by barbarian tribes]], but beginning around the 11th century, numerous [[Italian city-states]] rose to great prosperity through shipping, commerce and banking (indeed, modern [[capitalism]] has its roots in medieval Italy).<ref>{{cite web|last=Sée|first=Henri|title=Modern Capitalism Its Origin and Evolution|url=http://www.efm.bris.ac.uk/het/see/ModernCapitalism.pdf|work=University of Rennes|publisher=Batoche Books|accessdate=29 August 2013}}</ref> Especially during [[The Renaissance]], Italian culture thrived, producing scholars, artists, and [[polymaths]] such as [[Leonardo da Vinci]], [[Galileo]], [[Michelangelo]] and [[Machiavelli]]. Italian explorers such as [[Marco Polo|Polo]], [[Christopher Columbus|Columbus]], [[Amerigo Vespucci|Vespucci]], and [[Giovanni da Verrazzano|Verrazzano]] discovered new routes to the [[Far East]] and the [[New World]], helping to usher in the European [[Age of Discovery]]. Nevertheless, Italy would remain fragmented into many warring states for the rest of the [[Middle Ages]], subsequently falling prey to larger [[Power (international relations)#Modern Age European powers|European powers]] such as [[French First Empire|France]], [[Spanish Empire|Spain]], and later [[Austrian Empire|Austria]]. Italy would thus enter a long period of decline that lasted until the mid 19th century.

After various unsuccessful attempts, the [[Second War of Italian Independence|second]] and the [[Third War of Italian Independence|third]] wars for Italian independence resulted in the [[Italian unification|unification]] of most of present-day Italy between 1859–66.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://library.thinkquest.org/TQ0312582/unification.html |title=Unification of Italy |publisher=Library.thinkquest.org |date=4 April 2003 |accessdate=19 November 2009}}</ref> From the late 19th century to the early 20th century, the new [[Kingdom of Italy]] rapidly industrialised and acquired a [[Italian Empire|colonial empire]] becoming a [[List of pre-modern great powers|Great Power]].<ref name="allempires.com" >{{cite web|url=http://www.allempires.com/article/index.php?q=italian_colonial |title=The Italian Colonial Empire |publisher=All Empires |accessdate=17 June 2012 |quote=At its peak, just before WWII, the Italian Empire comprehended the territories of present time Italy, Albania, Rhodes, Dodecaneses, Libya, Ethiopia, Eritrea, ⅔ of Somalia and the little concession of Tientsin in China}}</ref><ref>http://globalmakeover.com/sites/economicreconstruction.com/static/JonRynn/FirstChapterDissertation.pdf</ref> However, Southern and rural Italy remained largely excluded from industrialisation, fuelling a large and influential [[Italian diaspora|diaspora]]. Despite victory in [[World War I]], Italy entered a period of economic crisis and social turmoil, which favoured the establishment of a [[Italian Fascism|Fascist]] dictatorship in 1922. The subsequent participation in [[World War II]] at the [[Axis Powers|Axis]] side ended in military defeat, economic destruction and [[Italian Civil War|civil war]]. In the years that followed, Italy abolished the monarchy, reinstated democracy, and enjoyed a prolonged [[Italian economic miracle|economic boom]], thus becoming one of the most developed nations<ref name="HDI"/><ref name="economist.com">[http://www.economist.com/media/pdf/QUALITY_OF_LIFE.pdf The Economist Intelligence Unit’s quality-of-life index, Economist, 2005]</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2013/01/weodata/weorept.aspx?sy=2008&ey=2013&scsm=1&ssd=1&sort=country&ds=.&br=1&c=512%2C941%2C914%2C446%2C612%2C666%2C614%2C668%2C311%2C672%2C213%2C946%2C911%2C137%2C193%2C962%2C122%2C674%2C912%2C676%2C313%2C548%2C419%2C556%2C513%2C678%2C316%2C181%2C913%2C682%2C124%2C684%2C339%2C273%2C638%2C921%2C514%2C948%2C218%2C943%2C963%2C686%2C616%2C688%2C223%2C518%2C516%2C728%2C918%2C558%2C748%2C138%2C618%2C196%2C522%2C278%2C622%2C692%2C156%2C694%2C624%2C142%2C626%2C449%2C628%2C564%2C228%2C283%2C924%2C853%2C233%2C288%2C632%2C293%2C636%2C566%2C634%2C964%2C238%2C182%2C662%2C453%2C960%2C968%2C423%2C922%2C935%2C714%2C128%2C862%2C611%2C716%2C321%2C456%2C243%2C722%2C248%2C942%2C469%2C718%2C253%2C724%2C642%2C576%2C643%2C936%2C939%2C961%2C644%2C813%2C819%2C199%2C172%2C184%2C132%2C524%2C646%2C361%2C648%2C362%2C915%2C364%2C134%2C732%2C652%2C366%2C174%2C734%2C328%2C144%2C258%2C146%2C656%2C463%2C654%2C528%2C336%2C923%2C263%2C738%2C268%2C578%2C532%2C537%2C944%2C742%2C176%2C866%2C534%2C369%2C536%2C744%2C429%2C186%2C433%2C925%2C178%2C746%2C436%2C926%2C136%2C466%2C343%2C112%2C158%2C111%2C439%2C298%2C916%2C927%2C664%2C846%2C826%2C299%2C542%2C582%2C443%2C474%2C917%2C754%2C544%2C698&s=PPPGDP&grp=0&a=&pr.x=9&pr.y=12 |title=Report for Selected Countries and Subjects |publisher=Imf.org |date=16 April 2013 |accessdate=17 April 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2056.html |title=CIA World Factbook, Budget |publisher=Cia.gov |accessdate=26 January 2011}}</ref> and the 5th largest economy in the world by 1990.<ref>{{cite web|title=The world's largest economies: 1990 vs. 2011|url=http://www.businessinsider.com/the-worlds-largest-economies-1990-vs-2011-2012-3|publisher=[[Business Insider]]|accessdate=30 November 2014}}</ref>

Italy plays a prominent role in European and global military, cultural and diplomatic affairs.<ref>"Italy plays a prominent role in European and global military, cultural and diplomatic affairs. The country's European political, social and economic influence make it a major regional power." See ''Italy: Justice System and National Police Handbook'', Vol. 1 (Washington, D.C.: International Business Publications, 2009), p. 9.</ref> It is also considered to be a major [[regional power]].<ref>{{cite book|last1=Verbeek|first1=Bertjan|last2=Giacomello|first2=Giampiero|title=Italy's foreign policy in the twenty-first century : the new assertiveness of an aspiring middle power|date=2011|publisher=Lexington Books|location=Lanham, Md.|isbn=9780739148686|accessdate=30 November 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Beretta|first1=Silvio|last2=Berkofsky|first2=Axel|last3=Rugge|first3=Fabio|title=Italy and Japan - how similar are they? : a comparative analysis of politics, economics, and international relations|date=2012|publisher=Springer|location=Berlin|isbn=8847025672|pages=329–346|accessdate=30 November 2014}}</ref><ref>"[[Operation Alba]] may be considered one of the most important instances in which Italy has acted as a regional power, taking the lead in executing a technically and politically coherent and determined strategy." See Federiga Bindi, ''Italy and the European Union'' (Washington, D.C.: Brookings Institution Press, 2011), p. 171.</ref> Italy is a [[Inner six|founding]] and [[EU big four|leading]] member of the [[European Union]]. Italy is a member of numerous international institutions, including the [[UN]], [[NATO]], the [[OECD]], the [[OSCE]], the [[Development Assistance Committee|DAC]], the [[WTO]], the [[G6 (EU)|G6]], [[G7]], [[G8]], [[Group of Ten (economic)|G10]], [[G20]], the [[Union for the Mediterranean]], the [[Latin Union]], the [[Council of Europe]], the [[Central European Initiative]], the [[ASEM]] and the [[Uniting for Consensus]].

{{TOC limit|3}}

==Etymology==

{{anchor|Etymology}}

{{main|Name of Italy}}

The assumptions on the etymology of the name "Italia" are very numerous and the corpus of the solutions proposed by historians and linguists is very wide.<ref name= Manco>Alberto Manco, ''Italia. Disegno storico-linguistico'', 2009, [[Napoli]], L'Orientale, ISBN 978-88-95044-62-0</ref> According to one of the more common explanations, the term ''[[Italia (Roman Empire)|Italia]]'', from {{lang-lat|Italia}},<ref>[[Oxford Latin Dictionary|OLD]], p. 974: "first syll. naturally short (cf. [[Quintilian|Quint.]]''Inst.''1.5.18), and so scanned in <span style="font-variant:small-caps">[[Gaius Lucilius|Lucil.]]</span>825, but in dactylic verse lengthened ''metri gratia''."</ref> was borrowed through [[Ancient Greek|Greek]] from the [[Oscan language|Oscan]] ''Víteliú'', meaning "land of young cattle" (''cf.'' [[Latin|Lat]] ''vitulus'' "calf", [[Umbrian language|Umb]] ''vitlo'' "calf")<!-- and named for the god of cattle, [[Mars (mythology)|Mars]] -->.<ref>J.P. Mallory and D.Q. Adams, ''Encyclopedia of Indo-European Culture'' (London: Fitzroy and Dearborn, 1997), 24.</ref> The bull was a symbol of the southern Italic tribes and was often depicted goring the Roman wolf as a defiant symbol of free Italy during the [[Social War (91–88 BC)|Social War]]. Greek historian [[Dionysius of Halicarnassus]] states this account together with the legend that Italy was named after [[Italus]],<ref>Dionysius of Halicarnassus,

''Roman Antiquities'', [http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Dionysius_of_Halicarnassus/1B*.html 1.35], on LacusCurtius</ref> mentioned also by [[Aristotle]]<ref>Aristotle, ''Politics'', [http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0058%3Abook%3D7%3Asection%3D1329b#note-link2 7.1329b], on Perseus</ref> and [[Thucydides]].<ref>Thucydides, ''The Peloponnesian War'', [http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Thuc.+6.2.4&fromdoc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0200 6.2.4], on Perseus</ref>

The name ''Italia'' originally applied only to a part of what is now [[Southern Italy]] – according to [[Antiochus of Syracuse]], the southern portion of the Bruttium peninsula (modern [[Calabria]]: province of [[Reggio Calabria|Reggio]], and part of the provinces of [[Catanzaro]] and [[Vibo Valentia]]). But by his time [[Oenotria]] and Italy had become synonymous, and the name also applied to most of [[Lucania]] as well. The Greeks gradually came to apply the name "Italia" to a larger region, but it was during the reign of [[Roman Emperor|Emperor]] [[Augustus]] (end of the 1st century BC) that the term was expanded to cover the entire peninsula until the Alps.<ref>Pallottino, M., History of Earliest Italy, trans. Ryle, M & Soper, K. in Jerome Lectures, Seventeenth Series, p. 50</ref>

==History==

{{Main|History of Italy}}

===Prehistory and antiquity===

{{Main|Prehistoric Italy|Nuragic civilization|Etruscan civilization|Magna Graecia|Roman Italy|Ancient Rome|Roman Kingdom|Roman Republic|Roman Empire}}

[[File:Colosseum in Rome, Italy - April 2007.jpg|thumb|The [[Colosseum]] in Rome, built c. 70 – 80 AD, is considered one of the greatest works of [[architecture]] and [[engineering]].]]

Excavations throughout Italy revealed a [[Neanderthal]] presence dating back to the [[Paleolithic]] period, some 200,000 years ago,<ref>Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers 2001, ch. 2. ISBN 0-306-46463-2.</ref> [[Anatomically modern humans|modern Humans]] arrived about 40,000 years ago. The [[Ancient peoples of Italy|Ancient peoples]] of pre-Roman Italy – such as the [[Umbri]]ans, the [[Latins]] (from which the [[ancient Rome|Romans]] emerged), [[Volsci]], [[Samnites]], the [[Celts]] and the [[Ligures]] which inhabited northern Italy, and many others – were [[Indo-European]] peoples; the main historic peoples of non-Indo-European heritage include the [[Etruscans]], the [[Elymians]] and [[Sicani]] in Sicily and the [[history of Sardinia|prehistoric Sardinians]].

Between the 17th and the 11th centuries BC [[Mycenaean Greece|Mycenaean Greeks]] established contacts with Italy<ref>[http://www.gla.ac.uk/schools/humanities/research/archaeologyresearch/projects/mycenaeansitaly/ The Mycenaeans] and Italy: the archaeological and archaeometric ceramic evidence, University of Glasgow, Department of Archaeology</ref><ref>Emilio Peruzzi, ''Mycenaeans in early Latium'', (Incunabula Graeca 75), Edizioni dell'Ateneo & Bizzarri, Roma, 1980</ref><ref>Gert Jan van Wijngaarden, ''Use and Appreciation of Mycenaean Pottery in the Levant, Cyprus and Italy (1600–1200 B.C.): The Significance of Context'', Amsterdam Archaeological Studies, Amsterdam University Press, 2001</ref><ref>Bryan Feuer, ''Mycenaean civilization: an annotated bibliography through 2002'', McFarland & Company; Rev Sub edition (2 March 2004)</ref> and in the 8th and 7th centuries BC [[Greek colonies]] were established all along the coast of [[Sicily]] and the southern part of the Italian Peninsula became known as [[Magna Graecia]]. Also the [[Phoenicia]]ns established colonies on the coasts of Sardinia and Sicily.

[[Ancient Rome|Rome]], a settlement around a ford on the river [[Tiber]] conventionally [[Founding of Rome|founded]] in 753 BC, grew over the course of centuries into a massive [[Roman empire|empire]], stretching from [[Britannia (Roman province)|Britain]] to the borders of [[Mesopotamia (Roman province)|Persia]], and engulfing the whole [[Mediterranean]] basin, in which Greek and Roman (and many other) cultures merged into a unique [[Greco-Roman world|civilisation]]. The Roman [[Legacy of the Roman Empire|legacy]] has deeply influenced the Western civilisation, shaping most of the modern world.<ref>{{cite book|last=Richard|first=Carl J.|title=Why we're all Romans : the Roman contribution to the western world|year=2010|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield|location=Lanham, Md.|isbn=0742567796|pages=xi-xv|edition=1st pbk.}}</ref> In a slow [[Decline of the Roman Empire|decline]] since the third century AD, the Empire split in two in 395 AD. The [[Western Roman Empire|Western Empire]], under the pressure of the [[Migration Period|barbarian invasions]], eventually dissolved in 476 AD, when its [[Romulus Augustulus|last Emperor]] was deposed by the Germanic chief [[Odoacer]], while the [[Eastern Roman Empire|Eastern]] half of the Empire survived for another thousand years.

===Middle Ages===

{{Main|Italy in the Middle Ages}}

{{multiple image

|align=right|direction=vertical|width=160

|image1=Iron Crown.JPG|160

|caption1=The [[Iron Crown of Lombardy]], for centuries symbol of the [[Kings of Italy]].

|image2=Casteldelmonte.jpg|160

|caption2=[[Castel del Monte, Apulia|Castel del Monte]], built by German Emperor [[Frederick II of the Holy Roman Empire|Frederick II]].

}}

After the [[fall of the Western Roman Empire]], Italy was seized by the [[Ostrogoths]],<ref>{{cite book|last=Sarris|first=Peter|title=Empires of faith : the fall of Rome to the rise of Islam, 500 - 700.|year=2011|publisher=Oxford UP|location=Oxford|isbn=0199261261|page=118|edition=1st. pub.}}</ref> followed in the 6th century by a brief [[Gothic War (535–554)|reconquest]] under [[Byzantine]] Emperor [[Justinian I|Justinian]]. The invasion of another [[Germanic peoples|Germanic tribe]], the [[Lombards]], late in the same century, reduced the Byzantine presence to a rump realm (the [[Exarchate of Ravenna]]) and started the end of political unity of the peninsula for the next 1,300 years. The Lombard kingdom was subsequently absorbed into the [[Frankish Empire]] by [[Charlemagne]] in the late 8th century. The Franks also helped the formation of the [[Papal States]] in central Italy. Until the 13th century, Italian politics was dominated by the relations between the [[Holy Roman Emperor]]s and the Papacy, with most of the Italian city-states siding for the former ([[Ghibellines]]) or for the latter (Guelphs) from momentary convenience.<ref>{{cite book|last=Nolan|first=Cathal J.|title=The age of wars of religion, 1000-1650 : an encyclopedia of global warfare and civilization|year=2006|publisher=Greenwood Press|location=Westport (Connecticut)|isbn=031333045X|page=360|edition=1. publ.}}</ref>

It was during this chaotic era that Italy saw the rise of a peculiar institution, the [[medieval commune]]. Given the power vacuum caused by extreme territorial fragmentation and the struggle between the Empire and the [[Holy See]], local communities sought autonomous ways to restore law and order.<ref>{{cite book|last=Jones|first=Philip|title=The Italian city-state : from Commune to Signoria|year=1997|publisher=Clarendon Press|location=Oxford|isbn=978-0198225850|pages=55–77}}</ref> In 1176 a league of city-states, the [[Lombard League]], defeated the German emperor [[Frederick Barbarossa]] at the [[Battle of Legnano]], thus ensuring effective independence for most of northern and central Italian cities. In coastal and southern areas, the [[maritime republics]], the most notable being [[Republic of Venice|Venice]], [[Republic of Genoa|Genoa]], [[Republic of Pisa|Pisa]] and [[Amalfi]], heavily involved in the [[Crusades]], grew to eventually dominate the Mediterranean and monopolise trade routes to the [[Orient]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Lane|first=Frederic C.|title=Venice, a maritime republic|year=1991|publisher=Johns Hopkins University Press|location=Baltimore|isbn=080181460X|page=73|edition=4. print.}}</ref>

In the south, Sicily had become an [[Islamic conquest of Sicily|Islamic emirate]] in the 9th century, thriving until the [[Italo-Normans]] conquered it in the late 11th century together with most of the Lombard and Byzantine principalities of southern Italy.<ref>{{cite book|last=Ali|first=Ahmed Essa with Othman|title=Studies in Islamic civilization : the Muslim contribution to the Renaissance|year=2010|publisher=International Institute of Islamic Thought|location=Herndon, VA|isbn=156564350X|pages=38–40}}</ref> Through a complex series of events, southern Italy developed as a unified kingdom, first under the [[House of Hohenstaufen]], then under the [[Capetian House of Anjou]] and, from the 15th century, the [[House of Aragon]]. In [[Sardinia]], the former Byzantine provinces became independent states known as [[Giudicati]], although some parts of the island were under Genoese or Pisan control until the Aragonese conquered it in the 15th century. The [[Black Death]] [[pandemic]] of 1348 left its mark on Italy by killing perhaps one third of the population.<ref>Stéphane Barry and Norbert Gualde, "The Biggest Epidemics of History" (La plus grande épidémie de l'histoire), in L'Histoire n° 310, June 2006, pp. 45–46</ref><ref>"[http://www.brown.edu/Departments/Italian_Studies/dweb/plague/effects/death_toll.shtml Plague]{{dead link|date=October 2010}}". Brown University.</ref> However, the recovery from the plague led to a resurgence of cities, trade and economy which allowed the bloom of [[Humanism]] and [[Renaissance]], that later spread in Europe.

===Early Modern===

{{Main|Italian Renaissance|Italian Wars|Kingdom of Italy (Napoleonic)}}

[[File:Leonardo da Vinci - presumed self-portrait - WGA12798.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Leonardo da Vinci]], the quintessential [[Renaissance man]] (self portrait, c. 1512).]]

In the 14th and 15th centuries, northern-central Italy was divided into a number of warring [[Italian city-states|city-states]], the rest of the peninsula being occupied by the larger Papal States and the [[Kingdom of Sicily]], referred to here as Naples. The strongest among these city-states gradually absorbed the surrounding territories giving birth to the [[Signoria|Signorie]], regional states often led by merchant families which founded local dynasties. War between the city-states was endemic, and primarily fought by armies of mercenaries known as ''[[Condottiere|condottieri]]'', bands of soldiers drawn from around Europe, especially Germany and Switzerland, led largely by Italian captains.<ref>Jensen 1992, p. 64.</ref> Decades of fighting eventually saw [[Republic of Florence|Florence]], [[Duchy of Milan|Milan]] and [[Republic of Venice|Venice]] emerged as the dominant players that agreed to the [[Peace of Lodi]] in 1454, which saw relative calm brought to the region for the first time in centuries. This peace would hold for the next forty years.

The [[Renaissance]], a period of vigorous revival of the arts and culture, originated in Italy thanks to a number of factors, as the great wealth accumulated by merchant cities, the [[patronage]] of its dominant families like the [[Medici]] of [[Florence]],<ref name="strathern">Strathern, Paul ''The Medici: Godfathers of the Renaissance'' (2003)</ref><ref>[http://www.florentine-society.ru/Medici_Chapel_Mysteries.htm Peter Barenboim, Sergey Shiyan, ''Michelangelo: Mysteries of Medici Chapel'', SLOVO, Moscow, 2006]. ISBN 5-85050-825-2</ref> and the migration of [[Greek scholars in the Renaissance|Greek scholars]] and texts to Italy following the [[Conquest of Constantinople]] at the hands of the [[Ottoman Turks]].<ref name=Britannica1>Encyclopædia Britannica, ''Renaissance'', 2008, O.Ed.</ref><ref name=Harris>Har, Michael H. ''History of Libraries in the Western World'', Scarecrow Press Incorporate, 1999, ISBN 0-8108-3724-2</ref><ref name=Norwich>Norwich, John Julius, ''A Short History of Byzantium'', 1997, Knopf, ISBN 0-679-45088-2</ref>

The [[Italian Renaissance]] peaked in the mid-16th century as foreign invasions plunged the region into the turmoil of the [[Italian Wars]]. The ideas and ideals of the Renaissance soon spread into [[Northern Renaissance|Northern Europe]], [[French Renaissance|France]], [[English Renaissance|England]] and much of Europe. In the meantime, the [[Voyages of Christopher Columbus|discovery of the Americas]], the new routes to Asia discovered by the Portuguese and the rise of the [[Ottoman Empire]], all factors which eroded the traditional Italian dominance in trade with the East, caused a long economic decline in the peninsula.

Following the [[Italian Wars]] (1494 to 1559), ignited by the rivalry between France and Spain, the city-states gradually lost their independence and came under foreign domination, first under [[Habsburg Spain|Spain]] (1559 to 1713) and then [[Habsburg Austria|Austria]] (1713 to 1796). In 1629-1631, a new outburst of [[Italian plague of 1629–1631|plague]] claimed about 14% of Italy’s population.<ref>Karl Julius Beloch, ''Bevölkerungsgeschichte Italiens'', volume 3, pp. 359–360.</ref> In addition, as the Spanish Empire started to [[The decline of Hapsburg Spain in the seventeenth century|decline]] in the 17th century, so did its possessions in Naples, Sicily, Sardinia, and Milan. In particular, [[Southern Italy]] was impoverished and cut off from the mainstream of events in Europe.<ref>{{cite book|last=Thomas James Dandelet, John A. Marino|title=Spain in Italy: politics, society, and religion 1500–1700|year=2007|publisher=Koninklijke Brill|location=Leiden|isbn=978-90-04-15429-2}}</ref> In the 18th century, as a result of the [[War of Spanish Succession]], [[Empire of Austria|Austria]] replaced Spain as the dominant foreign power, while the [[House of Savoy]] emerged as a regional power expanding to [[Piedmont]] and [[Sardinia]]. In the same century, the two-century long decline was interrupted by the economic and state reforms pursued in several states by the ruling élites.<ref>{{cite book|last=Galasso|first=Giuseppe|title=Storia d'Italia 1: I caratteri originali|year=1972|publisher=Einaudi| location=Turin|pages=509–10}}</ref> During the [[Napoleonic Wars]], northern-central Italy was invaded and reorganised as a new [[Kingdom of Italy (Napoleonic)|Kingdom of Italy]], a [[client state]] of the [[Napoleonic France|French Empire]],<ref>Napoleon Bonaparte, "The Economy of the Empire in Italy: Instructions from Napoleon to Eugène, Viceroy of Italy," ''Exploring the European Past: Texts & Images'', Second Edition, ed. Timothy E. Gregory (Mason: Thomson, 2007), 65–66.</ref> while the southern half of the peninsula was administered by [[Joachim Murat]], Napoleon's brother-in-law, who was crowned as [[Kingdom of Naples|King of Naples]]. The 1814 [[Congress of Vienna]] restored the situation of the late 18th century, but the ideals of the [[French Revolution]] could not be eradicated, and soon re-surfaced during the [[political revolution|political upheavals]] that characterised the first part of the 19th century.

===Italian unification ===

{{Main|Italian unification|Military history of Italy during World War I}}

[[File:With Victor Emmanuel.jpg|thumb|left|The legendary "handshake of [[Teano]]" between [[Giuseppe Garibaldi]] and [[Victor Emmanuel II of Italy|Victor Emmanuel II]]: on 26 October 1860, the "Hero of Two Worlds" sacrificed republican hopes for the sake of Italian unity.]]

The birth of the [[Kingdom of Italy]] was the result of efforts by Italian nationalists and monarchists loyal to the [[House of Savoy]] to establish a united kingdom encompassing the entire [[Italian Peninsula]]. In the context of the [[revolutions of 1848|1848 liberal revolutions]] that swept through Europe, an unsuccessful [[First Italian War of Independence|war]] was declared on [[Austria-Hungary|Austria]]. The [[Kingdom of Sardinia]] again attacked the Austrian Empire in the [[Second Italian War of Independence]] of 1859, with the aid of [[Second French Empire|France]], resulting in liberating Lombardy.

In 1860–61, general [[Giuseppe Garibaldi]] led the drive for unification in Naples and Sicily,<ref>Mack Smith, Denis (1997). ''Modern Italy; A Political History''. Ann Arbor: The University of Michigan Press. ISBN 0-472-10895-6</ref> allowing the Sardinian government led by the [[Camillo Benso|Count of Cavour]] to declare a united Italian kingdom on 17 March 1861. In 1866, [[Victor Emmanuel II of Italy|Victor Emmanuel II]] allied with [[Prussia]] during the [[Austro-Prussian War]], waging the [[Third Italian War of Independence]] which allowed Italy to annexe [[Veneto|Venetia]]. Finally, as France during the disastrous [[Franco-Prussian War]] of 1870 abandoned its garrisons in Rome, the Italians rushed to fill the power gap by [[Capture of Rome|taking over the Papal States]].

The Piedmontese [[Statuto Albertino|Albertine Statute]] of 1848, extended to the whole Kingdom of Italy in 1861, provided for basic freedoms, but electoral laws excluded the non-propertied and uneducated classes from voting. The government of the new kingdom took place in a framework of parliamentary constitutional monarchy dominated by liberal forces. In 1913, male universal suffrage was adopted. As [[Northern Italy]] quickly industrialised, the South and rural areas of North remained underdeveloped and overpopulated, forcing millions of people to migrate abroad, while the [[Italian Socialist Party]] constantly increased in strength, challenging the traditional liberal and conservative establishment. Starting from the last two decades of the 19th century, Italy developed into a colonial power by forcing [[Italian Somalia|Somalia]], [[Italian Eritrea|Eritrea]] and later [[Italian Libya|Libya]] and the [[Italian Dodecanese|Dodecanese]] under its rule.<ref>(Bosworth (2005), pp. 49.)</ref>

[[File:Sacrario Militare di Redipuglia.jpg|thumb|right|The [[military cemetery]] of [[Fogliano Redipuglia|Redipuglia]], resting place of approximately 100,000 Italian soldiers. More than 650,000 died on the battlefields of [[World War I]].]]

Italy, nominally allied with the [[German Empire]] and the Empire of [[Austria-Hungary]] in the [[Triple Alliance (1882)|Triple Alliance]], in 1915 joined the [[Allies of World War I|Allies]] into the war with a [[Treaty of London (1915)|promise]] of substantial territorial gains, that included western [[Inner Carniola]], former [[Austrian Littoral]], [[Dalmatia]] as well as parts of the [[Ottoman Empire]]. The war was initially inconclusive, as the Italian army get struck in a long [[trench warfare|attrition war]] on the Alps mountains, making little progress and suffering very heavy losses. Eventually, in October 1918, the Italians launched a massive offensive, culminating in the victory of [[Battle of Vittorio Veneto|Vittorio Veneto]]. The Italian victory<ref>Burgwyn, H. James: ''Italian foreign policy in the interwar period, 1918–1940.'' Greenwood Publishing Group, 1997. Page 4.

ISBN 0-275-94877-3</ref><ref>Schindler, John R.: ''Isonzo: The Forgotten Sacrifice of the Great War.'' Greenwood Publishing Group, 2001. Page 303.

ISBN 0-275-97204-6</ref><ref>Mack Smith, Denis: ''Mussolini.'' Knopf, 1982. Page 31. ISBN 0-394-50694-4</ref> marked the end of the war on the Italian Front, secured the dissolution of the [[Austro-Hungarian Empire]] and was chiefly instrumental in [[Armistice with Germany|ending]] the First World War less than two weeks later.

During the war, more than 650,000 Italian soldiers and as many civilians died<ref>{{cite book|title=La Salute pubblica in Italia durante e dopo la Guerra|last=Mortara|first=G|year=1925|publisher=Yale University Press|location=New Haven|isbn=}}</ref> and the kingdom went on the brink of bankruptcy. Under the Peace Treaties of [[Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye (1919)|Saint-Germain]], [[Treaty of Rapallo, 1920|Rapallo]] and [[Treaty of Rome, 1924|Rome]], Italy obtained most of the promised territories, but not Dalmatia (except [[Zadar|Zara]]), allowing nationalists to define the victory as "[[Mutilated victory|mutilated]]". Moreover, Italy annexed the Hungarian harbour of [[Rijeka|Fiume]], that was not part of territories promised at London but [[Impresa di Fiume|had been occupied]] after the end of the war by [[Gabriele D'Annunzio]].

===Fascist Regime===

{{Main|Italian Fascism|Military history of Italy during World War II}}

[[File:Benito Mussolini Duce.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Benito Mussolini]], ''[[Duce]]'' of [[Kingdom of Italy#Fascist regime (1922–1943)|Fascist Italy]].]]

The [[Biennio Rosso|socialist agitations]] that followed the devastation of the Great War, inspired by the [[Russian Revolution]], led to counter-revolution and repression throughout Italy. The liberal establishment, fearing a Soviet-style revolution, started to endorse the small [[National Fascist Party]], led by [[Benito Mussolini]]. In October 1922 the [[Blackshirts]] of the National Fascist Party attempted a [[coup d'état|coup]] (the "[[March on Rome]]") which failed but at the last minute, King [[Victor Emmanuel III]] refused to proclaim a state of siege and appointed Mussolini prime minister. Over the next few years, Mussolini banned all political parties and curtailed personal liberties, thus forming a [[Totalitarianism|dictatorship]]. These actions attracted international attention and eventually inspired similar dictatorships such as [[Nazi Germany]] and [[Francoist Spain]].

In 1935, Mussolini [[Second Italo-Abyssinian War|invaded Ethiopia]], resulting in an international alienation and leading to Italy's withdrawal from the [[League of Nations]]; Italy [[Pact of Steel|allied with Nazi Germany]] and the [[Tripartite Pact|Empire of Japan]] and strongly supported [[Francisco Franco]] in the [[Spanish civil war]]. In 1939, Italy [[Italian invasion of Albania|annexed Albania]], a ''de facto'' protectorate for decades. Italy entered World War II on 10 June 1940. After initially advancing in [[Italian conquest of British Somaliland|British Somaliland]] and [[Italian invasion of Egypt|Egypt]], the Italians were defeated in East Africa, [[Greco-Italian War|Greece]], [[Italian participation in the Eastern Front|Russia]] and [[Second Battle of El Alamein|North Africa]].

An [[Allied invasion of Sicily]] began in July 1943, leading to the collapse of the Fascist regime and the fall of Mussolini on [[25 Luglio|25 July]]. On 8 September, Italy [[Armistice between Italy and Allied armed forces|surrendered]]. The Germans shortly succeeded in taking control of northern and central Italy. The country remained a [[Italian Campaign (World War II)|battlefield]] for the rest of the war, as the Allies were slowly moving up from the south.

In the north, the Germans set up the [[Italian Social Republic]] (RSI), a Nazi [[puppet state]] with Mussolini installed as leader. The post-armistice period saw the rise of a large [[anti-fascist]] [[resistance movement]], the ''[[Resistenza]]''. Hostilities ended on 29 April 1945, when the German forces in Italy surrendered. Nearly half a million Italians (including civilians) died in the conflict,<ref name="britannica.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/297474/Italy# |title=Italy – Britannica Online Encyclopedia |publisher=Britannica.com |accessdate=2 August 2010}}</ref> and the Italian economy had been all but destroyed; per capita income in 1944 was at its lowest point since the beginning of the 20th century.<ref>Adrian Lyttelton (editor), ''"Liberal and fascist Italy, 1900–1945"'', Oxford University Press, 2002. pp. 13</ref>

===Republican Italy===

{{Main|History of the Italian Republic}}

[[File:Alcide de Gasperi 2.jpg|thumb|upright|left|[[Alcide De Gasperi]], [[List of Prime Ministers of Italy|first]] republican [[Prime Minister of Italy]] and one of the [[Founding fathers of the European Union|Founding Fathers]] of the [[European Union]].]]

Italy became a republic after a [[Italian constitutional referendum, 1946|referendum]]<ref>{{cite video

| year =1946

| title =Damage Foreshadows A-Bomb Test , 1946/06/06 (1946)

| url =http://www.archive.org/details/1946-06-06_Damage_Foreshadows_A-Bomb_Test

| publisher =[[Universal Newsreel]]

| accessdate =22 February 2012

}}</ref> held on 2 June 1946, a day celebrated since as [[Republic Day (Italy)|Republic Day]]. This was also the first time that Italian women were entitled to vote.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.insmli.it/pubblicazioni/35/Voto%20donne%20versione%20def.pdf |title=Italia 1946: le donne al voto, dossier a cura di Mariachiara Fugazza e Silvia Cassamagnaghi |format=PDF |accessdate=30 May 2011}}</ref> [[Victor Emmanuel III]]'s son, [[Umberto II]], was forced to abdicate and exiled. The [[Constitution of Italy|Republican Constitution]] was approved on 1 January 1948. Under the [[Treaty of Peace with Italy, 1947|Treaty of Peace with Italy]] of 1947, most of [[Julian March]] was lost to [[Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia|Yugoslavia]] and, later, the [[Free Territory of Trieste]] was divided between the two states. Italy also lost all its colonial possessions, formally ending the [[Italian Empire]].

Fears in the Italian electorate of a possible Communist takeover proved crucial for the first universal suffrage electoral outcome on [[Italian general election, 1948|18 April 1948]], when the [[Christian Democracy (Italy)|Christian Democrats]], under the leadership of [[Alcide De Gasperi]], obtained a landslide victory. Consequently, in 1949 Italy became a member of [[NATO]]. The [[Marshall Plan]] helped to revive the Italian economy which, until the late 1960s, enjoyed a period of sustained economic growth commonly called the "[[Italian economic miracle|Economic Miracle]]". In 1957, Italy was a founding member of the [[European Economic Community]] (EEC), which became the [[European Union]] (EU) in 1993.

<!-- Commented out: [[File:Treaty of Rome.jpg|thumb|In 1957 Italy was among the [[EEC]]'s six founding members in the [[Treaty of Rome]].]] -->

From the late 1960s until the early 1980s, the country experienced the [[Years of Lead (Italy)|Years of Lead]], a period characterised by economic crisis (especially after the [[1973 oil crisis]]), widespread social conflicts and terrorist massacres carried out by opposing extremist groups, with the alleged involvement of US and Soviet intelligence.<ref>{{cite web | title=Commissione parlamentare d'inchiesta sul terrorismo in Italia e sulle cause della mancata individuazione dei responsabili delle stragi (Parliamentary investigative commission on terrorism in Italy and the failure to identify the perpetrators) | year=1995 | accessdate=2 May 2006 | url=http://www.isn.ethz.ch/php/documents/collection_gladio/report_ital_senate.pdf |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20060819211212/http://www.isn.ethz.ch/php/documents/collection_gladio/report_ital_senate.pdf <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archivedate = 19 August 2006|language=it}}</ref><ref name="Docs">{{en icon}} / {{it icon}} / {{fr icon}} /{{de icon}} {{cite web | title=Secret Warfare: Operation Gladio and NATO's Stay-Behind Armies | accessdate=2 May 2006 | publisher=Swiss Federal Institute of Technology / International Relation and Security Network | url=http://www.isn.ethz.ch/php/collections/coll_gladio.htm#Documents |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20060425182721/http://www.isn.ethz.ch/php/collections/coll_gladio.htm#Documents <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archivedate = 25 April 2006}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cambridgeclarion.org/press_cuttings/us.terrorism_graun_24jun2000.html |title=Clarion: Philip Willan, Guardian, 24 June 2000, page 19 |publisher=Cambridgeclarion.org |date=24 June 2000 |accessdate=24 April 2010}}</ref> The Years of Lead culminated in the assassination of the Christian Democrat leader [[Aldo Moro]] in 1978 and the [[Bologna massacre|Bologna railway station massacre]] in 1980, where 85 people died.

In the 1980s, for the first time since 1945, two governments were led by non-Christian-Democrat premiers: one liberal ([[Giovanni Spadolini]]) and one socialist ([[Bettino Craxi]]); the Christian Democrats remained, however, the main government party. During Craxi's government, the economy recovered and Italy became the world's fifth largest industrial nation, gaining entry into the [[G7]] Group. However, as a result of his spending policies, the Italian national debt skyrocketed during the Craxi era, soon passing 100% of the GDP.

In the early 1990s, Italy faced significant challenges, as voters – disenchanted with political paralysis, massive public debt and the extensive corruption system (known as ''[[Tangentopoli]]'') uncovered by the '[[Mani pulite|Clean Hands]]' investigation – demanded radical reforms. The scandals involved all major parties, but especially those in the government coalition: the Christian Democrats, who ruled for almost 50 years, underwent a severe crisis and eventually disbanded, splitting up into several factions. The Communists reorganised as a [[social-democratic]] force. During the 1990s and the 2000s (decade), center-right (dominated by media magnate [[Silvio Berlusconi]]) and center-left coalitions (led by university professor [[Romano Prodi]]) alternatively governed the country, which entered a prolonged period of economic stagnation.

In 2008 Italy was hit by the [[Great Recession]], being severely affected by hit. From 2008 to 2015, the country suffered 42 months of GDP recession. The economic crisis was one of the main problems that forced Berlusconi to [[Resignation of Silvio Berlusconi|resign]] in 2011. The government of the conservative Prime Minister was replaced by the technocratic cabinet of [[Mario Monti]].

In April 2013, after the [[Italian general election, 2013|general election]], the Vice-Secretary of the [[Democratic Party (Italy)|Democratic Party]] [[Enrico Letta]] formed a [[Letta Cabinet|new government]] at the head of a [[Grand coalition (Italy)|Grand coalition]]; but following tensions with the new [[List of Secretaries of the Democratic Party|Secretary]] of the PD [[Matteo Renzi]], Letta resigned on 14 February 2014 and on 22 February Renzi sworn as new Prime Minister. Renzi started important constitutional reforms such as the abolition of the [[Italian Senate|Senate]] and a new electoral law.

==Geography==

{{Main|Geography of Italy}}

[[File:Italy topographic map-blank.svg|thumb|Topographic map of Italy]]

Italy is located in [[Southern Europe]], between latitudes [[35th parallel north|35°]] and [[47th parallel north|47° N]], and longitudes [[6th meridian east|6°]] and [[19th meridian east|19° E]]. To the north, Italy borders [[France]], [[Switzerland]], [[Austria]], and [[Slovenia]], and is roughly delimited by the [[Alps|Alpine watershed]], enclosing the [[Po Valley]] and the [[Venetian Plain]]. To the south, it consists of the entirety of the [[Italian Peninsula]] and the two [[Mediterranean islands]] of [[Sicily]] and [[Sardinia]], in addition to many smaller islands. The sovereign states of [[San Marino]] and the [[Vatican City]] are [[Enclave and exclave|enclaves]] within Italy, while [[Campione d'Italia]] is an Italian [[Enclave and exclave|exclave]] in Switzerland.

The country's total area is {{convert|301230|km²|0|abbr=out}}, of which {{convert|294020|km²|0|abbr=on}} is land and {{convert|7210|km²|0|abbr=on}} is water. Including the islands, Italy has a coastline and border of {{convert|7600|km|0|abbr=off}} on the [[Adriatic Sea|Adriatic]], [[Ionian Sea|Ionian]], [[Tyrrhenian Sea|Tyrrhenian]] seas ({{convert|740|km|0|abbr=on}}), and borders shared with France ({{convert|488|km|0|abbr=on}}), Austria ({{convert|430|km|0|abbr=on}}), Slovenia ({{convert|232|km|0|abbr=on}}) and Switzerland ({{convert|740|km|0|abbr=on}}). San Marino ({{convert|39|km|0|abbr=on}}) and Vatican City ({{convert|3.2|km|1|abbr=on}}), both enclaves, account for the remainder.

The [[Apennine Mountains]] form the peninsula's backbone and the [[Alps]] form most of its northern boundary, where Italy's highest point is located on [[Mont Blanc]] (4,810 m/15,782&nbsp;ft).<ref group=note>Official French maps show the border detouring south of the main summit, and claim the highest point in Italy is Mont Blanc de Courmayeur (4,748&nbsp;m), but these are inconsistent with an 1861 convention and topographic watershed analysis.</ref> The [[Po river|Po]], Italy's longest river (652&nbsp;km/405&nbsp;mi), flows from the Alps on the western border with France and crosses the [[Padan plain]] on its way to the Adriatic Sea.

The five largest lakes are, in order of diminishing size:<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.iii.to.cnr.it/limnol/cicloac/lagit.htm|title=Morphometric and hydrological characteristics of some important Italian lakes|publisher=Istituto per lo Studio degli Ecosistemi|accessdate=3 March 2010|location=Largo Tonolli 50, 28922 Verbania Pallanza }}{{dead link|date=January 2014}}</ref> [[Lake Garda|Garda]] ({{convert|367.94|km2|sqmi|0|abbr=on|disp=or}}), [[Lake Maggiore|Maggiore]] ({{convert|212.51|km2|sqmi|0|abbr=on|disp=or}}, shared with Switzerland), [[Lake Como|Como]] ({{convert|145.9|km2|sqmi|0|abbr=on|disp=or}}), [[Trasimeno Lake|Trasimeno]] ({{convert|124.29|km2|sqmi|0|abbr=on|disp=or}}) and [[Lake Bolsena|Bolsena]] ({{convert|113.55|km2|sqmi|0|abbr=on|disp=or}}).

[[File:Mont Blanc from Aosta Valley.JPG|thumb|left|[[Mont Blanc]], on the Franco-Italian border is the highest point in the [[European Union]].]]

The country is situated at the meeting point of the Eurasian Plate and the African Plate, leading to considerable [[List of earthquakes in Italy|seismic]] and [[Volcanism in Italy|volcanic activity]]. There are [[List of volcanoes in Italy|14 volcanoes in Italy]], four of which are active: [[Mount Etna|Etna]] (the traditional site of [[Vulcan (mythology)|Vulcan]]’s smithy), [[Stromboli]], [[Vulcano]] and [[Vesuvius]]. Vesuvius is the only active volcano in mainland Europe and is most famous for the destruction of [[Pompeii]] and [[Herculanum]]. Several islands and hills have been created by volcanic activity, and there is still a large active [[caldera]], the [[Campi Flegrei]] north-west of Naples.

Although the country comprises the Italian peninsula and most of the southern Alpine basin, some of Italy's territory extends beyond the Alpine basin and some islands are located outside the [[Eurasia]]n continental shelf. These territories are the ''comuni'' of: [[Livigno]], [[Sexten]], [[Innichen]], [[Toblach]] (in part), [[Chiusaforte]], [[Tarvisio]], [[Graun im Vinschgau]] (in part), which are all part of the [[Danube#Drainage basin|Danube's drainage basin]], while the [[Lago di Lei|Val di Lei]] constitutes part of the [[Rhine]]'s basin and the islands of [[Lampedusa]] and [[Lampione]] are on the African [[continental shelf]].

{{clear}}

===Environment===

{{See also|List of national parks of Italy|List of regional parks of Italy}}

{{category see also|Environment of Italy}}

[[File:National parks of Italy.svg|thumb|Map of [[List of national parks of Italy|national parks]] in Italy.]]

After its quick industrial growth, Italy took a long time to confront its environmental problems. After several improvements, it now ranks 84th in the world for ecological sustainability.<ref name="dev.prenhall">{{cite web|url=http://dev.prenhall.com/divisions/hss/worldreference/IT/environment.html |title=Italy – Environment |publisher=Dev.prenhall.com |accessdate=2 August 2010}}{{dead link|date=January 2014}}</ref> [[National park]]s cover about five percent of the country.<ref>{{cite web|title=National Parks in Italy|publisher=Parks.it|date=1995–2010|url=http://www.parks.it/indice/NatParks.html|accessdate=15 March 2010}}</ref> In the last decade, Italy has become one of the world's leading producers of [[renewable energy in Italy|renewable energy]], ranking as the world’s fourth largest holder of installed [[solar energy]] capacity<ref name="REN21">{{cite web|url=http://www.ren21.net/Portals/97/documents/GSR/REN21_GSR2011.pdf|title=Renewables 2010 Global Status Report|author=[[REN21]]|publisher=[[REN21]]|date=15 July 2010|accessdate=16 July 2010}}{{dead link|date=January 2014}}</ref><ref name="BaroPhoto2010">{{cite web|url=http://www.eurobserv-er.org/pdf/baro196.asp |title=Photovoltaic energy barometer 2010 – EurObserv’ER |accessdate=30 October 2010}}</ref> and the sixth largest holder of [[wind power]] capacity in 2010.<ref name="wwea">

{{cite web

| publisher = [[World Wind Energy Association]]

| title = World Wind Energy Report 2010

| format = PDF

| work = Report

| date = February 2011

| url = http://www.wwindea.org/home/images/stories/pdfs/worldwindenergyreport2010_s.pdf

| accessdate =8 August 2011}}</ref> Renewable energies now make up about 12% of the total primary and final energy consumption in Italy, with a future target share set at 17% for the year 2020.<ref>wwea</ref>

[[File:Pano vico d'elsa.jpg|thumb|left|Hilly landscape in [[Tuscany]].]]

However, air pollution remains a severe problem, especially in the industrialised north, reaching the tenth highest level worldwide of industrial carbon dioxide emissions in the 1990s.<ref name="Encyclopedia of the Nations">{{cite web|url=http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/Europe/Italy-ENVIRONMENT.html|title=Italy – Environment |publisher=Encyclopedia of the Nations|accessdate=7 April 2010}}</ref> Italy is the twelfth largest [[carbon dioxide]] producer.<ref>United Nations Statistics Division, Millennium Development Goals indicators: [http://mdgs.un.org/unsd/mdg/SeriesDetail.aspx?srid=749&crid= Carbon dioxide emissions ({{CO2}}), thousand metric tons of {{CO2}}] (collected by CDIAC)</ref><ref>Human-produced, direct emissions of carbon dioxide only. Excludes other greenhouse gases; land-use, land-use-change and forestry (LULUCF); and natural background flows of {{CO2}} (See also: [[Carbon cycle]])</ref>

Extensive traffic and congestion in the largest metropolitan areas continue to cause severe environmental and health issues, even if smog levels have decreased dramatically since the 1970s and 1980s, and the presence of smog is becoming an increasingly rarer phenomenon and levels of [[sulphur dioxide]] are decreasing.<ref>[http://www.euro.who.int/document/hms/ehiexes_e.pdf]{{Dead link|date=August 2010}}</ref>

Many watercourses and coastal stretches have also been contaminated by industrial and agricultural activity, while because of rising water levels, [[Venice]] has been regularly flooded throughout recent years. Waste from industrial activity is not always disposed of by legal means and has led to permanent health effects on inhabitants of affected areas, as in the case of the [[Seveso disaster]]. The country has also operated several nuclear reactors between 1963 and 1990 but, after the [[Chernobyl disaster]] and a [[Italian nuclear power referendum, 1987|referendum on the issue]] the nuclear program was terminated, a decision that was overturned by the government in 2008, planning to build up to four nuclear power plants with French technology. This was in turn struck down by a referendum following the [[Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster|Fukushima nuclear accident]].<ref>{{cite web|author=Duncan Kennedy |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-13741105 |title=Italy nuclear: Berlusconi accepts referendum blow |publisher=Bbc.co.uk |date=14 June 2011 |accessdate=20 April 2013}}</ref>

Deforestation, illegal building developments and poor land-management policies have led to significant erosion all over Italy's mountainous regions, leading to major ecological disasters like the 1963 [[Vajont Dam]] flood, the 1998 [[Sarno]]<ref name="Sicily mudslide leaves scores dead">{{cite news|author=Nick Squires|url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/italy/6255575/Sicily-mudslide-leaves-scores-dead.html#|title=Sicily mudslide leaves scores dead|date=2 October 2009|accessdate=2 October 2009|work=The Daily Telegraph |location=London}}</ref> and 2009 [[2009 Messina floods and mudslides|Messina]] [[mudslide]]s.

===Climate===

[[File:**EXPLORED** Back, with nice memories - Di ritorno, con buoni ricordi.jpg|thumb|Southern Italy has a Mediterranean climate.]]

{{Main|Climate of Italy}}

Thanks to the great longitudinal extension of the peninsula and the mostly mountainous internal conformation, the climate of Italy is highly diverse. In most of the inland northern and central regions, the climate ranges from [[humid subtropical]] to [[humid continental]] and [[oceanic climate|oceanic]]. In particular, the climate of the [[Po valley]] geographical region is mostly continental, with harsh winters and hot summers.<ref>Adriana Rigutti, Meteorologia, Giunti, p, 95, 2009.</ref><ref>Thomas A. Blair, Climatology: General and Regional, Prentice Hall pages 131–132</ref>

The coastal areas of [[Liguria]], [[Tuscany]] and most of the [[Southern Italy|South]] generally fit the [[Mediterranean climate]] stereotype ([[Köppen climate classification]] Csa). Conditions on peninsular coastal areas can be very different from the interior's higher ground and valleys, particularly during the winter months when the higher altitudes tend to be cold, wet, and often snowy. The coastal regions have mild winters and warm and generally dry summers, although lowland valleys can be quite hot in summer. Average winter temperatures vary from {{convert|0|C|lk=on}} on the Alps to

{{convert|12|C|lk=on}} in Sicily, like so the average summer temperatures range from {{convert|20|C|lk=on}} to over {{convert|30|C|lk=on}}.<ref>{{cite web|title=Climate Atlas of Italy|url=http://clima.meteoam.it/atlanteClimatico.php?ling=eng|publisher=Network of the Air Force Meteorological Service|accessdate=30 September 2012}}</ref>

==Politics==

{{Main|Politics of Italy}}

{{multiple image

| width1 = 158

| width2 = 166

| image1 = Renzi 2014.png

| caption1 = [[Matteo Renzi]], [[Prime Minister of Italy|Prime Minister]] since 2014.

| image2 = Presidente Sergio Mattarella.jpg

| caption2 = [[Sergio Mattarella]], [[President of Italy|President of the Republic]] since 2015.

}}

Italy has been a [[unitary state|unitary]] [[parliamentary republic]] since 2 June 1946, when the monarchy was abolished by a [[Italian constitutional referendum, 1946|constitutional referendum]]. The [[President of Italy]] (''Presidente della Repubblica''), currently [[Sergio Mattarella]] since 2015, is Italy's [[head of state]]. The President is elected for a single seven years mandate by the [[Parliament of Italy]] in [[joint session]]. Italy has a written democratic [[Constitution of Italy|constitution]], resulting from the work of a [[Constituent Assembly of Italy|Constituent Assembly]] formed by the representatives of all the [[anti-fascist]] forces that contributed to the defeat of Nazi and Fascist forces during the [[Italian Civil War|Civil War]].<ref>Smyth, Howard McGaw [http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0043-4078(194809)1%3A3%3C205%3AIFFTTR%3E2.0.CO%3B2-O Italy: From Fascism to the Republic (1943–1946)] ''The Western Political Quarterly'' vol. 1 no. 3 (pp. 205–222), September 1948</ref>

===Government===

Italy has a parliamentary government based on a [[proportional representation|proportional]] voting system. The parliament is perfectly [[bicameral]]: the two houses, the [[Chamber of Deputies of Italy|Chamber of Deputies]] (that meets in [[Palazzo Montecitorio]]) and the [[Senate of Italy|Senate of the Republic]] (that meets in [[Palazzo Madama]]), have the same powers. The Prime Minister, officially [[President of the Council of Ministers of Italy|President of the Council of Ministers]] (''Presidente del Consiglio dei Ministri''), is Italy's [[head of government]]. The Prime Minister and the cabinet are appointed by the President of the Republic, but must pass a vote of confidence in Parliament to come into office. The incumbent Prime Minister is [[Matteo Renzi]] of the [[Democratic Party (Italy)|Democratic Party]].

[[File:Giuramento Mattarella Montecitorio.jpg|thumb|left|The [[Chamber of Deputies|Italian Chamber of Deputies]] in plenary section.]]

While this office is similar to those in most other parliamentary systems, the Italian prime minister has less authority than some of his counterparts. The prime minister is not authorised to request the dissolution of Parliament or dismiss ministers (these are exclusive prerogatives of the President of the Republic) and must receive a vote of approval from the Council of Ministers—which holds effective executive power—to execute most political activities.

A peculiarity of the [[Italian Parliament]] is the representation given to [[Italian nationality law|Italian citizens]] permanently living abroad: 12 Deputies and 6 Senators elected in four distinct [[Parliament of Italy#Overseas constituency|overseas constituencies]]. In addition, the Italian Senate is characterised also by a small number of [[senator for life|senators for life]], appointed by the President "for outstanding patriotic merits in the social, scientific, artistic or literary field". Former Presidents of the Republic are ''ex officio'' life senators.

Italy's three major political parties are the [[Partito Democratico|Democratic Party]], [[Forza Italia (2013)|Forza Italia]] and the [[Five Stars Movement]]. During the 2013 general election these three parties won 579 out of 630 seats available in the Chamber of Deputies and 294 out of 315 in the Senate.<ref>{{cite news|title=Elezioni politiche 2013 ,Riepilogo Nazionale|url=http://www.ilsole24ore.com/speciali/2013/elezioni/risultati/politiche/static/italia.shtml|accessdate=6 December 2014|publisher=[[Il Sole 24 Ore]]}}</ref> Most of the remaining seats were won by a short-lived [[With Monti for Italy|electoral bloc]] formed to support the outgoing Prime Minister [[Mario Monti]], the far left party [[Left, Ecology, Freedom]] or by parties that contest elections only in one part of Italy: the [[Northern League (Italy)|Northern League]], the [[South Tyrolean People's Party]], [[Aosta Valley (political coalition)|Vallée d'Aoste]] and [[Great South (party)|Great South]]. On 15 November 2013, 58 splinter MPs from Forza Italia founded [[New Centre-Right]].

===Law and criminal justice===

{{Main|Law of Italy|Judiciary of Italy|Organized crime in Italy}}

[[File:Roma 2011 08 07 Palazzo di Giustizia.jpg|thumb|The [[Palace of Justice, Rome]] (Palazzo di Giustizia).]]

The Italian judicial system is based on [[Roman law]] modified by the [[Napoleonic code]] and later statutes. The [[Court of Cassation (Italy)|Supreme Court of Cassation]] is the highest court in Italy for both criminal and civil appeal cases. The [[Constitutional Court of Italy]] (''Corte Costituzionale'') rules on the conformity of laws with the constitution and is a post–World War II innovation. Since their appearance in the middle of the 19th century, [[Organized crime in Italy|Italian organised crime]] and criminal organisations have infiltrated the social and economic life of many regions in [[Southern Italy]], the most notorious of which being the [[Sicilian Mafia]], which would later expand into some foreign countries including the United States. The [[Mafia]] receipts may reach 9%<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ilsole24ore.com/art/SoleOnLine4/Economia%20e%20Lavoro/2008/11/confesercenti-mafia-racket-pizzo.shtml?uuid=20ff3b9c-afe7-11dd-8057-9c09c8bfa449 |title=Confesercenti, la crisi economica rende ancor più pericolosa la mafia |author=Claudio Tucci |date=11 November 2008 |work=Confesercenti |publisher=Ilsole24ore.com |language=Italian |accessdate=21 April 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/italy/6957240/Italy-claims-finally-defeating-the-mafia.html |title=Italy claims finally defeating the mafia |author=Nick Squires |date=9 January 2010 |work=The Daily Telegraph |accessdate=21 April 2011}}</ref> of Italy's GDP.<ref name="nytimes.com">{{cite news| url=http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/22/world/europe/22iht-italy.4.8001812.html?_r=1|work=The New York Times|title=Mafia crime is 7% of GDP in Italy, group reports|first=Peter|last=Kiefer|date=22 October 2007|accessdate=19 April 2011}}</ref>

A 2009 report identified 610 [[Comune|comuni]] which have a strong Mafia presence, where 13 million Italians live and 14.6% of the Italian GDP is produced.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.antimafiaduemila.com/content/view/20052/78/ |title=Rapporto Censis: 13 milioni di italiani convivono con la mafia |author=Maria Loi |date=1 October 2009 |work=Censis |publisher=Antimafia Duemila |language= Italian |accessdate=21 April 2011}}{{dead link|date=January 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/oct/01/mafia-influence-hovers-over-italians|work=The Guardian |location=London |title=Mafia's influence hovers over 13m Italians, says report| first=Tom| last=Kington|date=1 October 2009|accessdate=5 May 2010}}</ref> The [[Calabria]]n [['Ndrangheta]], nowadays probably the most powerful crime syndicate of Italy, accounts alone for 3% of the country's GDP.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://mafiatoday.com/sicilian-mafia-ndrangheta/italy-anti-mafia-police-arrest-35-suspects-in-northern-lombardy-region/ |title=Italy: Anti-mafia police arrest 35 suspects in northern Lombardy region |author=ANSA |date=14 March 2011 |work=adnkronos.com |publisher=Mafia Today |accessdate=21 April 2011}}</ref> However, at 0.013 per 1,000 people, Italy has only the 47th highest murder rate<ref name="NationMaster.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/cri_mur_percap-crime-murders-per-capita|title=Crime Statistics > Murders (per capita) (most recent) by country |publisher=NationMaster.com|accessdate=4 April 2010}}</ref> (in a group of 62 countries) and the 43rd highest number of rapes per 1,000 people in the world (in a group of 65 countries), relatively low figures among developed countries.

====Law enforcement====

{{Main|Law enforcement in Italy}}

[[File:Police Lamborghini.jpg|thumbnail|right|A [[Lamborghini Gallardo]] provided to the Polizia di Stato.]]

Law enforcement in Italy is provided by multiple police forces, five of which are national, Italian agencies.

The [[Polizia di Stato]] (State Police) is the civil national police of Italy. Along with patrolling, investigative and law enforcement duties, it patrols the Autostrada (Italy's Express Highway network), and oversees the security of railways, bridges and waterways.

The [[Carabinieri]] is the common name for the Arma dei Carabinieri, a [[Gendarmerie]]-like military corps with police duties. They also serve as the military police for the Italian armed forces.

The [[Guardia di Finanza]], (English: Financial Guard) is a corps under the authority of the Minister of Economy and Finance, with a role as police force. The Corps is in charge of financial, economic, judiciary and public safety.

The [[Corpo Forestale dello Stato]] (National Forestry Department) is responsible for law enforcement in Italian national parks and forests. Their duties include enforcing poaching laws, safeguarding protected animal species and preventing forest fires.

===Foreign relations===

{{Main|Foreign relations of Italy}}

[[File:Inauguration EYE2014 Parlement européen Strasbourg 9 mai 2014.jpg|thumb|The [[European Parliament]]. Italy is one of the 28 EU members.]]

Italy is a founding member of the [[European Community]], now the [[European Union]] (EU), and of the [[North Atlantic Treaty Organization]] (NATO). Italy was admitted to the United Nations in 1955, and it is a member and strong supporter of a wide number of international organisations, such as the [[Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development]] (OECD), the [[General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade]]/[[World Trade Organization]] (GATT/WTO), the [[Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe]] (OSCE), the [[Council of Europe]], and the [[Central European Initiative]]. Its recent turns in the rotating presidency of international organisations include the [[Conference for Security and Co-operation in Europe]] (CSCE), the forerunner of the OSCE, in 1994; [[G8]]; and the EU in 2009 and from July to December 2003.

Italy strongly supports multilateral international politics, endorsing the United Nations and its [[international security]] activities. As of 2013, Italy was deploying 5,296 troops abroad, engaged in 33 UN and NATO missions in 25 countries of the world.<ref>{{cite web|title=MISSIONI/ATTIVITA’ INTERNAZIONALI DAL 01.10.2013 AL 31.12.2013 - SITUAZIONE AL 11.12.2013|url=http://www.difesa.it/OperazioniMilitari/Documents/SIT%20ANNO%202013%20al%2011%20dicembre%202013.pdf|publisher=Italian Ministry of Defence|accessdate=27 January 2014}}</ref> Italy deployed troops in support of UN peacekeeping missions in [[UNITAF|Somalia]], [[United Nations Operation in Mozambique|Mozambique]], and [[United Nations Integrated Mission in East Timor|East Timor]] and provides support for NATO and UN operations in [[IFOR|Bosnia]], [[Kosovo Force|Kosovo]] and [[Operation Sunrise (Albania)|Albania]]. Italy deployed over 2,000 troops in [[Afghanistan]] in support of [[Operation Enduring Freedom]] (OEF) from February 2003. Italy still supports international efforts to reconstruct and stabilise [[Iraq]], but it had withdrawn its [[Multinational force in Iraq#2006 withdrawals|military contingent]] of some 3,200 troops by November 2006, maintaining only humanitarian operators and other civilian personnel.

In August 2006 Italy deployed about 2,450 troops in Lebanon for the United Nations' [[peacekeeping|peacekeeping mission]] [[UNIFIL]].<ref name="NewsMax" >"[http://www.corriere.it/Primo_Piano/Cronache/2006/08_Agosto/29/libano.shtml Italian soldiers leave for Lebanon] Corriere della Sera, 30 August 2006</ref> Italy is one of the largest financiers of the [[Palestinian National Authority]], contributing €60 million in 2013 alone.<ref>{{cite news|title=Italy donates 60 million euros to PA|url=http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=626926|accessdate=27 January 2014|newspaper=[[Ma'an News Agency]]|date=4 September 2013}}</ref>

===Military===

{{Main|Italian Armed Forces}}

[[File:Cavour (550).jpg|thumb|The aircraft carrier [[Italian aircraft carrier Cavour (550)|''MM Cavour'']]]]

The [[Italian Army]], [[Italian Navy|Navy]], [[Italian Air Force|Air Force]] and [[Carabinieri]] collectively form the [[Italian armed forces]], under the command of the Supreme Defence Council, presided over by the [[President of Italy]]. From 2005, military service is entirely voluntary.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.camera.it/parlam/leggi/04226l.htm |title=Law n°226 of&nbsp;August 23, 2004 |publisher=Camera.it |accessdate=13 July 2012}}</ref> In 2010, the Italian military had 293,202 personnel on active duty,<ref name="IISS">"The Military Balance 2010", pp. 141–145. [[International Institute for Strategic Studies]], 3 February 2010.</ref> of which 114,778 are Carabinieri.<ref>{{cite web|language=Italian |url=http://web.archive.org/web/20110504073613/http://www.difesa.it/NR/rdonlyres/5EF11493-59DD-4FB7-8485-F4258D9F5891/0/Nota_Aggiuntiva_2009.pdf |title=Nota aggiuntiva allo stato di previsione per la Difesa per l'anno 2009|author=[[Ministry of Defence (Italy)|Italian Ministry of Defence]]|accessdate=11 July 2014}}</ref> Total Italian military spending in 2010 ranked [[List of countries by military expenditures|tenth]] in the world, standing at $35.8&nbsp;billion, equal to 1.7% of national GDP. As part of [[Nuclear sharing|NATO's nuclear sharing strategy]] Italy also hosts 90 United States [[nuclear bombs]], located in the [[Ghedi]] and [[Aviano Air Base|Aviano]] air bases.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nrdc.org/nuclear/euro/euro_pt1.pdf |title=NRDC: U.S. Nuclear Weapons in Europe – part 1|format=PDF |year= 2005|accessdate=30 May 2011|author=Hans M. Kristensen / Natural Resources Defense Council}}</ref>

The Italian Army is the national ground defence force, numbering 109,703 in 2008. Its best-known combat vehicles are the [[Dardo IFV|Dardo]] [[infantry fighting vehicle]], the [[Centauro]] [[tank destroyer]] and the [[Ariete]] [[tank]], and among its aircraft the [[Agusta A129 Mangusta|Mangusta]] [[attack helicopter]], recently deployed in UN missions. It also has at its disposal a large number of [[Leopard 1]] and [[M113 armored personnel carrier|M113]] armoured vehicles.

[[File:Eurofighter Typhoon 02.jpg|thumb|A [[Eurofighter Typhoon]] operated by the [[Italian Air Force]].]]

The Italian Navy in 2008 had 35,200 active personnel with 85 commissioned ships and 123 aircraft.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.marina.difesa.it/ |title=Marina Militare (Italian military navy website) |publisher=Marina.difesa.it |accessdate=30 May 2011|language=Italian}}</ref> It is now equipping itself with a bigger [[aircraft carrier]] (the ''[[Italian aircraft carrier Cavour (550)|Cavour]]''), new [[destroyer]]s, submarines and multipurpose [[frigate]]s. In modern times the Italian Navy, being a member of the NATO, has taken part in many coalition peacekeeping operations around the world.

The Italian Air Force in 2008 had a strength of 43,882 and operated 585 aircraft, including 219 combat jets and 114 helicopters. As a stopgap and as replacement for leased [[Panavia Tornado|Tornado]] ADV interceptors, the AMI has leased 30 [[General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon|F-16]]A Block 15 ADF and four F-16B Block 10 Fighting Falcons, with an option for more. The coming years will also see the introduction of 121 [[Eurofighter Typhoon|EF2000 Eurofighter Typhoons]], replacing the leased F-16 Fighting Falcons. Further updates are foreseen in the Tornado IDS/IDT and [[AMX International AMX|AMX]] fleets. A transport capability is guaranteed by a fleet of 22 [[Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules|C-130J]]s and [[Aeritalia G.222]]s of which 12 are being replaced with the newly developed G.222 variant called the [[C-27J Spartan]].

An autonomous corps of the military, the Carabinieri are the [[gendarmerie]] and [[military police]] of Italy, policing the military and civilian population alongside [[Law enforcement in Italy|Italy's other police forces]]. While the different branches of the Carabinieri report to separate ministries for each of their individual functions, the corps reports to the Ministry of Internal Affairs when maintaining public order and security.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.carabinieri.it/Internet/Multilingua/EN/GoverningBodies/|title=The Carabinieri Force is linked to the Ministry of Defence|publisher=Carabinieri|accessdate=14 May 2010}}</ref>

===Administrative divisions===

{{Main|Regions of Italy|Metropolitan cities of Italy|Provinces of Italy|Municipalities of Italy}}

Italy is subdivided into 20 regions (''regioni''), five of these regions having a [[Autonomous regions with special statute|special autonomous status]] that enables them to enact legislation on some of their local matters. The country is further divided into 9 metropolitan cities (''città metropolitane'') and 101 provinces (''province''), which in turn are subdivided in 8,047 municipalities (''comuni''). <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.istat.it/it/archivio/6789|title=Codici comuni, province e regioni|website=www.istat.it|language=Italian|accessdate=24 May 2015}}</ref>

{{Italy Labelled Map|float=left}}

{| class="sortable wikitable" style="text-align:left; width:45%; float:right;"

|-

! Region !! Capital !! Area (km²) !! Area (sq mi) !! Population

|-

| [[Abruzzo]] || [[L'Aquila]]

| style="text-align:right" | 10,763

| style="text-align:right" | 4,156

| style="text-align:right" | 1,331,574

|-

| [[Aosta Valley]] || [[Aosta]]

| style="text-align:right" | 3,263

| style="text-align:right" | 1,260

| style="text-align:right" | 128,298

|-

| [[Apulia]] || [[Bari]]

| style="text-align:right" | 19,358

| style="text-align:right" | 7,474

| style="text-align:right" | 4,090,105

|-

| [[Basilicata]] || [[Potenza]]

| style="text-align:right" | 9,995

| style="text-align:right" | 3,859

| style="text-align:right" | 576,619

|-

| [[Calabria]] || [[Catanzaro]]

| style="text-align:right" | 15,080

| style="text-align:right" | 5,822

| style="text-align:right" | 1,976,631

|-

| [[Campania]] || [[Naples]]

| style="text-align:right" | 13,590

| style="text-align:right" | 5,247

| style="text-align:right" | 5,861,529

|-

| [[Emilia-Romagna]] || [[Bologna]]

| style="text-align:right" | 22,446

| style="text-align:right" | 8,666

| style="text-align:right" | 4,450,508

|-

| [[Friuli-Venezia Giulia]] || [[Trieste]]

| style="text-align:right" | 7,858

| style="text-align:right" | 3,034

| style="text-align:right"|1,227,122

|-

| [[Lazio]] || [[Rome]]

| style="text-align:right" | 17,236

| style="text-align:right" | 6,655

| style="text-align:right" | 5,892,425

|-

| [[Liguria]] || [[Genoa]]

| style="text-align:right" | 5,422

| style="text-align:right" | 2,093

| style="text-align:right" | 1,583,263

|-

| [[Lombardy]] || [[Milan]]

| style="text-align:right" | 23,844

| style="text-align:right" | 9,206

| style="text-align:right" | 10,002,615

|-

| [[Marche]] || [[Ancona]]

| style="text-align:right" | 9,366

| style="text-align:right" | 3,616

| style="text-align:right" | 1,550,796

|-

| [[Molise]] || [[Campobasso]]

| style="text-align:right" | 4,438

| style="text-align:right" | 1,713

| style="text-align:right" | 313,348

|-

| [[Piedmont]] || [[Turin]]

| style="text-align:right" | 25,402

| style="text-align:right" | 9,808

| style="text-align:right" | 4,424,467

|-

| [[Sardinia]] || [[Cagliari]]

| style="text-align:right" | 24,090

| style="text-align:right" | 9,301

| style="text-align:right" | 1,663,286

|-

| [[Sicily]] || [[Palermo]]

| style="text-align:right" | 25,711

| style="text-align:right" | 9,927

| style="text-align:right" | 5,092,080

|-

| [[Tuscany]] || [[Florence]]

| style="text-align:right" | 22,993

| style="text-align:right" | 8,878

| style="text-align:right" | 3,752,654

|-

| [[Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol]] || [[Trento]]

| style="text-align:right" | 13,607

| style="text-align:right" | 5,254

| style="text-align:right" | 1,055,934

|-

| [[Umbria]] || [[Perugia]]

| style="text-align:right" | 8,456

| style="text-align:right" | 3,265

| style="text-align:right" | 894,762

|-

| [[Veneto]] || [[Venice]]

| style="text-align:right" | 18,399

| style="text-align:right" | 7,104

| style="text-align:right" | 4,927,596

|}

{{clear}}

==Economy==

{{Main|Economy of Italy}}

[[File:SupercarSunday-75 - Flickr - Moto@Club4AG.jpg|thumb|Italy maintains an innovative [[automotive industry]], and is one of the world's largest exporters of manufactured goods.]]

Italy has a [[capitalist]] [[mixed economy]], ranking as the third-largest in the [[Eurozone]] and the [[List of countries by GDP (nominal)|eighth-largest]] in the world.<ref name="IMF2014">[http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2015/01/weodata/weorept.aspx?pr.x=68&pr.y=15&sy=2010&ey=2017&scsm=1&ssd=1&sort=country&ds=.&br=1&c=512%2C446%2C914%2C666%2C612%2C668%2C614%2C672%2C311%2C946%2C213%2C137%2C911%2C962%2C193%2C674%2C122%2C676%2C912%2C548%2C313%2C556%2C419%2C678%2C513%2C181%2C316%2C682%2C913%2C684%2C124%2C273%2C339%2C921%2C638%2C948%2C514%2C943%2C218%2C686%2C963%2C688%2C616%2C518%2C223%2C728%2C516%2C558%2C918%2C138%2C748%2C196%2C618%2C278%2C522%2C692%2C622%2C694%2C156%2C142%2C624%2C449%2C626%2C564%2C628%2C283%2C228%2C853%2C924%2C288%2C233%2C293%2C632%2C566%2C636%2C964%2C634%2C182%2C238%2C453%2C662%2C968%2C960%2C922%2C423%2C714%2C935%2C862%2C128%2C135%2C611%2C716%2C321%2C456%2C243%2C722%2C248%2C942%2C469%2C718%2C253%2C724%2C642%2C576%2C643%2C936%2C939%2C961%2C644%2C813%2C819%2C199%2C172%2C733%2C132%2C184%2C646%2C524%2C648%2C361%2C915%2C362%2C134%2C364%2C652%2C732%2C174%2C366%2C328%2C734%2C258%2C144%2C656%2C146%2C654%2C463%2C336%2C528%2C263%2C923%2C268%2C738%2C532%2C578%2C944%2C537%2C176%2C742%2C534%2C866%2C536%2C369%2C429%2C744%2C433%2C186%2C178%2C925%2C436%2C869%2C136%2C746%2C343%2C926%2C158%2C466%2C439%2C112%2C916%2C111%2C664%2C298%2C826%2C927%2C542%2C846%2C967%2C299%2C443%2C582%2C917%2C474%2C544%2C754%2C941%2C698&s=NGDPD&grp=0&a= International Monetary Fund (IMF), World Economic Outlook (WEO) Database- GDP Nominal 2010 to 2019], imf.org, April 2015 Edition</ref> The country is a founding member of the [[G7]], [[Group of Eight|G8]], the [[Eurozone]] and the [[OECD]].

Italy is regarded as one of the world's most industrialised nations and a leading country in [[international trade|world trade and exports]].<ref>{{cite news|last1=Sensenbrenner|first1=Frank|last2=Arcelli|first2=Angelo Federico|title=Italy's Economy Is Much Stronger Than It Seems|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/frank-sensenbrenner/italy-economy_b_3401988.html|accessdate=25 November 2014|publisher=[[The Huffington Post]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Dadush|first1=Uri|title=Is the Italian Economy on the Mend?|url=http://carnegieeurope.eu/publications/?fa=50565&reloadFlag=1|accessdate=25 November 2014|publisher=[[Carnegie Endowment for International Peace|Carnegie Europe]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Doing Business in Italy: 2014 Country Commercial Guide for U.S. Companies|url=http://www.export.gov/italy/static/2014%20CCG%20Italy_Latest_eg_it_076513.pdf|publisher=[[United States Commercial Service]]|accessdate=25 November 2014}}</ref> It is a highly [[developed country]], with the world's 8th highest [[quality of life]]<ref name="economist.com"/> and the 25th [[List of countries by Human Development Index|Human Development Index]]. In spite of the recent [[Late-2000s recession|global economic crisis]], Italian [[List of countries by GDP (PPP) per capita|per capita GDP at purchasing power parity]] remains approximately equal to the [[Treaty of Accession 2005|EU 27]] average,<ref>{{cite web|title=GDP per capita in the Member States ranged from 47% to 271% of the EU27 average in 2012|url=http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/cache/ITY_PUBLIC/2-19062013-BP/EN/2-19062013-BP-EN.PDF|publisher=[[Eurostat]]|accessdate=24 November 2014}}</ref> while the unemployment rate (12.6%) stands slightly above the Eurozone average.<ref>{{cite web|title=Euro area unemployment rate at 11.5%|url=http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/cache/ITY_PUBLIC/3-31102014-BP/EN/3-31102014-BP-EN.PDF|publisher=[[Eurostat]]|accessdate=24 November 2014}}</ref> The country is well known for its creative and innovative business,<ref>{{cite web|title=The Global Creativity Index 2011|url=http://martinprosperity.org/media/GCI%20Report%20Sep%202011.pdf|publisher=Martin Prosperity Institute|accessdate=26 November 2014}}</ref> a large and competitive agricultural sector<ref>{{cite web|last1=Aksoy|first1=M. Ataman|last2=Ng|first2=Francis|title=The Evolution of Agricultural Trade Flows|url=https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/bitstream/handle/10986/3793/WPS5308.pdf?sequence=1|publisher=[[World Bank|The World Bank]]|accessdate=25 November 2014}}</ref> (Italy is the world's largest wine producer),<ref>{{cite news|last=Pisa|first=Nick|title=Italy overtakes France to become world's largest wine producer|url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/wine/8571222/Italy-overtakes-France-to-become-worlds-largest-wine-producer.html|accessdate=17 August 2011|newspaper=The Telegraph|date=12 June 2011}}</ref> and for its influential and high-quality automobile, machinery, food, design and fashion industry.<ref>{{cite web|title=Automotive Market Sector Profile - Italy|url=http://www.enterprisecanadanetwork.ca/_uploads/resources/Automotive-Market-Sector-Profile-Italy.pdf|publisher=[[Trade Commissioner Service|The Canadian Trade Commissioner Service]]|accessdate=26 November 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Data & Trends of the European Food and Drink Industry 2013-2014|url=http://www.fooddrinkeurope.eu/uploads/publications_documents/Data__Trends_of_the_European_Food_and_Drink_Industry_2013-2014.pdf|publisher=[[FoodDrinkEurope]]|accessdate=26 November 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Italy fashion industry back to growth in 2014|url=http://uk.reuters.com/article/2014/01/10/uk-italy-fashion-growth-idUKBREA0912220140110|publisher=[[Reuters]]|accessdate=26 November 2014}}</ref>

[[File:Chianti-colline2-2.jpg|thumb|left|Vineyards in the [[Chianti]] region. The Italian food industry is well known for the high quality and variery of its products.]]

Italy is the world's sixth largest [[manufacturing]] country,<ref>"[http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NV.IND.MANF.CD/countries/1W?order=wbapi_data_value_2010%20wbapi_data_value&sort=desc&display=default Manufacturing, value added (current US$)]". access in 20 February 2013.</ref> characterised by a smaller number of global multinational corporations than other economies of comparable size and a large number of dynamic [[small and medium-sized enterprises]], notoriously clustered in several [[industrial district]]s, which are the backbone of the [[Italian industry]]. This has produced a manufacturing sector often focused on the export of [[niche market]] and luxury products, that if on one side is less capable to compete on the quantity, on the other side is more capable of facing the competition from China and other emerging Asian economies based on lower labour costs, with higher quality products.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/COUNTRIES/ECAEXT/0,,contentMDK:21808326~menuPK:258604~pagePK:2865106~piPK:2865128~theSitePK:258599,00.html|title=Knowledge Economy Forum 2008: Innovative Small And Medium Enterprises Are Key To Europe & Central Asian Growth|publisher=The World Bank|date=19 May 2005|accessdate =17 June 2008}}</ref>

The country was the world's 7th largest exporter in 2009.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wto.org/english/news_e/pres10_e/pr598_e.htm |title=2010 Press Releases – Trade to expand by 9.5% in 2010 after a dismal 2009, WTO reports – Press/598 |publisher=WTO |accessdate=30 May 2011}}</ref> Italy's closest trade ties are with the other countries of the European Union, with whom it conducts about 59% of its total trade. Its largest EU trade partners, in order of market share, are Germany (12.9%), France (11.4%), and Spain (7.4%).<ref name="cia.gov">{{cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/it.html |title=CIA – The World Factbook |publisher=[[CIA]] |accessdate=26 January 2011}}</ref> Finally, tourism is one of the fastest growing and profitable sectors of the national economy: with 47.7 million international tourist arrivals and total receipts estimated at $43.9 billion in 2013, Italy was the fifth most visited country and the sixth highest tourism earner in the world.<ref>{{cite web|title=UNWTO Tourism Highlights 2013 Edition|url=http://dtxtq4w60xqpw.cloudfront.net/sites/all/files/pdf/unwto_highlights14_en_hr_0.pdf|publisher=[[United Nations World Tourism Organization]]|accessdate=24 November 2014}}</ref>

[[File:Eurozone.svg|thumb|Italy is part of a monetary union, the [[Eurozone]] (dark blue), and of the [[Internal Market (European Union)|EU single market]].]]

Italy is part of the European single market which represents more than 500 million consumers. Several domestic commercial policies are determined by agreements among European Union (EU) members and by EU legislation. Italy introduced the common European currency, the [[Euro]] in 2002.<ref>{{cite news |title=On Jan.&nbsp;1, out of many arises one Euro |newspaper=[[St. Petersburg Times]] |first= Susan |last =Taylor Martin |date=28 December 1998 |page=National, 1.A }}</ref> It is a member of the Eurozone which represents around 330 million citizens. Its monetary policy is set by the [[European Central Bank]].

However, Italy has been hit very hard by the [[late-2000s recession]] and the subsequent [[European sovereign-debt crisis]], that exacerbated the country's structural problems.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Orsi|first1=Roberto|title=The Quiet Collapse of the Italian Economy|url=http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/eurocrisispress/2013/04/23/the-quiet-collapse-of-the-italian-economy/|publisher=[[The London School of Economics]]|accessdate=24 November 2014}}</ref> Effectively, after a strong GDP growth of 5–6% per year from the 1950s to the early 1970s,<ref>{{Cite book

| author = Nicholas Crafts, Gianni Toniolo

| title = Economic growth in Europe since 1945

| publisher = Cambridge University Press

| year= 1996

| page = 428

| isbn = 0-521-49627-6}}</ref> and a progressive slowdown in the 1980-90s, the country virtually stagnated in the 2000s.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Balcerowicz|first1=Leszek|title=Economic Growth in the European Union|url=http://www.lisboncouncil.net/growth/documents/LISBON_COUNCIL_Economic_Growth_in_the_EU%20(1).pdf|publisher=The Lisbon Council|accessdate=8 October 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title="Secular stagnation" in graphics|url=http://www.economist.com/blogs/graphicdetail/2014/11/secular-stagnation-graphics|publisher=[[The Economist]]|accessdate=24 November 2014}}</ref> The political efforts to revive growth with massive government spending eventually produced a severe rise in [[public debt]], that stood at over 135% of GDP in 2014, ranking second in the EU only after the Greek one (at 174%).<ref>{{cite web|title=Government debt increased to 93.9% of GDP in euro area and to 88.0% in EU28|url=http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/cache/ITY_PUBLIC/2-22072014-AP/EN/2-22072014-AP-EN.PDF|publisher=[[Eurostat]]|accessdate=24 November 2014}}</ref> For all that, the largest chunk of [[Italian government debt|Italian public debt]] is owned by national subjects, a major difference between Italy and Greece,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cnbc.com/id/37207942/Could_Italy_Be_Better_Off_than_its_Peers |title=Could Italy Be Better Off than its Peers? |publisher=CNBC |date=18 May 2010 |accessdate=30 May 2011}}</ref> and the level of household debt is much lower than the OECD average.<ref>{{cite web|title=Household debt and the OECD's surveillance of member states|url=http://www.nationalbanken.dk/da/om_nationalbanken/oekonomisk_forskning/Documents/4_Household%20debt%20and%20the%20OECD's%20surveillance%20of%20member%20states%20by%20Christophe%20Andr%C3%A9.pdf|publisher=[[OECD]] Economics Department|accessdate=26 November 2014}}</ref>

A gaping [[Economy of Italy#North–South divide|North–South divide]] is a major factor of socio-economic weakness.<ref>{{cite web|title=Oh for a new risorgimento|url=http://www.economist.com/node/18780831|publisher=[[The Economist]]|accessdate=24 November 2014}}</ref> It can be noted by the huge difference in statistical income between the northern and southern "comuni".<ref>[http://www.lastampa.it/economia/speciali/redditi-italia Map of Italian "comuni"'s economy (click to enlarge and get details)]</ref> The [[Index of Economic Freedom]], the country ranks 86th in the world<ref>{{cite web|title=2014 Index of Economic Freedom|url=http://www.heritage.org/index/ranking|accessdate=24 November 2014}}</ref> because of an inefficient state bureaucracy, low property rights protection and high levels of corruption, heavy taxation and public spending that accounts for about half of the national GDP.<ref name="economicfreedom" >{{cite web|url=http://www.heritage.org/research/features/index/country.cfm?ID=Italy|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080503060552/http://www.heritage.org/research/features/index/country.cfm?ID=Italy|archivedate=3 May 2008 |title=Index of Economic Freedom |publisher=The Heritage Foundation |accessdate=4 November 2008}}</ref>

===Infrastructure===

{{Main|Transport in Italy}}

[[File:Frecciarossa 1000 at InnoTrans 2014.jpg|thumb|[[Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane|FS]]' [[Frecciarossa 1000]] high speed train, with a maximum speed of {{convert|400|km/h|0|abbr=on}},<ref>{{cite web|title=Frecciarossa 1000 in Figures|url=http://www.fsitaliane.it/fsi-en/GROUP/Safety-and-Technology/Frecciarossa1000:-the-train-of-the-future/Frecciarossa-1000-in-Figures|publisher=Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane|accessdate=24 November 2014}}</ref> is the fastest train in Italy and Europe.]] In 2004 the transport sector in Italy generated a turnover of about 119.4&nbsp;billion euros, employing 935,700 persons in 153,700 enterprises. Regarding the national road network, in 2002 there were {{convert|668721|km|mi|abbr=on}} of serviceable roads in Italy, including {{convert|6487|km|mi|abbr=on}} of motorways, state-owned but privately operated by [[Atlantia (company)|Atlantia]]. In 2005, about 34,667,000 [[Automobile|passenger cars]] (590 cars per 1,000 people) and 4,015,000 goods vehicles circulated on the national road network.<ref name="European Commission">{{cite web|url=http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/cache/ITY_OFFPUB/KS-DA-07-001/EN/KS-DA-07-001-EN.PDF|title=Panorama of Transport|format=PDF|author=[[European Commission]]|accessdate=3 May 2009}}</ref>

The national railway network, state-owned and operated by [[Ferrovie dello Stato]], in 2008 totalled {{convert|16529|km|mi|abbr=on}} of which 11 727 is electrified, and on which 4 802 locomotives and railcars circulated.

The national inland [[waterways]] network comprised {{convert|1477|km|mi|abbr=on}} of navigable rivers and channels in 2002. In 2004 there were approximately 30 main airports (including the two [[Airline hub|hubs]] of [[Malpensa International Airport|Malpensa International]] in Milan and [[Leonardo da Vinci International Airport|Leonardo da Vinci International]] in Rome) and 43 major seaports (including the seaport of [[Genoa]], the country's largest and second largest in the [[Mediterranean Sea]]). In 2005 Italy maintained a civilian air fleet of about 389,000 units and a merchant fleet of 581 ships.<ref name="European Commission"/>

Italy needs to import about 80% of its energy requirements.<ref>{{cite web|title=Energy imports, net (% of energy use)|url=http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/EG.IMP.CONS.ZS|publisher=[[World Bank]]|accessdate=24 November 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/cache/ITY_OFFPUB/KS-DK-08-001/EN/KS-DK-08-001-EN.PDF|title=Energy, transport and environment indicators|author=[[Eurostat]]|accessdate=10 May 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/cache/ITY_OFFPUB/KS-GH-09-001/EN/KS-GH-09-001-EN.PDF|title=Panorama of energy|author=[[Eurostat]]|accessdate =10 May 2009}}</ref>

===Science and technology===

{{Main|Science and technology in Italy}}

[[File:Justus Sustermans - Portrait of Galileo Galilei, 1636.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Galileo]] is recognized as one of the Fathers of modern science.<ref name="Einstein">{{cite book|last=Weidhorn|first=Manfred|title=The Person of the Millennium: The Unique Impact of Galileo on World History|year=2005|publisher=iUniverse|isbn=0-595-36877-8|page=155}}</ref><ref name="Einstein"/><ref name=finocchiaro2007>[[#Reference-Finocchiaro-2007|Finocchiaro (2007)]]</ref><ref>"Galileo and the Birth of Modern Science, by Stephen Hawking, American Heritage's Invention & Technology, Spring 2009, Vol. 24, No. 1, p. 36</ref>]]

Through the centuries, Italy has fostered the scientific community that produced many major discoveries in physics and the other sciences. During the [[Renaissance]] Italian polymaths such as [[Leonardo da Vinci]] (1452-1519), [[Michelangelo]] (1475-1564) and [[Leon Battista Alberti]] (1404-72) made important contributions to a variety of fields, including biology, architecture, engineering. [[Galileo Galilei]] (1564-1642), a physicist, mathematician and astronomer, played a major role in the [[Scientific Revolution]]. His achievements include key improvements to the [[telescope]] and consequent astronomical observations, and ultimately the triumph of [[Nicolaus Copernicus|Copernicanism]] over the [[Ptolemaic model]]. Other astronomers suchs as [[Giovanni Domenico Cassini]] (1625-1712) and [[Giovanni Schiaparelli]] (1835-1910) made many important discoveries about the [[Solar System]]. In mathematics, [[Joseph Louis Lagrange]] (born Giuseppe Lodovico Lagrangia, 1736-1813) was active before leaving Italy. [[Fibonacci]] (c. 1170 – c. 1250), and [[Gerolamo Cardano]] (1501-76) made fundamental advances in mathematics. [[Luca Pacioli]] established [[accounting]] to the world. Physicist [[Enrico Fermi]] (1901-54), a Nobel prize laureate, led the team in Chicago that developed the [[Chicago Pile-1|first nuclear reactor]] and is also noted for his many other contributions to physics, including the co-development of the [[quantum mechanics|quantum theory]]. He and a number of Italian physicists were forced to leave Italy in the 1930s by [[Italian Racial Laws|Fascist laws against Jews]], including [[Emilio G. Segrè]] (1905-89) (who discovered the elements [[technetium]] and [[astatine]], and the [[antiproton]]), <ref>Lucia Orlando, "Physics in the 1930s: Jewish Physicists' Contribution to the Realization of the" New Tasks" of Physics in Italy." ''Historical studies in the physical and biological sciences'' (1998): 141-181. [http://www.jstor.org/stable/27757806 in JSTOR]</ref> and [[Bruno Rossi]] (1905-93), a pioneer in Cosmic Rays and X-ray astronomy.

Other prominent physicists include: [[Amedeo Avogadro]] (most noted for his contributions to [[molecular theory]], in particular the [[Avogadro's law]] and the [[Avogadro constant]]), [[Evangelista Torricelli]] (inventor of [[barometer]]), [[Alessandro Volta]] (inventor of [[electric battery]]), [[Guglielmo Marconi]] (inventor of [[radio]]), [[Ettore Majorana]] (who discovered the [[Majorana fermion]]s), [[Carlo Rubbia]] (1984 Nobel Prize in Physics for work leading to the discovery of the [[W and Z particles]] at [[CERN]]). In biology, [[Francesco Redi]] has been the first to challenge the theory of spontaneous generation by demonstrating that maggots come from eggs of flies and he described 180 parasites in details and [[Marcello Malpighi]] founded [[microscopic anatomy]], [[Lazzaro Spallanzani]] conducted important research in bodily functions, animal reproduction, and cellular theory, [[Camillo Golgi]], whose many achievements include the discovery of the [[Golgi complex]], paved the way to the acceptance of the [[Neuron doctrine]], [[Rita Levi-Montalcini]] discovered the [[nerve growth factor]] (awarded 1986 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine). In chemistry, [[Giulio Natta]] received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1963 for his work on high [[polymers]]. [[Giuseppe Occhialini]] received the [[Wolf Prize in Physics]] for the discovery of the [[pion]] or pi-[[meson]] decay in 1947. [[Ennio de Giorgi]], a [[Wolf Prize in Mathematics]] recipient in 1990, solved [[Bernstein's problem]] about [[minimal surface]]s and the [[Hilbert's nineteenth problem|19th Hilbert problem]] on the regularity of solutions of [[Elliptic partial differential equations]].

==Demographics==

{{Main|Demographics of Italy}}

[[File:Itadens.jpg|thumb|Map of population density in Italy.]]

At the end of 2013, Italy had 60,782,668 inhabitants.<ref>{{cite web|title=National demographic balance, 2013|url=http://www.istat.it/it/files/2014/06/Bilanciodemografico_2013_def.pdf?title=Bilancio+demografico+nazionale+-+16%2Fgiu%2F2014+-+Testo+integrale.pdf|publisher=[[National Institute of Statistics (Italy)|Istat]]|accessdate=1 October 2014}}</ref> The resulting population density, at {{convert|202|PD/km2}}, is higher than that of most Western European countries. However, the distribution of the population is widely uneven. The most densely populated areas are the Po Valley (that accounts for almost a half of the national population) and the metropolitan areas of Rome and Naples, while vast regions such as the Alps and Apennines highlands, the plateaus of Basilicata and the island of Sardinia are very sparsely populated.

The population of Italy almost doubled during the 20th century, but the pattern of growth was extremely uneven because of large-scale internal migration from the rural South to the industrial cities of the North, a phenomenon which happened as a consequence of the [[Italian economic miracle]] of the 1950–1960s. High fertility and birth rates persisted until the 1970s, after which they start to dramatically decline, leading to rapid population ageing. At the end of the 2000s (decade), one in five Italians was over 65 years old.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/cache/ITY_OFFPUB/KS-SF-08-072/EN/KS-SF-08-072-EN.PDF|title=Ageing characterises the demographic perspectives of the European societies – Issue number 72/2008|author=[[EUROSTAT]]|accessdate=28 April 2009}}</ref> However, in recent years Italy experienced a significant growth in birth rates.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://demo.istat.it/altridati/indicatori/2008/Tab_1.pdf|title=Crude birth rates, mortality rates and marriage rates 2005–2008|author=[[Istituto Nazionale di Statistica|ISTAT]]|accessdate=10 May 2009|language=it}}</ref> The total fertility rate has also climbed from an all-time low of 1.18 children per woman in 1995 to 1.41 in 2008.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://demo.istat.it/altridati/indicatori/2008/Tab_4.pdf |title=Average number of children born per woman 2005–2008|author=[[Istituto Nazionale di Statistica|ISTAT]]|accessdate=3 May 2009|language=it}}</ref>

The [[Total fertility rate|TFR]] is expected to reach 1.6 - 1.8 in 2030.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://demo.istat.it/uniprev2011/index.html?lingua=ita |title=Previsioni della popolazione, 2011 - 2065, dati al 1° gennaio |publisher=Demo.istat.it |date= |accessdate=12 March 2013}}</ref>

From the late 19th century until the 1960s Italy was a country of mass [[emigration]]. Between 1898 and 1914, the peak years of [[Italian diaspora]], approximately 750,000 Italians emigrated each year.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://library.thinkquest.org/26786/en/articles/view.php3?arKey=4&paKey=7&loKey=0&evKey=&toKey=&torKey=&tolKey= |title=Causes of the Italian mass emigration |publisher=ThinkQuest Library |date=15 August 1999 |archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20090701010600/http://library.thinkquest.org/26786/en/articles/view.php3?arKey=4&paKey=7&loKey=0&evKey=&toKey=&torKey=&tolKey= |archivedate=1 July 2009 |accessdate=11 August 2014}}</ref> The diaspora concerned more than 25 million Italians and it is considered the biggest mass migration of contemporary times.<ref>Favero, Luigi e Tassello, Graziano. ''Cent'anni di emigrazione italiana (1861 - 1961)'' Introduction</ref> As a result, today more than 4.1 million Italian citizens are living abroad,<ref name= aire >[http://www.interno.it/mininterno/export/sites/default/it/sezioni/servizi/legislazione/elezioni/0947_2010_02_01_DM27012010.html Statistiche del Ministero dell'Interno]</ref> while at least 60 million people of full or part Italian ancestry live outside of Italy, most notably in Argentina,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.asteriscos.tv/dossier-3.html |title=Unos 20 millones de personas que viven en la Argentina tienen algún grado de descendencia italiana |accessdate=27 June 2008 |last=Lee |first=Adam |date=3 April 2006 |language=Spanish}}</ref> Brazil,<ref>[http://www.consultanazionaleemigrazione.it/itestero/Gli_italiani_in_Brasile.pdf Consulta Nazionale Emigrazione. Progetto ITENETs – “Gli italiani in Brasile”; pp. 11, 19] . Retrieved 10 September 2008.</ref> Uruguay,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.hotelsclick.com/hoteles/UY/Uruguay-DEMOGRAF%C3%ADA-5.html|title=Ethnic origins, 2006 counts, for Uruguay, provinces and territories – 20% sample data}}</ref> Venezuela,<ref>Santander Laya-Garrido, Alfonso. ''Los Italianos forjadores de la nacionalidad y del desarrollo economico en Venezuela''. Editorial Vadell. Valencia, 1978</ref> the United States,<ref>{{cite web|author=American FactFinder, United States Census Bureau |url=http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/IPTable?_bm=y&-reg=ACS_2006_EST_G00_S0201:543;ACS_2006_EST_G00_S0201PR:543;ACS_2006_EST_G00_S0201T:543;ACS_2006_EST_G00_S0201TPR:543&-qr_name=ACS_2006_EST_G00_S0201&-qr_name=ACS_2006_EST_G00_S0201PR&-qr_name=ACS_2006_EST_G00_S0201T&-qr_name=ACS_2006_EST_G00_S0201TPR&-ds_name=ACS_2006_EST_G00_&-TABLE_NAMEX=&-ci_type=A&-redoLog=true&-charIterations=047&-geo_id=01000US&-geo_id=NBSP&-format=&-_lang=en |title=U.S Census Bureau – Selected Population Profile in the United States |publisher=American FactFinder, United States Census Bureau |accessdate=30 May 2011}}{{dead link|date=January 2014}}</ref> Canada,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www12.statcan.ca/english/census06/data/highlights/ethnic/pages/Page.cfm?Lang=E&Geo=PR&Code=01&Data=Count&Table=2&StartRec=1&Sort=3&Display=All&CSDFilter=5000 |title=Ethnic origins, 2006 counts, for Canada, provinces and territories – 20% sample data}}</ref> Australia,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.censusdata.abs.gov.au/ABSNavigation/prenav/ViewData?action=404&documentproductno=0&documenttype=Details&order=1&tabname=Details&areacode=0&issue=2006&producttype=Census%20Tables&javascript=true&textversion=false&navmapdisplayed=true&breadcrumb=LPTD&&collection=Census&period=2006&productlabel=Ancestry%20by%20Country%20of%20Birth%20of%20Parents%20-%20Time%20Series%20Statistics%20(2001,%202006%20Census%20Years)&producttype=Census%20Tables&method=Place%20of%20Usual%20Residence&topic=Ancestry&|title=20680-Ancestry by Country of Birth of Parents – Time Series Statistics (2001, 2006 Census Years) – Australia|publisher=[[Australian Bureau of Statistics]]|date=27 June 2007|accessdate=30 December 2008}}</ref> and France.<ref>"''[http://books.google.com/books?id=BLo2RqGdv_wC&pg=PA143&dq&hl=en#v=onepage&q=&f=false The Cambridge survey of world migration]''". Robin Cohen (1995). [[Cambridge University Press]]. p. 143. ISBN 0-521-44405-5</ref>

{{Largest cities of Italy}}

===Metropolitan cities===

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:left;"

|- style="font-size:100%; text-align:center;"

!align=center|Metropolitan City

!align=center|Area<br><small>(km²)</small>

!align=center|Population<br><small>30/09/2014</small>

|-

| '''[[Metropolitan City of Rome|Rome]]'''

| align=right|5,352

| align=right|4,336,915

|-

| '''[[Metropolitan City of Milan|Milan]]'''

| align=right|1,575

| align=right|3,190,340

|-

| '''[[Metropolitan City of Naples|Naples]]'''

| align=right|1,171

| align=right|3,128,702

|-

| '''[[Metropolitan City of Turin|Turin]]'''

| align=right|6,829

| align=right|2,293,340

|-

| '''[[Province of Bari|Bari]]'''

| align=right|3,821

| align=right|1,251,004

|-

| '''[[Province of Florence|Florence]]'''

| align=right|3,514

| align=right|1,007,435

|-

| '''[[Province of Bologna|Bologna]]'''

| align=right|3,702

| align=right|1,003,027

|-

| '''[[Province of Genoa|Genoa]]'''

| align=right|1,839

| align=right|864,008

|-

| '''[[Province of Venice|Venice]]'''

| align=right|2,462

| align=right|858,455

|-

| '''[[Province of Reggio Calabria|Reggio Calabria]]''' ''(planned)''

| align=right|3,183

| align=right|558,959

|-

|}

It should be noticed that the institution of the Metropolitan city of Reggio Calabria will be postponed until 2016, because of the dissolution of Reggio Calabria`s city council due to Mafia penetration.<ref>{{cite web|title=LEGGE 7 aprile 2014, n. 56, Art. 18|url=http://www.gazzettaufficiale.it/eli/id/2014/4/7/14G00069/sg|website=www.gazzettaufficiale.it|publisher=gazzetta ufficiale|accessdate=25 May 2015|language=Italian}}</ref>

===Ethnic groups===

{{Main|Immigration to Italy}}

{{Pie chart

| caption = Foreign population resident in Italy.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.istat.it/it/files/2011/09/ReportStranieriResidenti.pdf?title=Stranieri+residenti+in+Italia+-+22/set/2011+-+Testo+integrale.pdf |title=La popolazione straniera residente in Italia |publisher=[[National Institute of Statistics (Italy)|ISTAT]] |date=22 September 2011 |accessdate=23 January 2013 |format=PDF |language=Italian}}</ref>

| label1 = [[European Union]]

| value1 = 29.2 | color1 = #008

| label2 = [[Europe]] non-EU

| value2 = 24.2 | color2 = #08f

| label3 = [[North Africa]]

| value3 = 14.9 | color3 = #ff9b00

| label4 = [[South Asia]]

| value4 = 8.8 | color4 = green

| label5 = [[East Asia]]

| value5 = 8.0 | color5 = yellow

| label6 = [[Latin America]]

| value6 = 7.7 | color6 = red

| label7 = [[Sub-Saharan Africa]]

| value7 = 6.7 | color7 = #9b3300

| label8 = Other

| value8 = 0.5 | color8 = white

}}

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="float:right margin:10px"

|+Immigrants by country

! Country !! 2013<ref>{{cite web|url=http://demo.istat.it/str2013/index_e.html|title=Statistiche demografiche ISTAT|publisher=}}</ref>

|-

| {{ROU}} || 1,081,400

|-

| {{ALB}} || 495,709

|-

| {{MAR}} || 454,773

|-

| {{CHN}} || 256,846

|-

| {{UKR}} || 219,050

|-

| {{PHL}} || 162,655

|-

| {{MDA}} || 149,434

|}

Starting from the early 1980s, until then a linguistically and culturally homogeneous society, Italy begun to attract substantial flows of foreign immigrants.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Allen|first1=Beverly|title=Revisioning Italy national identity and global culture|date=1997|publisher=University of Minnesota Press|location=Minneapolis|isbn=978-0816627271|page=169|accessdate=1 October 2014}}</ref> The present-day figure of about 4.9 million foreign residents,<ref>{{cite web|title=Resident Foreigners on 1st January by age and sex Year 2014|url=http://demo.istat.it/strasa2014/index_e.html|publisher=[[National Institute of Statistics (Italy)|Istat]]|accessdate=1 October 2014}}</ref> making up some 8.1% of the total population, include more than half a million children born in Italy to foreign nationals—second generation immigrants, but exclude foreign nationals who have subsequently acquired Italian nationality; this applied to 53,696 people in 2008.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.istat.it/salastampa/comunicati/non_calendario/20091008_00/testointegrale20091008.pdf |title=La popolazione straniera residente in Italia al 1° gennaio 2009|publisher= [[National Institute of Statistics (Italy)|Istat]]| pages = 1–3|language = Italian|trans_title = The Foreign Population Resident in Italy on 1 January 2009|format=PDF |date= 8 October 2009|accessdate=27 October 2009}}</ref>

The official figures also exclude illegal immigrants, whose numbers are very difficult to determine; they were estimated in 2008 to number at least 670,000.<ref>Elisabeth Rosenthal, "[http://www.boston.com/news/world/europe/articles/2008/05/16/italy_cracks_down_on_illegal_immigration/ Italy cracks down on illegal immigration]". [[The Boston Globe]]. 16 May 2008.</ref> Since the [[fall of the Berlin Wall]] and, more recently, the [[2004 enlargement of the European Union|2004]] and [[2004 enlargement of the European Union|2007]] enlargements of the European Union, the main waves of migration have originated from former socialist countries of [[Central and Eastern Europe]] (especially [[Romania]], Albania, [[Ukraine]] and [[Poland]]). The second most important area of immigration to Italy has always been the neighbouring North Africa (in particular, [[Morocco]], Egypt and [[Tunisia]]), with soaring arrivals as a consequence of the [[Arab Spring]]. Furthermore, in recent years, growing migration fluxes from the Far East (notably, [[People's Republic of China|China]]<ref>"[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6550725.stm Milan police in Chinatown clash]". BBC News. 13 April 2007.</ref> and the [[Philippines]]) and Latin America (mainly from [[South America]]) have been recorded.

Currently, about one million [[Romanian diaspora|Romanian]] citizens (around one tenth of them being [[Romani people|Roma]]<ref>"[http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=42404 EUROPE: Home to Roma, And No Place for Them]{{dead link|date=January 2014}}". [[Inter Press Service|IPS]] ipsnews.net.</ref>) are officially registered as living in Italy, representing thus the most important individual country of origin, followed by [[Albanians]] and [[Moroccans]] with about 500,000 people each. The number of unregistered Romanians is difficult to estimate, but the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network suggested in 2007 that there might have been half a million or more.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.birn.eu.com/en/111/15/5745/ |title=Balkan Investigative Reporting Network |publisher=Birn.eu.com |date=8 November 2007 |accessdate=4 November 2008}}</ref>{{refn|According to Mitrica, an October 2005 Romanian report estimates that 1,061,400 Romanians are living in Italy, constituting 37% of 2.8&nbsp;million immigrants in that country<ref>Mitrica, Mihai [https://web.archive.org/web/20071023072029/http://evz.ro/article.php?artid=201813 Un milion de romani s-au mutat in Italia] ("One million Romanians have moved to Italy"). ''Evenimentul Zilei'', 31 October 2005. Visited 11 April 2006.</ref> but it is unclear how the estimate was made, and therefore whether it should be taken seriously.|group=note}}

Overall, at the end of the 2000s (decade) the foreign born population of Italy was from: Europe (54%), Africa (22%), Asia (16%), the Americas (8%) and Oceania (0.06%). The distribution of immigrants is largely uneven in Italy: 87% of immigrants live in the northern and central parts of the country (the most economically developed areas), while only 13% live in the southern half of the peninsula.

===Languages===

{{Main|Languages of Italy|Italian language}}

[[File:Map Italophone World.png|thumb|350px|Geographic distribution of the Italian language in the world:

{{legend|#0c5eb1|native language}}

{{legend|#9fceff|secondary or non-official language}}

{{legend|#00ff00|Italophone minorities}}]]

Italy's official language is [[Italian language|Italian]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Legge 15 Dicembre 1999, n. 482 " Norme in materia di tutela delle minoranze linguistiche storiche " pubblicata nella Gazzetta Ufficiale n. 297 del 20 dicembre 1999|url=http://www.camera.it/parlam/leggi/99482l.htm|publisher=[[Italian Parliament]]|accessdate=2 December 2014}}</ref> It is estimated that there are about 64 million native Italian speakers<ref>[https://www.ethnologue.com/language/ita Italian language] Ethnologue.com</ref><ref name="europa2006">{{cite web|url= http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/ebs/ebs_243_sum_en.pdf |title=Eurobarometer – Europeans and their languages }}&nbsp;{{small|(485&nbsp;KB)}}, February 2006</ref><ref>[[Nationalencyklopedin]] "Världens 100 största språk 2007" The World's 100 Largest Languages in 2007</ref> while the total number of Italian speakers, incluiding those who use it as a second language, is about 85 million.<ref name="Italian language">[http://www2.le.ac.uk/departments/modern-languages/lal/languages%20at%20lal/italian Italian language] University of Leicester</ref> Italy has numerous regional dialects,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/297241/Italian-language |title=Italian language – Britannica Online Encyclopedia |publisher=Britannica.com |date=3 November 2008 |accessdate=19 November 2009}}</ref> however, the establishment of a national education system has led to decrease in variation in the languages spoken across the country during the 20th century. Standardisation was further expanded in the 1950s and 1960s thanks to economic growth and the rise of mass media and television (the state broadcaster [[RAI]] helped set a standard Italian).

Several minority languages are legally recognised: [[Arberesh language|Albanian]], [[Catalan language|Catalan]], [[German language|German]], [[Greek language|Greek]], [[Slovene language|Slovene]], [[Croatian language|Croatian]], [[French language|French]], [[Franco-Provençal language|Franco-Provençal]], [[Friulian]], [[Ladin language|Ladin]], [[Occitan]] and [[Sardinian language|Sardinian]] (Law number 482 of 15 December 1999).<ref name="parl">{{citation |url=http://www.parlamento.it/parlam/leggi/99482l.htm |title=Norme in materia di tutela delle minoranze linguistiche storiche |year= |publisher=Italian parliament |accessdate=}}</ref> French is co-official in the [[Valle d’Aosta]]—although in fact [[Franco-Provencal]] is more commonly spoken there.<ref>[L.cost. 26 febbraio 1948, n. 4, Statuto speciale per la Valle d'Aosta; L.cost. 26 febbraio 1948, n. 5, Statuto speciale per il Trentino-Alto Adige; L.cost. 31 gennaio 1963, n. 1, Statuto speciale della Regione Friuli Venezia Giulia]</ref> German has the same status in [[South Tyrol]] as, in some parts of that province and in parts of the neighbouring [[Trentino]], does [[Ladin language|Ladin]]. [[Slovene language|Slovene]] is officially recognised in the provinces of [[Province of Trieste|Trieste]], [[Province of Gorizia|Gorizia]] and [[Province of Udine|Udine]].

Because of significant recent immigration, Italy has sizeable populations whose native language is not Italian. According to the [[National Institute of Statistics (Italy)|Italian National Institute of Statistics]], [[Romanian people|Romanian]] is the most common mother tongue among foreign residents in Italy: almost 800,000 people speak Romanian as their first language (21.9% of the foreign residents aged 6 and over). Other prevalent mother tongues are [[Arabic]] (spoken by over 475,000 people; 13.1% of foreign residents), [[Albanian language|Albanian]] (380,000 people) and [[Spanish language|Spanish]] (255,000 people). Other languages spoken in Italy are [[Ukrainian language|Ukrainian]], [[Hindi]], [[Polish language|Polish]], and [[Tamil language|Tamil]] amongst others.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.istat.it/en/archive/129304|title=Linguistic diversity among foreign citizens in Italy |publisher=[[National Institute of Statistics (Italy)|Italian National Institute of Statistics]] |accessdate=27 July 2014}}</ref>

===Religion===

{{Main|Religion in Italy}}

[[File:Facade San Giovanni in Laterano 2006-09-07.jpg|thumb|The [[Archbasilica of St. John Lateran]], the [[cathedral]] of the [[Diocese of Rome]] and the official ecclesiastical seat of the [[Pope]].]]

[[Roman Catholicism]] is, by far, the largest religion in the country, although Catholicism is no longer officially the [[state religion]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Catholicism No Longer Italy`s State Religion|url=http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/1985-06-04/news/8501220260_1_italian-state-new-agreement-church|accessdate=7 September 2013|newspaper=[[Sun Sentinel]]|date=4 June 1985}}</ref> In 2010, the proportion of Italians that identify themselves as Roman Catholic was 81.2%.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Global Catholic Population|url=http://www.pewforum.org/2013/02/13/the-global-catholic-population/|website=http://www.pewresearch.org/|publisher=[[Pew Research Center]]|accessdate=24 August 2014}}</ref>

The [[Holy See]], the [[Diocese of Rome|episcopal jurisdiction of Rome]], contains the central government of the entire [[Roman Catholic Church]], including various [[Roman Curia|agencies]] essential to administration. Diplomatically, it is recognised by other subjects of international law as a [[Sovereignty|sovereign]] entity, headed by the [[Pope]], who is also the [[Bishop of Rome]], with which [[diplomatic relations]] can be maintained.<ref>Text taken directly from http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/travel-and-living-abroad/travel-advice-by-country/country-profile/europe/holy-see/ (viewed on 14 December 2011), on the website of the British Foreign & Commonwealth Office.</ref><ref>The Holy See's sovereignty has been recognized explicitly in many international agreements and is particularly emphasized in article 2 of the [[Lateran Treaty]] of 11 February 1929, in which "Italy recognizes the sovereignty of the Holy See in international matters as an inherent attribute in conformity with its traditions and the requirements of its mission to the world" ([http://www.aloha.net/~mikesch/treaty.htm Lateran Treaty, English translation]).</ref> Often incorrectly referred to as "the Vatican", the Holy See is not the same entity as the [[Vatican City|Vatican City State]], which came into existence only in 1929; the Holy See dates back to early Christian times. Ambassadors are officially accredited not to the Vatican City State but to "the Holy See", and papal representatives to states and international organisations are recognised as representing the Holy See, not the Vatican City State.

Minority Christian faiths in Italy include [[Eastern Orthodox]], [[Waldensians]] and [[Protestant]] communities. In 2011, there were an estimated 1.5 million Orthodox Christians in Italy, or 2.5% of the population;<ref>{{cite book|last1=Leustean|first1=Lucian N.|title=Eastern Christianity and politics in the twenty-first century|date=2014|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-0-415-68490-3|page=723|accessdate=25 August 2014}}</ref> 0.5 million [[Pentecostals]] and [[Evangelicals]] (of whom 0.4 million are members of the [[Assemblies of God]]), 235,685 [[Jehovah's Witnesses]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cesnur.org/religioni_italia/t/testimoni_geova_02.htm |title=Le religioni in Italia: I Testimoni di Geova (Religions in Italy: The Jehovah's Witnesses)|publisher=[[CESNUR|Center for Studies on New Religions]] |accessdate=30 May 2011|language=Italian}}</ref> 30,000 Waldensians,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.chiesavaldese.org/pages/storia/dove_viviamo.php |title=Chiesa Evangelica Valdese – Unione delle chiese Metodiste e Valdesi (Waldensian Evangelical Church – Union of Waldensian and Methodist churches)|language=Italian |publisher=Chiesa Evangelica Valdese – Unione delle chiese Metodiste e Valdesi (Waldensian Evangelical Church – Union of Waldensian and Methodist churches |accessdate=30 May 2011}}</ref> 25,000 [[Seventh-day Adventists]], 22,000 [[The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints|Latter-day Saints]], 15,000 Baptists (plus some 5,000 Free Baptists), 7,000 [[Lutherans]], 4,000 [[Methodists]] (affiliated with the Waldensian Church).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.oikoumene.org/en/member-churches/regions/europe/italy/evangelical-methodist-church-in-italy.html |title=World Council of Churches – Evangelical Methodist Church in Italy |publisher=World Council of Churches |accessdate=30 October 2010}}{{dead link|date=January 2014}}</ref>

One of the longest-established minority religious faiths in Italy is [[Italian Jews|Judaism]], Jews having been present in [[Ancient Rome]] since before the birth of Christ. Italy has for centuries welcomed Jews expelled from other countries, notably Spain. However, as a result of the [[Holocaust]], about 20% of Italian Jews lost their lives.<ref name=isbn0553343025>{{cite book|author=Dawidowicz, Lucy S.|title=The war against the Jews, 1933–1945|publisher=Bantam Books|location=New York|year=1986|isbn=0-553-34302-5}}p. 403</ref> This, together with the emigration that preceded and followed World War II, has left only a small community of around 28,400 Jews in Italy.<ref>{{cite web|title=THE JEWISH COMMUNITY OF ITALY Unione delle Comunita Ebraiche Italiane|url=http://www.eurojewcong.org/communities/italy.html|publisher=The European Jewish Congress|accessdate=25 August 2014}}</ref>

Soaring immigration in the last two decades has been accompanied by an increase in non-Christian faiths. In 2010, there were 1.6 million Muslims in Italy, forming 2.6 percent of population.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Global Catholic Population|url=http://www.pewforum.org/2011/01/27/future-of-the-global-muslim-population-regional-europe//|website=http://www.pewresearch.org/|publisher=[[Pew Research Center]]|accessdate=24 August 2014}}</ref> In addition, there are more than 200,000 followers of faiths originating in the Indian subcontinent with some 70,000 [[Sikhs]] with 22 [[gurdwaras]] across the country,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nriinternet.com/EUROPE/ITALY/2004/111604Gurdwara.htm |title=NRI Sikhs in Italy |publisher=Nriinternet.com |date=15 November 2004 |accessdate=30 October 2010}}</ref> 70,000 [[Hindus]], and 50,000 [[Buddhists]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.buddhismo.it/ente.htm |title=Unione Buddhista Italiana – UBI: L'Ente |publisher=Buddhismo.it |date=18 August 2009 |accessdate=30 October 2010}}</ref> There were an estimated 4,900 [[Bahá'ís]] in Italy in 2005.<ref name="WCE-05">{{cite web| title = Most Baha'i Nations (2005)|work = QuickLists > Compare Nations > Religions >|publisher = The Association of Religion Data Archives|year = 2005| url =http://www.thearda.com/QuickLists/QuickList_40c.asp|accessdate =30 January 2010}}</ref>

The Italian state, as a measure to protect religious freedom, devolves shares of income tax to recognised religious communities, under a regime known as [[Eight per thousand]] (''Otto per mille''). Donations are allowed to Christian, Jewish, Buddhist and Hindu communities; however, Islam remains excluded, since no Muslim communities have yet signed a concordat with the Italian state.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.adnkronos.com/AKI/English/Religion/?id=3.1.880028077 |title=Italy: Islam denied income tax revenue - Adnkronos Religion |publisher=Adnkronos.com |date=7 April 2003 |accessdate=2 June 2013}}</ref> Taxpayers who do not wish to fund a religion contribute their share to the state welfare system.

<ref>[http://documenti.camera.it/Leg16/dossier/Testi/BI0350.htm#_Toc278992388 Camera dei deputati Dossier BI0350]. Documenti.camera.it (10 March 1998). Retrieved on 12 July 2013.</ref>

===Education===

{{Main|Education in Italy}}

[[File:The Archiginnasio, Bologna, Italy, the wing with the Anatomical theatre.JPG|thumb|upright|[[Bologna University]] is the oldest academic institution of the world, founded in 1088.]]

Education in Italy is free and mandatory from ages six to sixteen,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.camera.it/parlam/leggi/06296l.htm |title=Law 27 December 2007, n.296|publisher=Italian Parliament|accessdate=30 September 2012}}</ref> and consists of five stages: kindergarten (''scuola dell'infanzia''), primary school (''scuola primaria''), [[lower secondary school]] (''scuola secondaria di primo grado''), [[upper secondary school]] (''scuola secondaria di secondo grado'') and university (''università'').<ref>{{cite web|url=http://hdr.undp.org/en/media/HDR_20072008_EN_Complete.pdf |title=&#124; Human Development Reports |publisher=Hdr.undp.org |date= |accessdate=18 January 2014}}</ref> The [[Superior Graduate Schools in Italy|Superior Graduate Schools]] are independent institutions similar to French [[Grandes écoles]] which offer advanced training and research through university-type courses or are dedicated to teaching at graduate or post-doctoral level.

[[File:Borromini SantIvo.jpg|thumb|left|upright|[[Sapienza University of Rome]] is the largest university by enrollments in Europe.<ref>http://www.uniroma1.it/ateneo/chi-siamo</ref>]]

Italy hosts a broad variety of universities, colleges and academies. Founded in 1088, the [[University of Bologna]] is likely the oldest in the world.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://virtualglobetrotting.com/map/universit-di-bologna-oldest-university-in-the-world/ |title=Università di Bologna (oldest university in the world) |publisher=Virtual Globetrotting |date=21 October 2006 |accessdate=27 October 2009}}</ref> In 2009, the University of Bologna is, according to [[Times Higher Education-QS World University Rankings|The Times]], the only Italian college in the top 200 World Universities. Milan's [[Bocconi University]] has been ranked among the top 20 best [[business school]]s in the world by [[The Wall Street Journal]] international rankings, especially thanks to its [[M.B.A.]] program, which in 2007 placed it no. 17 in the world in terms of graduate recruitment preference by major multinational companies.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://mba.sdabocconi.it/home/main.php?id=12001&ym=2007-09 |title=Conferenze, ospiti, news ed eventi legati agli MBA della SDA Bocconi – MBA SDA Bocconi |publisher=SDA Bocconi |accessdate=30 October 2010}}</ref> Bocconi was also ranked by [[Forbes]] as the best worldwide in the specific category Value for Money.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.oie.gatech.edu/sa/programs/show.html?id=bocc |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080508020611/http://www.oie.gatech.edu/sa/programs/show.html?id=bocc |archivedate=8 May 2008 |title=Gatech :: OIE :: GT Study Abroad Programs |publisher=Web.archive.org |accessdate=30 October 2010}}</ref> In May 2008, Bocconi overtook several traditionally top global business schools in the [[Financial Times]] [[Executive education]] ranking, reaching no. 5 in Europe and no. 15 in the world.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.corriere.it/vivimilano/cronache/articoli/2008/05_Maggio/12/sda_bocconi.shtml |title=Sda Bocconi supera London Business School – ViviMilano |publisher=Corriere della Serra |date=12 November 2008 |accessdate=30 October 2010}}{{dead link|date=January 2014}}</ref>

Other top universities and polytechnics include the [[Polytechnic University of Turin]], the [[Politecnico di Milano]] (which in 2011 was ranked as the 48th best technical university in the world by [[QS World University Rankings]]<ref name=qs1>{{cite web|title=Politecnico di Milano - QS World University Rankings|url=http://www.topuniversities.com/institution/politecnico-di-milano|publisher=topuniversities.com|accessdate=8 February 2012}}</ref>), the [[Sapienza University of Rome|University of Rome La Sapienza]] (which in 2005 was Europe's 33rd best university,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.arwu.org/rank/2005/ARWU2005_TopEuro.htm|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080430202044/http://www.arwu.org/rank/2005/ARWU2005_TopEuro.htm|archivedate=30 April 2008 |title=Top 100 European Universities |publisher=Arwu.org |accessdate=27 October 2009}}</ref> and ranks among Europe's 50 and the world's 150 best colleges<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.arwu.org/rank2008/ARWU2008_TopEuro(EN).htm |title=ARWU2008 |publisher=Arwu.org |accessdate=27 October 2009 |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20080822033350/http://www.arwu.org/rank2008/ARWU2008_TopEuro(EN).htm |archivedate = 22 August 2008}}</ref> and in 2013, the Center for World University Rankings ranked the [[Sapienza University of Rome]] 62nd in the world and the top in Italy in its ''World University Rankings''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cwur.org/top100.html|title=http://cwur.org/top100.html|publisher=Center for World University Rankings| year=2013 | accessdate=17 July 2013}}</ref>) and the [[University of Milan]] (whose research and teaching activities have developed over the years and have received important international recognitions). The University is the only Italian member of the League of European Research Universities (LERU), a prestigious group of twenty research-intensive European Universities. It has also been awarded ranking positions such as 1st in Italy and 7th in Europe (The [[CWTS Leiden Ranking|Leiden Ranking]] – Universiteit Leiden).

According to National Science Indicators (1981–2002), a database produced by Research Services Group containing listings of output and citation statistics for more than 90 countries, Italy has an above-average output of [[scientific paper]]s (in terms of number of papers written with at least one author being from Italy) in [[space science]] (9.75% of papers in the world being from Italy), [[mathematics]] (5.51% of papers in the world), [[computer science]], [[neurosciences]], and [[physics]]; the lowest, but still slightly above world-average, output in terms of number of papers produced is recorded in the [[social sciences]], [[psychology]] and [[psychiatry]], and economics and business.<ref name="sci" >{{cite web|author=Nancy Imelda Schafer, ISI |url=http://in-cites.com/research/2003/june_9_2003-1.html |title=SCI-BYTES: Science in Italy, 1998–2002 |publisher=In-cites.com |accessdate=27 January 2010}}</ref>

===Health===

{{Main|Healthcare in Italy}}

[[File:Ospedale Santa Chiara Trento.JPG|thumb|right|Hospital in [[Trento]]. [[Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol]] is the region with the most efficient healthcare system]]

The Italian state runs a universal public healthcare system since 1978.<ref name="dev.prenhall_a">{{cite web|url=http://dev.prenhall.com/divisions/hss/worldreference/IT/health.html |title=Italy – Health |publisher=Dev.prenhall.com |accessdate=2 August 2010}}{{dead link|date=January 2014}}</ref> However, healthcare is provided to all citizens and residents by a mixed public-private system. The public part is the ''Servizio Sanitario Nazionale'', which is organised under the Ministry of Health and administered on a devolved regional basis. Healthcare spending in Italy accounted for more than 9.0% of the national GDP in 2008, slightly above the [[OECD]] countries' average of 8.9%.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/45/52/38979929.pdf|title=OECD Health Data 2008 How Does Italy Compare|publisher=OECD|year=2008}}{{Dead link|date=December 2009}}</ref>

Italy in 2000 ranked as having the world's 2nd best healthcare system,<ref name="dev.prenhall_a" /><ref name="photius.com" >{{cite web|url=http://www.photius.com/rankings/healthranks.html |title=The World Health Organization's ranking of the world's health systems |publisher=ΦΩΤΗΣ ΚΟΥΤΣΟΥΚΗΣ (Photius Coutsoukis) |accessdate=27 October 2009}}</ref> and in 1997 the country had the world's 3rd best healthcare performance.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.photius.com/rankings/world_health_performance_ranks.html |title=Health system attainment and performance in all Member States |publisher=ΦΩΤΗΣ ΚΟΥΤΣΟΥΚΗΣ (Photius Coutsoukis) |accessdate=27 October 2009}}</ref> Italy had the 8th highest worldwide [[life expectancy]] in 2013.<br/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://apps.who.int/gho/data/node.main.688?lang=en |title=WHO Life expectancy | publisher=WHO | accessdate=1 June 2013}}</ref> As in many other western countries, Italy is seeing an increase in the proportion of overweight and [[obese]] people, with 34.2% of Italians self reporting as overweight and 9.8% self reporting as obese.<ref name=IOTF2008>{{cite web |url=http://www.iotf.org/database/documents/GlobalPrevalenceofAdultObesity16thDecember08.pdf |archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/5lwMsu50m |archivedate=11 December 2009 |title=Global Prevalence of Adult Obesity |format=PDF |work=[[International Obesity Taskforce]] |accessdate=29 January 2008}}</ref> The proportion of daily smokers was 22% in 2008.<ref name="MPOWER 2008 pp=267–288">{{Cite book |last=World Health Organization |url=http://www.who.int/entity/tobacco/mpower/mpower_report_full_2008.pdf |format=PDF |title=WHO Report on the Global Tobacco Epidemic, 2008: the MPOWER package |accessdate=1 January 2008 |year=2008 |isbn=978-92-4-159628-2 |publisher=[[World Health Organization]] |pages=267–288}}</ref> Smoking in public places including bars, restaurants, night clubs and offices has been restricted to specially ventilated rooms since 2005.<ref name="Deutsche Welle 10 01">{{cite news| url= http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,1453590,00.html| title= Smoking Ban Begins in Italy| publisher= [[Deutsche Welle]]| date= 10 January 2005| accessdate=August 2010}}</ref>

==Culture==

{{Main|Culture of Italy}}

{{multiple image

|align=right|direction=vertical|width=190

|image1=Venezia-punta della dogana.jpg|190

|caption1=The city of [[Venice]], built on 117 islands.

|image2=Pisa Duomo.jpg|190

|caption2=The [[Leaning Tower of Pisa|Leaning Tower]] and the [[Duomo di Pisa|Duomo]] of [[Pisa]].

|image3= CasertaNorthernAspect.jpg

|caption3= The [[Royal Palace of Caserta]].|190

}}

For centuries divided by politics and geography until its eventual unification in 1861, Italy has developed a unique culture, shaped by a multitude of regional customs and local centres of power and [[patronage]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Killinger|first=Charles|title=Culture and customs of Italy|year=2005|publisher=Greenwood Press|location=Westport, Conn.|isbn=0313324891|page=3|edition=1. publ.}}</ref> During the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, a number of magnificent [[Court (royal)|courts]] competed for attracting the best architects, artistis and scholars, thus producing an immense legacy of monuments, paintings, music and literature.<ref>{{cite book|last=Cole|first=Alison|title=Virtue and magnificence : art of the Italian Renaissance courts|year=1995|publisher=H.N. Abrams|location=New York|isbn=0810927330}}</ref>

Italy has more [[UNESCO]] [[List of World Heritage Sites in Italy|World Heritage Sites]] ([[Table of World Heritage Sites by country|51]]) than any other country in the world, and has rich collections of art, culture and literature from many different periods. The country has had a broad cultural influence worldwide, also because numerous Italians emigrated to other places during the [[Italian diaspora]]. Furthermore, the nation has, overall, an estimated 100,000 monuments of any sort (museums, palaces, buildings, statues, churches, art galleries, villas, fountains, historic houses and archaeological remains).<ref name="Eyewitness Travel 2005, pg. 19">Eyewitness Travel (2005), pg. 19</ref>

===Architecture===

{{Main|Architecture of Italy}}

Italy has a very broad and diverse architectural style, which cannot be simply classified by period, but also by region, because of Italy's division into several regional states until 1861. This has created a highly diverse and eclectic range in architectural designs.

Italy is known for its considerable architectural achievements,<ref>[http://www.justitaly.org/italy/italy-architecture.asp Architecture in Italy], ItalyTravel.com</ref> such as the construction of arches, domes and similar structures during [[ancient Rome]], the founding of the [[Renaissance architecture|Renaissance architectural movement]] in the late-14th to 16th centuries, and being the homeland of [[Palladianism]], a style of construction which inspired movements such as that of [[Neoclassical architecture]], and influenced the designs which noblemen built their country houses all over the world, notably in the UK, Australia and the US during the late 17th to early 20th centuries. Several of the finest works in Western architecture, such as the [[Colosseum]], the [[Milan Cathedral]] and [[Florence cathedral]], the [[Leaning Tower of Pisa]] and the building designs of [[Venice]] are found in Italy.

Italian architecture has also widely influenced the architecture of the world. British architect [[Inigo Jones]], inspired by the designs of Italian buildings and cities, brought back the ideas of Italian Renaissance architecture to 17th-century England, being inspired by [[Andrea Palladio]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/jones_inigo.shtml |title=History - Historic Figures: Inigo Jones (1573 - 1652) |publisher=BBC |date=1 January 1970 |accessdate=12 March 2013}}</ref> Additionally, [[Italianate architecture]], popular abroad since the 19th century, was used to describe foreign architecture which was built in an Italian style, especially modelled on [[Renaissance architecture]].

===Visual art===

{{Main|Art of Italy}}

[[File:Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) - The Last Supper (1495-1498).jpg|thumb|left|''[[The Last Supper (Leonardo da Vinci)|The Last Supper]]'' by [[Leonardo da Vinci]]: equally to ''[[Mona Lisa]]'', it is the most famous, most reproduced and most parodied portrait and religious painting of all time.<ref>Vitruvian Man is referred to as "iconic" at the following websites and many others:[http://www.italian-renaissance-art.com/Vitruvian-Man.html Vitruvian Man], [http://artpassions.com/art/1109-Fine-Art-Classics/0000067329-Leonardo-Da-Vinci-Vitruvian-Man.html Fine Art Classics], [http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/story.asp?storyCode=403230&sectioncode=26 Key Images in the History of Science]; [http://www.ingenious.org.uk/read/identity/bodyimage/Curiosityanddifference/ Curiosity and difference]; [http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2006/aug/30/art1 The Guardian: The Real da Vinci Code]</ref>]]

The history of Italian visual art is part of [[Western painting]] history. [[Roman art]] was influenced by Greece and can in part be taken as a descendant of ancient Greek painting. However, Roman painting does have important unique characteristics. The only surviving Roman paintings are wall paintings, many from villas in [[Campania]], in Southern Italy. Such painting can be grouped into 4 main "styles" or periods<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.art-and-archaeology.com/roman/painting.html |title=Roman Painting |publisher=art-and-archaeology.com}}</ref> and may contain the first examples of [[trompe-l'œil]], pseudo-perspective, and pure landscape.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.accd.edu/sac/vat/arthistory/arts1303/Rome4.htm |title=Roman Wall Painting |publisher=accd.edu}}</ref>

Panel painting becomes more common during the [[Romanesque art|Romanesque]] period, under the heavy influence of Byzantine icons. Towards the middle of the 13th century, [[Medieval art]] and [[Gothic painting]] became more realistic, with the beginnings of interest in the depiction of volume and perspective in Italy with [[Cimabue]] and then his pupil [[Giotto]]. From Giotto on, the treatment of composition by the best painters also became much more free and innovative. They are considered to be the two great medieval masters of painting in western culture.

[[File:Michelangelo's Pieta 5450 cut out black.jpg|thumb|190px|The [[Pietà (Michelangelo)|Pietà]] by [[Michelangelo]].]]

The [[Italian Renaissance]] is said by many to be the [[Golden Age (metaphor)|golden age]] of painting; roughly spanning the 14th through the mid-17th centuries with a significant influence also out of the borders of modern Italy. In Italy artists like [[Paolo Uccello]], [[Fra Angelico]], [[Masaccio]], [[Piero della Francesca]], [[Andrea Mantegna]], [[Filippo Lippi]], [[Giorgione]], [[Tintoretto]], [[Sandro Botticelli]], [[Leonardo da Vinci]], [[Michelangelo Buonarroti]], [[Raphael]], [[Giovanni Bellini]], and [[Titian]] took painting to a higher level through the use of [[Perspective (graphical)|perspective]], the study of [[human anatomy]] and proportion, and through their development of an unprecedented refinement in drawing and painting techniques. Michelangelo was an active sculptor from about 1500 to 1520, and his great masterpieces including his ''[[David (Michelangelo)|David]]'', ''[[Pieta (Michelangelo)|Pietà]]'', ''[[Moses (Michelangelo)|Moses]]''. Other prominent Renaissance sculptors include [[Lorenzo Ghiberti]], [[Luca Della Robbia]], [[Donatello]], [[Filippo Brunelleschi]], [[Andrea del Verrocchio]].

In the 15th and 16th centuries, the [[High Renaissance]] gave rise to a stylised art known as [[Mannerism]]. In place of the balanced compositions and rational approach to perspective that characterised art at the dawn of the 16th century, the Mannerists sought instability, artifice, and doubt. The unperturbed faces and gestures of [[Piero della Francesca]] and the calm Virgins of Raphael are replaced by the troubled expressions of [[Pontormo]] and the emotional intensity of [[El Greco]]. In the 17th century, among the greatest painters of [[Italian Baroque]] are [[Caravaggio]], [[Annibale Carracci]], [[Artemisia Gentileschi]], [[Mattia Preti]], [[Carlo Saraceni]] and [[Bartolomeo Manfredi]]. Subsequently, in the 18th century, [[Italian Rococo art|Italian Rococo]] was mainly inspired by French Rococo, since France was the founding nation of that particular style, with artists such as [[Giovanni Battista Tiepolo]] and [[Canaletto]]. Italian Neoclassical sculpture focused, with [[Antonio Canova]]'s nudes, on the idealist aspect of the movement.

In the 19th century, major Italian [[Romantic painting|Romantic]] painters were [[Francesco Hayez]], [[Giuseppe Bezzuoli]] and [[Francesco Podesti]]. [[Impressionism]] was brought from France to Italy by the ''[[Macchiaioli]]'', led by [[Giovanni Fattori]], and [[Giovanni Boldini]]; [[Realism (arts)|Realism]] by [[Gioacchino Toma]] and [[Giuseppe Pellizza da Volpedo]]. In the 20th century, with [[Futurism]], primarily through the works of [[Umberto Boccioni]] and [[Giacomo Balla]], Italy rose again as a seminal country for artistic evolution in painting and sculpture. Futurism was succeeded by the metaphysical paintings of [[Giorgio de Chirico]], who exerted a strong influence on the [[Surrealists]] and generations of artists to follow.

===Literature and theatre===

{{Main|Literature of Italy}}

[[File:DanteDetail.jpg|thumb|right|[[Dante Alighieri|Dante]], poised between the mountain of [[Purgatory]] and the city of Florence, displays the famous incipit ''Nel mezzo del cammin di nostra vita'' in a detail of [[Domenico di Michelino]]'s painting, 1465.]]

The basis of the modern [[Italian language]] was established by the [[Florence|Florentine]] poet [[Dante Alighieri]], whose greatest work, the [[Divine Comedy]], is considered among the foremost literary statements produced in Europe during the [[Middle Ages]]. There is no shortage of celebrated literary figures in Italy: [[Giovanni Boccaccio]], [[Giacomo Leopardi]], [[Alessandro Manzoni]], [[Torquato Tasso]], [[Ludovico Ariosto]], and [[Francesco Petrarca|Petrarch]], whose best-known vehicle of expression, the [[sonnet]], was created in Italy.<ref>Ernest Hatch Wilkins, ''The invention of the sonnet, and other studies in Italian literature'' (Rome: Edizioni di Storia e letteratura, 1959), 11–39</ref>

Prominent philosophers include [[Giordano Bruno]], [[Marsilio Ficino]], [[Niccolò Machiavelli]], and [[Giambattista Vico]]. Modern literary figures and Nobel laureates are nationalist poet [[Giosuè Carducci]] in 1906, realist writer [[Grazia Deledda]] in 1926, modern theatre author [[Luigi Pirandello]] in 1936, poets [[Salvatore Quasimodo]] in 1959 and [[Eugenio Montale]] in 1975, satirist and theatre author [[Dario Fo]] in 1997.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/literature/laureates/|title=All Nobel Prizes in Literature |publisher=Nobelprize.org |accessdate=30 May 2011}}</ref>

[[Carlo Collodi]]'s 1883 novel, ''[[The Adventures of Pinocchio]]'', is the most celebrated children's classic by an Italian author.

Italian theatre can be traced back to the Roman tradition which was heavily influenced by the Greek; as with many other literary genres, Roman dramatists tended to adapt and translate from the Greek. For example, Seneca's ''Phaedra'' was based on that of [[Euripides]], and many of the comedies of [[Plautus]] were direct translations of works by [[Menander]]. During the 16th century and on into the 18th century, [[Commedia dell'arte]] was a form of [[improvisational theatre]], and it is still performed today. Travelling troupes of players would set up an outdoor stage and provide amusement in the form of [[juggling]], [[acrobatics]], and, more typically, humorous plays based on a repertoire of established characters with a rough storyline, called ''[[canovaccio]]''.

===Music===

{{Main|Music of Italy}}

[[File:GiacomoPuccini.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Giacomo Puccini]], Italian composer whose operas, including ''[[La bohème]]'', ''[[Tosca]]'', ''[[Madama Butterfly]]'', and ''[[Turandot]]'', are among the most frequently worldwide performed in the [[List of important operas|standard repertoire]].<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.operaamerica.org/pressroom/quickfacts2006.html | title=Quick Opera Facts 2007 | publisher=OPERA America | year=2007 | accessdate=23 April 2007 |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20061001054025/http://www.operaamerica.org/pressroom/quickfacts2006.html |archivedate = 1 October 2006}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url=http://opera.stanford.edu/misc/Dornic_survey.html | title=An Operatic Survey | publisher=Opera Glass | author=Alain P. Dornic | year=1995 | accessdate=23 April 2007}}</ref>]]

From [[Italian folk music|folk music]] to [[European classical music|classical]], music has always played an important role in Italian culture. Instruments associated with classical music, including the piano and violin, were invented in Italy, and many of the prevailing classical music forms, such as the [[symphony]], concerto, and [[sonata]], can trace their roots back to innovations of 16th- and 17th-century Italian music.

Italy's most famous composers include the [[List of Renaissance composers#Italian|Renaissance composers]] [[Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina|Palestrina]] and [[Claudio Monteverdi|Monteverdi]], the [[List of Baroque composers|Baroque composers]] [[Alessandro Scarlatti|Scarlatti]], [[Arcangelo Corelli|Corelli]] and [[Antonio Vivaldi|Vivaldi]], the [[List of Classical era composers|Classical composers]] [[Niccolò Paganini|Paganini]] and [[Gioachino Rossini|Rossini]], and the [[List of Romantic-era composers|Romantic composers]] [[Giuseppe Verdi|Verdi]] and [[Giacomo Puccini|Puccini]]. Modern Italian composers such as [[Luciano Berio|Berio]] and [[Luigi Nono (composer)|Nono]] proved significant in the development of [[experimental music|experimental]] and [[electronic music]]. While the classical music tradition still holds strong in Italy, as evidenced by the fame of its innumerable opera houses, such as [[La Scala]] of Milan and [[Teatro di San Carlo|San Carlo]] of Naples, and performers such as the pianist [[Maurizio Pollini]] and the late tenor [[Luciano Pavarotti]], Italians have been no less appreciative of their thriving contemporary music scene.

[[File:Luciano Pavarotti 15.06.02 cropped2.jpg|thumb|left|[[Luciano Pavarotti]], one of the most famous tenors of all time.]]

Italy is widely known for being the birthplace of opera.<ref name="books.google.co.uk" >{{cite book|url=http://books.google.com/?id=C37Gq2GagZIC&dq=Italian+opera&printsec=frontcover&q= |title=Italian Opera |publisher=Google Books |date= 29 April 1994|accessdate=20 December 2009|isbn=978-0-521-46643-1|author1=Kimbell, David R. B}}</ref> [[Italian opera]] was believed to have been founded in the early 17th century, in Italian cities such as [[Mantua]] and [[Venice]].<ref name="books.google.co.uk"/> Later, works and pieces composed by native Italian composers of the 19th and early 20th centuries, such as [[Rossini]], [[Vincenzo Bellini|Bellini]], [[Donizetti]], [[Verdi]] and [[Puccini]], are among the most famous operas ever written and today are performed in opera houses across the world. La Scala operahouse in Milan is also renowned as one of the best in the world. Famous Italian opera singers include [[Enrico Caruso]] and [[Alessandro Bonci]].

Introduced in the early 1920s, [[jazz]] took a particularly strong foothold in Italy, and remained popular despite the xenophobic cultural policies of the Fascist regime. Today, the most notable centres of jazz music in Italy include Milan, Rome, and Sicily. Later, Italy was at the forefront of the [[progressive rock]] movement of the 1970s, with bands like [[Premiata Forneria Marconi|PFM]] and [[Goblin (band)|Goblin]]. Italy was also an important country in the development of [[disco]] and [[electronic music|electronic]] music, with [[Italo disco]], known for its futuristic sound and prominent usage of synthesizers and [[drum machine]]s, being one of the earliest electronic dance genres, as well as European forms of disco aside from [[Euro disco]] (which later went on to influence several genres such as [[Eurodance]] and [[Nu-disco]]).

Producers/songwriters such as [[Giorgio Moroder]], who won three [[Academy Award]]s for his music, were highly influential in the development of [[Electronic dance music|EDM]] (electronic dance music). Today, Italian pop music is represented annually with the [[Sanremo Music Festival]], which served as inspiration for the [[Eurovision]] song contest, and the [[Festival of Two Worlds]] in [[Spoleto]]. Singers such as [[traditional pop|pop]] [[diva]] [[Mina (singer)|Mina]], classical crossover artist [[Andrea Bocelli]], [[Grammy]] winner [[Laura Pausini]], and European chart-topper [[Eros Ramazzotti]] have attained international acclaim.

===Cinema===

{{Main|Cinema of Italy}}

The history of Italian cinema began a few months after the [[Auguste and Louis Lumière|Lumière brothers]] began motion picture exhibitions. The first Italian film was a few seconds, showing [[Pope Leo XIII]] giving a blessing to the camera. The Italian film industry was born between 1903 and 1908 with three companies: the Società Italiana Cines, the [[Ambrosio Film]] and the Itala Film. Other companies soon followed in Milan and in Naples. In a short time these first companies reached a fair producing quality, and films were soon sold outside Italy. Cinema was later used by [[Benito Mussolini]], who founded Rome's renowned [[Cinecittà]] studio for the production of Fascist propaganda until World War II.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/italians/resources/Amiciprize/1996/mussolini.html |title=The Cinema Under Mussolini |publisher=Ccat.sas.upenn.edu |accessdate=30 October 2010}}</ref>

After the war, Italian film was widely recognised and exported until an artistic decline around the 1980s. [[List of film directors from Italy|Notable Italian film directors]] from this period include [[Vittorio De Sica]], [[Federico Fellini]], [[Sergio Leone]], [[Pier Paolo Pasolini]], [[Luchino Visconti]], [[Michelangelo Antonioni]] and [[Dario Argento]]. Movies include world cinema treasures such as ''[[La dolce vita]]'', ''[[The Good, the Bad and the Ugly]]'' and ''[[Bicycle Thieves]]''. The mid-1940s to the early 1950s was the heyday of [[Italian neorealism|neorealist films]], reflecting the poor condition of post-war Italy.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.filmreference.com/encyclopedia/Independent-Film-Road-Movies/Neorealism-HISTORICAL-ORIGINS-OF-ITALIAN-NEOREALISM.html |title=Historical origins of italian neorealism – Neorealism – actor, actress, film, children, voice, show, born, director, son, cinema, scene |publisher=Filmreference.com |accessdate=7 September 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.criterion.com/explore/6-italian-neorealism |title=Italian Neorealism – Explore – The Criterion Collection |publisher=Criterion.com |accessdate=7 September 2011}}</ref>

As the country grew wealthier in the 1950s, a form of neorealism known as pink neorealism succeeded, and other [[film genre]]s, such as [[sword-and-sandal]] followed as [[spaghetti western]]s, were popular in the 1960s and 1970s. In recent years, the Italian scene has received only occasional international attention, with movies like ''[[La vita è bella]]'' directed by [[Roberto Benigni]], ''[[Il postino]]'' with [[Massimo Troisi]] and ''[[La grande bellezza]]'' directed by [[Paolo Sorrentino]]

===Sport===

{{Main|Sport in Italy}}

[[File:Italia82.JPG|thumb|The ''[[Italy national football team|Azzurri]]'' during the [[1982 FIFA World Cup]] (one of the four won by Italy).]]

The most popular sport in Italy is, by far, [[Association football|football]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Hamil|first=Sean|title=Managing football : an international perspective|year=2010|publisher=Elsevier/Butterworth-Heinemann|location=Amsterdam|isbn=1856175448|page=285|edition=1st ed., dodr.|last2=Chadwick|first2=Simon}}</ref> Italy's [[Squadra Azzurra]] has won four [[FIFA World Cup]]s (1934, 1938, 1982, and 2006), currently ranking as the world's third most successful national football team, preceded by Brazil and Germany.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/archive/index.html |title=Previous FIFA World Cups |publisher=FIFA.com |accessdate=8 January 2011}}</ref> Italy's club sides have won 27 major [[Europe]]an trophies, making them the most successful nation in European football, and Italy's top-flight club football league, [[Serie A]], is ranked [[UEFA coefficient|4th best in Europe]] and is followed by fans around the world.

Other popular team sports in Italy include [[volleyball]], [[basketball]] and [[rugby football|rugby]]. The [[Italy national volleyball team|male]] and [[Italy women's national volleyball team|female]] national teams are often in top 4 ranking of teams in the world, regarded as the best volleyball league in the world. The [[Italian national basketball team]]'s best results were gold at [[Eurobasket 1983]] and [[EuroBasket 1999]], as well as silver at the Olympics in [[Basketball at the 2004 Summer Olympics|2004]]. The [[Lega Basket Serie A|Italian League]] is widely considered one of the most competitive in Europe. [[Rugby union]] enjoys a good level of popularity, especially in the north of the country. Italy's [[Italy national rugby union team|national team]] competes in the [[Six Nations Championship]], and is a regular at the [[Rugby World Cup]]. Italy ranks as a tier-one nation by the [[International Rugby Board]].

[[File:Massa Italian GP 2008.jpg|thumb|left|[[Felipe Massa]] at the 2008 [[Italian GP]].]]

Italy has a long and successful tradition in individual sports as well. [[Bicycle racing]] is a very familiar sport in the country.<ref>{{cite book|last=Foot|first=John|title=Pedalare! Pedalare! : a history of Italian cycling|publisher=Bloomsbury|location=London|isbn=978-1408822197|page= 312}}</ref> Italians have won the [[UCI World Championships]] more than any other country, except [[Belgium]]. The [[Giro d'Italia]] is a world famous long distance cycling race held every May, and constitutes one of the three [[Grand Tour (cycling)|Grand Tours]], along with the [[Tour de France]] and the [[Vuelta a España]], each of which last approximately three weeks. [[Alpine skiing]] is also a very widespread sport in Italy, and the country is a popular international skiing destination, known for its ski resorts.<ref>{{cite news|last=Hall|first=James|title=Italy is best value skiing country, report finds|url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/travelnews/9697128/Italy-is-best-value-skiing-country-report-finds.html|accessdate=29 August 2013|newspaper=The Daily Telegraph|date=23 November 2012}}</ref> Italian skiers achieved good results in [[Winter Olympic Games]], [[FIS Alpine Ski World Cup|Alpine Ski World Cup]], and [[FIS Alpine World Ski Championships|World Championship]]. [[Tennis]] has a significant following in Italy, ranking as the fourth most practised sport in the country.<ref>{{cite web|title=Il tennis e´ il quarto sport in Italia per numero di praticanti|url=http://www.federtennis.it/DettaglioNews.asp?IDNews=55672|publisher=Federazione Italiana Tennis|accessdate=29 August 2013}}</ref> The [[Italian Open (tennis)|Rome Masters]], founded in 1930, is one of the most prestigious tennis tournaments in the world. Italian professional tennis players won the [[Davis Cup]] in 1976 and the [[Fed Cup]] in 2006 and 2009. [[Motorsports]] are also extremely popular in Italy. Italy has won, by far, the most world [[Grand Prix motorcycle racing]]. Italian [[Scuderia Ferrari]] is the oldest surviving team in [[Grand Prix motor racing|Grand Prix]] racing, having competed since 1948, and statistically the most successful [[Formula One]] team in history with a record of 15 drivers' championships and 16 constructors' championships.

Historically, Italy has been a very successful nation in the [[Olympic Games]], taking part from the [[1896 Summer Olympics|first Olympiad]] and in 47 Games out of 48. [[Italy at the Olympics|Italian sportsmen]] have won 522 medals at the [[Summer Olympic Games]], and another 106 at the [[Winter Olympic Games]], for a combined total of 628 medals with 235 golds, which makes them the fifth most successful nation in Olympic history and the sixth for total medals. The country hosted two Winter Olympics (in [[1956 Winter Olympics|1956]] and [[2006 Winter Olympics|2006]]) and one Summer games (in [[1960 Summer Olympics|1960]]), and it's bidding for the [[2024 Summer Olympics]].

===Fashion and design===

{{Main|Italian fashion|Italian design}}

[[File:ArmaniHongKong.jpg|thumb|upright|''Armani/Fiori'' boutique in Hong Kong]]

Italian fashion has [[History of Italian fashion|a long tradition]], and is regarded as one most important in the world. Milan, Florence and Rome are Italy's main [[fashion capital]]s. According to ''Top Global Fashion Capital Rankings'' 2013 by [[Global Language Monitor]], Rome ranked sixth worldwide when Milan was twelfth.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.languagemonitor.com/fashion/sorry-kate-new-york-edges-paris-and-london-in-top-global-fashion-capital-10th-annual-survey/|title=New York Takes Top Global Fashion Capital Title from London, edging past Paris|publisher=Languagemonitor.com |date= |accessdate=25 February 2014}}</ref> Major Italian fashion labels, such as [[Gucci]], [[Armani]], [[Prada]], [[Versace]], [[Valentino SpA|Valentino]], [[Dolce & Gabbana]], [[Missoni]], [[Fendi]], [[Moschino]], [[Max Mara]], [[Trussardi]], and [[Ferragamo]], to name a few, are regarded as among the finest fashion houses in the world. Also, the fashion magazine [[Vogue Italia]], is considered the most important and prestigious fashion magazine in the world.<ref>{{Cite journal | url = http://books.google.com/?id=pkeaOOxb_isC&pg=PA16#v=onepage&q=&f=false | title = Your Modeling Career: You Don't Have to Be a Superstar to Succeed | isbn = 9781581150452 | first=Debbie | last = Press | year = 2000}}</ref>{{Failed verification|date=May 2015}}

[[File:Gucci No3.jpg|thumb|left|A [[Gucci]] deodorant.]]

Italy is also prominent in the field of design, notably interior design, [[architectural design]], [[industrial design]] and [[urban design]]. The country has produced some well-known furniture designers, such as [[Gio Ponti]] and [[Ettore Sottsass]], and Italian phrases such as ''"Bel Disegno"'' and ''"Linea Italiana"'' have entered the vocabulary of furniture design.<ref>Miller (2005) p. 486</ref> Examples of classic pieces of Italian [[white goods]] and pieces of furniture include [[Zanussi]]'s [[washing machine]]s and [[fridge]]s,<ref name="Insight Guides 2004 p.220">Insight Guides (2004) p.220</ref> the "New Tone" sofas by Atrium,<ref name="Insight Guides 2004 p.220"/> and the post-modern bookcase by Ettore Sottsass, inspired by [[Bob Dylan]]'s song "[[Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again]]".<ref name="Insight Guides 2004 p.220"/>

Today, [[Milan]] and [[Turin]] are the nation's leaders in [[architectural design]] and [[industrial design]]. The city of Milan hosts [[FieraMilano]], Europe's largest design fair.<ref name="wiley.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.wiley.com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/productCd-0470026839.html |title=Design City Milan |publisher=Wiley |accessdate=3 January 2010}}</ref> Milan also hosts major design and architecture-related events and venues, such as the "''Fuori Salone''" and the [[Salone del Mobile]], and has been home to the designers [[Bruno Munari]], [[Lucio Fontana]], [[Enrico Castellani]] and [[Piero Manzoni]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.frieze.com/issue/article/milan_turin |title=Frieze Magazine – Archive – Milan and Turin |publisher=Frieze |accessdate=3 January 2010}}</ref>

===Cuisine===

{{Main|Italian cuisine}}

[[File:Italian food.JPG|thumbnail|Some of the most popular Italian foods: [[pizza]], [[pasta]], [[gelato]] and [[espresso]].]]

Modern Italian [[cuisine]] has developed through centuries of social and political changes, with [[Ancient Roman cuisine|roots]] as far back as the 4th century BC. Italian cuisine in itself takes heavy influences, including [[Etruscan civilization|Etruscan]], [[Ancient Greek cuisine|ancient Greek]], [[Ancient Roman cuisine|ancient Roman]], [[Byzantine cuisine|Byzantine]], and [[Jewish cuisine|Jewish]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.inmamaskitchen.com/ITALIAN_COOKING/rome_Lazio/Rome_LAZIO.html |title=Italian Cooking: History of Food and Cooking in Rome and Lazio Region, Papal Influence, Jewish Influence, The Essence of Roman Italian Cooking |publisher=Inmamaskitchen.com |date= |accessdate=24 April 2010}}</ref> Significant changes occurred with the discovery of the [[New World]] with the introduction of items such as [[potato]]es, [[tomato]]es, [[bell pepper]]s and [[maize]], now central to the cuisine but not introduced in quantity until the 18th century.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.epicurean.com/articles/making-of-italian-food.html |title=The Making of Italian Food...From the Beginning |publisher=Epicurean.com |date= |accessdate=24 April 2010}}</ref><ref>Del Conte, 11-21.</ref> Italian cuisine is noted for its regional diversity,<ref>{{cite web|author=Related Articles |url=http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/718430/Italian-cuisine |title=Italian cuisine - Britannica Online Encyclopedia |publisher=Britannica.com |date=2 January 2009 |accessdate=24 April 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.indigoguide.com/italy/food.htm |title=Italian Food - Italy's Regional Dishes & Cuisine |publisher=Indigoguide.com |date= |accessdate=24 April 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rusticocooking.com/regions.htm |title=Regional Italian Cuisine |publisher=Rusticocooking.com |date= |accessdate=24 April 2010}}</ref> abundance of difference in taste, and is known to be one of the most popular in the world,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://travel.cnn.com/explorations/eat/worlds-best-food-cultures-453528 |title=Which country has the best food? |publisher=CNN |date=6 January 2013 |accessdate=14 October 2013}}</ref> wielding strong influence abroad.<ref>{{cite web|last=Freeman |first=Nancy |url=http://www.sallybernstein.com/food/cuisines/us/ |title=American Food, Cuisine |publisher=Sallybernstein.com |date=2 March 2007 |accessdate=24 April 2010}}</ref>

The [[Mediterranean diet]] forms the basis of Italian cuisine, rich in pasta, fish and vegetables and characterised by its extreme simplicity and variety, with many dishes having only four to eight ingredients.<ref>The Silver Spoon ISBN 88-7212-223-6, 1997 ed.</ref> Italian cooks rely chiefly on the quality of the ingredients rather than on elaborate preparation.<ref>Mario Batali Simple Italian Food: Recipes from My Two Villages (1998), ISBN 0-609-60300-0</ref> Dishes and recipes are often derivatives from local and familial tradition rather than created by [[chef]]s, so many recipes are ideally suited for [[home cooking]], this being one of the main reasons behind the ever increasing worldwide popularity of Italian cuisine, from America<ref>{{cite web|title=Most Americans Have Dined Outin the Past Month and, Among Type of Cuisine, American Food is Tops Followed by Italian|url=http://www.harrisinteractive.com/vault/HarrisPoll18-DiningOut_4-3-13.pdf|publisher=[[Harris interactive]]|accessdate=31 August 2013}}</ref> to Asia.<ref>{{cite news|last=Kazmin|first=Amy|title=A taste for Italian in New Delhi|url=http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/7ab87234-9214-11e2-851f-00144feabdc0.html#axzz2dZCeLdLg|accessdate=31 August 2013|newspaper=[[Financial Times]]|date=26 March 2013}}</ref> Ingredients and dishes vary widely by [[Regions of Italy|region]].

A key factor in the success of Italian cuisine is its heavy reliance on traditional products; Italy has the most [[List of Italian products with protected designation of origin|traditional specialities]] protected under [[Geographical indications and traditional specialities in the European Union|EU law]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Keane|first=John|title=Italy leads the way with protected products under EU schemes|url=http://www.bordbia.ie/industryservices/information/alerts/Pages/ItalyleadsthewaywithprotectedproductsunderEUschemes.aspx|publisher=[[Bord Bia]]|accessdate=5 September 2013}}</ref> [[List of Italian cheeses|Cheese]], [[salumi|cold cuts]] and [[Italian wine|wine]] are a major part of Italian cuisine, with many regional declinations and [[Protected Designation of Origin]] or [[Protected Geographical Indication]] labels, and along with [[coffee]] (especially [[espresso]]) make up a very important part of the Italian [[gastronomic]] culture.<ref>{{cite news|last=Marshall|first=Lee|title=Italian coffee culture: a guide|url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/italy/6246202/Italian-coffee-culture-a-guide.html|accessdate=5 September 2013|newspaper=[[The Daily Telegraph]]|date=30 September 2009}}</ref> Desserts have a long tradition of merging local flavours such as [[citrus fruits]], [[pistachio]] and [[almonds]] with sweet cheeses like [[mascarpone]] and [[ricotta]] or exotic tastes as cocoa, vanilla and cinnamon. [[Gelato]],<ref>{{cite news|last=Jewkes|first=Stephen|title=World's first museum about gelato culture opens in Italy|url=http://www.timescolonist.com/life/travel/world-s-first-museum-about-gelato-culture-opens-in-italy-1.15866|accessdate=5 September 2013|newspaper=[[Times Colonist]]|date=13 October 2012}}</ref> [[tiramisù]]<ref>{{cite news|last=Squires|first=Nick|title=Tiramisu claimed by Treviso|url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/italy/10261930/Tiramisu-claimed-by-Treviso.html|accessdate=5 September 2013|newspaper=[[The Daily Telegraph]]|date=23 August 2013}}</ref> and [[cassata]] are among the most famous examples of Italian desserts, cakes and patisserie.

==See also==

* [[Index of Italy-related articles]]

* <!-- [[Bibliography of Italy]] -->

* <!-- {{wikipedia books link|Italy}} -->

* [[List of English exonyms for Italian toponyms]]

* [[Outline of Italy]]

==Notes==

{{Reflist|group=note|30em}}

==References==

{{Reflist|30em}}

==Bibliography==

*{{cite web|title=History of Italy: Primary Documents|first=Richard|last=Hacken|publisher=EuroDocs: Harold B. Lee Library: Brigham Young University|url=http://eudocs.lib.byu.edu/index.php/History_of_Italy:_Primary_Documents|accessdate=6 March 2010}}

*{{cite web|title=FastiOnline: A database of archaeological excavations since the year 2000|date=2004–2007|publisher=International Association of Classical Archaeology (AIAC)|url=http://www.fastionline.org/|accessdate=6 March 2010}}

* Hibberd, Matthew. ''The media in Italy'' (McGraw-Hill International, 2007)

* Sarti, Roland, ed. ''Italy: A reference guide from the Renaissance to the present'' (2004)

* Sassoon, Donald. ''Contemporary Italy: politics, economy and society since 1945'' (Routledge, 2014)

*{{cite web|title=Italy History – Italian History Index|language=Italian, English|date=1995–2010|publisher=European University Institute, The World Wide Web Virtual Library|url=http://vlib.iue.it/hist-italy/Index.html|accessdate=6 March 2010}}

==External links==

{{Sister project links|voy=Italy}}

* [http://ucblibraries.colorado.edu/govpubs/for/italy.htm Online resources about Italy] at UCB Libraries GovPubs

*{{dmoz|Regional/Europe/Italy}}

*{{osmrelation-inline|365331}}

* [http://www.study-in-italy.it/ Italian Higher Education for International Students]

* [http://www.parks.it/Eindex.html Italian National and Regional parks]

* [http://www.italia.it/en/home.html Italian tourism official website]

{{Italy topics|state=autocollapse}}

{{Navboxes

|title = Articles related to Italy

|list =

{{Navboxes

|title = [[File:Gnome-globe.svg|25px]]{{nbsp}}Geographic locale

|list =

'''[[Geographic coordinate system|Lat. <small>and</small> Long.]] {{Coord|41|54|N|12|29|E|display=inline}} <span style="color:darkblue;">(Rome)</span>'''

{{Sovereign states of Europe}}

{{Countries and territories bordering the Mediterranean Sea}}

}}

{{Navboxes

|title = International membership

|list =

{{EU members}}

{{Council of Europe members}}

{{North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO)}}

{{Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development}}

{{World Trade Organization}}

{{G8 nations}}

{{G20}}

{{OSCE}}

}}

{{National personifications}}

}}

{{Portal bar|Italy|NATO|European Union|Europe|Geography}}

{{Authority control}}