Area Total | 301,340 sq km |
Climate | predominantly Mediterranean; alpine in far north; hot, dry in south |
Natural Resources | coal, antimony, mercury, zinc, potash, marble, barite, asbestos, pumice, fluorspar, feldspar, pyrite (sulfur), natural gas and crude oil reserves, fish, arable land |
Imports | Germany 16.3%, France 8.8%, China 7.1%, Netherlands 5.6%, Spain 5.3%, Belgium 4.5% (2017) – engineering products, chemicals, transport equipment, energy products, minerals and nonferrous metals, textiles and clothing; food, beverages, tobacco |
Government | parliamentary republic |
Capital | Rome |
Population | 62.2 million (July 2018 est.) |
Ethnicity | Italian (small clusters of German-, French-, and Slovene-Italians in the north and Albanian-Italians and Greek Italians in the south) |
Language | Italian (official), German, French, Slovene |
Exports | Germany 12.5%, France 10.3%, US 9%, Spain 5.2%, UK 5.2%, Switzerland 4.6% (2017) – engineering products, textiles and clothing, production machinery, motor vehicles, transport equipment, chemicals; foodstuffs, beverages, and tobacco; minerals, nonferrous metals |
News about Italy
- Thousands eager to escape Trump keen to snap up €1 Sardinian home, says mayorby Angela Giuffrida in Rome (Italy | The Guardian) on November 20, 2024
American applications would be fast-tracked although scheme is open to other nationalities, says mayor of Ollolai The mayor of a small town in Sardinia has said thousands of Americans keen to escape Donald Trump have expressed an interest in moving there after he offered homes to them for as little as €1.Francesco Columbu, the mayor of Ollolai, has staged […]
- Key points: What changes about life in Italy in December 2024by The Local on November 20, 2024
From local and national public holidays to Christmas displays and an important tax deadline for second-home owners, here's what you can expect in Italy this December.
- Italian police seize Etruscan princesses’ treasures from suspected ‘tomb raiders’by Angela Giuffrida in Rome (Italy | The Guardian) on November 20, 2024
Ancient beauty accessories, sarcophagi and urns recovered after illegal excavation in UmbriaItalian police have recovered a trove of funerary treasures, believed to have belonged to Etruscan princesses, that were illegally excavated from a vast underground tomb in the Umbria region.The finds, which included eight urns, two sarcophagi – one containing the […]
- OPINION: When it comes to dialects not all Italians feel equalby The Local on November 20, 2024
There's always been a stigma attached to southern dialects in Italy, meaning many who moved from the south of the country to the north have had to hide their true roots, writes Silvia Marchetti.
- 5 tax mistakes Americans in Italy should avoidby The Local on November 20, 2024
Navigating tax matters is no easy feat for any international resident in Italy, but things are generally even more complex for American nationals because the US enforces citizenship-based taxation.
- Take two: Biden makes it into G20 leaders’ photo after missing first oneby Associated Press in Rio de Janeiro (Italy | The Guardian) on November 19, 2024
Summit leaders have reshoot in Rio after Biden, Justin Trudeau and Giorgia Meloni were no-shows the day beforeThe first time G20 leaders took their photo together at a summit in Rio, they forgot Joe Biden. On Tuesday, they had a reshoot – with the outgoing US president firmly back in the frame.Biden; the Canadian prime minister, Justin Trudeau; and the […]
- Britain must not copy Italy’s inhumane migrant deals | Letterby Guardian Staff (Italy | The Guardian) on November 19, 2024
Tim Naor Hilton says we should start providing safe routes for asylum seekers to prevent people dying in the ChannelIt would be disappointing and dangerous for the UK to take lessons from Italy’s far-right government (Starmer backs plans to explore Italian-style migration deals to limit crossings, 17 November). Agreements aimed at preventing people from […]
- Italian minister slammed for falsely blaming femicides on migrantsby The Local on November 19, 2024
Italy's far-right education minister laid the blame for violence against women on immigrants on Monday.
- CALENDAR: When do Italian ski resorts open this winter?by The Local on November 19, 2024
If you can't wait to hit the slopes here are the opening dates to know about for ski resorts in Italy this winter.
- Left-wing alliances secure key wins in Italian regional electionsby The Local on November 19, 2024
A left-wing alliance has won two regional elections in Italy, according to final results on Tuesday, giving it six areas nationwide against the 13 held by the right and far right.
- Extradition from Rome looms for suspect in Melbourne’s 1977 Easey Street murdersby Australian Associated Press (Italy | The Guardian) on November 18, 2024
Italian government approves request for Perry Kouroumblis to be returned. He maintains his innocenceFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA Greek Australian dual national is a step closer to being extradited from Rome to Australia over the horrific cold-case killings of two Melbourne […]
- Key dates: The transport strikes to expect in Italy this winterby The Local on November 18, 2024
The winter months are usually quieter when it comes to strikes affecting the transport sector, but there are still some protests which people travelling to, from or within Italy should be aware of in the coming weeks.
- Calendar: How to make the most of Italy's public holidays in 2025by The Local on November 18, 2024
Italy offers a generous number of public holidays, but they're all taken on the exact day they fall on, meaning they sometimes coincide with a weekend.
- How a fatal bear attack led an Italian commune to rally against rewildingby Angela Giuffrida in Caldes (Italy | The Guardian) on November 17, 2024
Brown bears, introduced into Trentino province 20 years ago, have begun to clash with the local human populationFranca Gherardini used to cherish the sublime views from her home in Caldes, a village surrounded by forests on the slopes of the Brenta Dolomites in northern Italy’s Trentino province.But now she tries to shut out the scene as much as possible, […]
- Sergio Leone, ‘the Man with No English’, mimed directions to spaghetti western star Clint Eastwoodby Dalya Alberge (Italy | The Guardian) on November 17, 2024
The Italian film-maker overcame the language barrier with his actors by using mime, as revealed in previously unseen photographsThey made their names with A Fistful of Dollars, the first in a series of spaghetti westerns that became classics of 20th-century cinema. But the Italian director Sergio Leone had such a poor grasp of English that, between takes, […]
- On the agenda: What’s happening in Italy this weekby The Local on November 17, 2024
From regional elections in Emilia Romagna and Umbria to a nationwide healthcare strike and celebrations for Venice's Madonna della Salute festival, here's what to expect in Italy this week.
- La Bella Vita: Italy’s best Christmas markets and how to make pizzoccheriby The Local on November 16, 2024
From seven of the best Christmas markets you can stop by this winter to having a go at preparing Lombardy’s traditional pizzoccheri dish, our weekly newsletter La Bella Vita offers you an essential starting point for eating, talking, drinking and living like an Italian.
- Inside Italy: Why Elon Musk is obsessed with Italy and will Rome be pricier in 2025?by The Local on November 16, 2024
In this week's Inside Italy review, we look at the real reasons behind tech tycoon Elon Musk’s interest in Italy, and concerns that next year's Jubilee celebrations will result in eye-watering price hikes in the Italian capital.
- Call for investigation into far-right EU politicians’ flights to Trump galaby Jennifer Rankin (Italy | The Guardian) on November 16, 2024
Transparency International writes to EU requesting inquiry into potential failure to declare travel and ticket expensesAn NGO has called for an investigation into five far-right members of the European parliament, warning of a potential failure to declare expenses for a trip to attend a gala dinner in New York headlined by Donald Trump.Transparency […]
- ‘I’m just here for the selfie’: the mirror reflecting Rome’s TikTok visitor boomby Angela Giuffrida in Rome (Italy | The Guardian) on November 15, 2024
Thousands flock to Chiesa di Sant’Ignazio di Loyola and other former hidden gems just for photo opsThere are two entrances for visitors to Chiesa di Sant’Ignazio di Loyola, a prominent 17th-century church in central Rome that has an illustrious baroque facade.The entrance on the left is for those seeking to soak up its history and artistic treasures, or […]
- Americans in Italy: Where can you celebrate Thanksgiving this year?by The Local on November 15, 2024
For Americans seeking a taste of home or anyone craving turkey and pumpkin pie, a number of restaurants across Italy will host Thanksgiving dinner on November 28th.
- Pompeii caps daily visitor numbers in bid to tackle overtourismby The Local on November 15, 2024
The world-famous Pompeii archaeological park introduced a daily limit of 20,000 visitors on Friday in a bid to cut crowds and protect the site’s fragile infrastructure from overtourism.
- Hiker discovers first trace of entire prehistoric ecosystem in Italian Alpsby Angela Giuffrida in Rome (Italy | The Guardian) on November 14, 2024
Melting snow and ice has revealed footprints of reptiles and amphibians, dating back 280 million years A hiker in the northern Italian Alps has stumbled across the first trace of what scientists believe to be an entire prehistoric ecosystem, including the well-preserved footprints of reptiles and amphibians, brought to light by the melting of snow and ice […]
- Italy’s Albania asylum deal has become a political disaster for Giorgia Meloniby Lorenzo Tondo in Palermo (Italy | The Guardian) on November 14, 2024
Pact hailed as EU migration breakthrough in tatters after judges rule asylum seekers must be transferred to ItalyA multimillion-dollar migration deal between Italy and Albania aimed at curbing arrivals was presented by the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, as a new model for how to establish processing and detention centres for asylum […]
- Why 'cheap' Italian properties will cost you more than you bargained forby The Local on November 13, 2024
Does that social media post about a rural cottage on sale for under €50,000 look too good to be true? It may be genuine but be careful – there are reasons why no property in Italy ever really comes cheap.
- Campaigners in Italy urge pope to stop ‘sacrifice’ of 200-year-old tree for Xmasby Angela Giuffrida in Rome (Italy | The Guardian) on November 12, 2024
Twenty-nine-metre tall fir destined to be chopped down and transported to St Peter’s Square in the VaticanEnvironmental campaigners in Italy’s northern Trentino province have started a campaign to stop the felling of a 200-year-old fir tree intended to form the centrepiece of the Vatican’s Christmas decorations.The so-called “Green Giant” is 29 […]
- 7 practical tips to adjust to life in a small town in Italyby The Local on November 12, 2024
Moving to a small town or village in Italy can present a series of major challenges, including very few public transport options, patchy internet and difficulty integrating with locals. Here are seven tips to help you make the transition smoother.
- Exhaustion at work can lead to difficulty controlling emotions, scientists sayby Nicola Davis Science Correspondent (Italy | The Guardian) on November 11, 2024
Working long hours can lead to people having issues moderating behaviour due to ‘ego depletion’, research showsIf a hard day in the office leaves you crabby and uncooperative, you may have an excuse: scientists say exercising self-restraint can exhaust parts of the brain related to decision-making and impulse control, leaving you less able to manage […]
- Italian judges strike another blow against Meloni’s Albania asylum dealby Lorenzo Tondo in Palermo (Italy | The Guardian) on November 11, 2024
Far-right government angrily condemns ruling that seven men detained in Albania must be transferred to Italy Italian judges have ordered seven men detained in a migration hub in Albania to be transferred to Italy, in another blow to a controversial deal between the far-right Rome government and Tirana aimed at curbing the arrival of asylum seekers.The men […]
- Huge crime network forging Banksy, Warhol and Picasso uncovered in Italyby Angela Giuffrida in Rome and agencies (Italy | The Guardian) on November 11, 2024
Art police and Pisa prosecutor say 38 people being investigated, with about 2,100 fake artworks seizedItalian police have dismantled a Europe-wide forgery network suspected of producing sophisticated replicas of works by some of the world’s most famous artists, including Banksy, Pablo Picasso, Andy Warhol and Gustav Klimt.Thirty-eight people had been […]