At the center of the Mediterranean Sea, with a surface area of 301,318 sqkm (116,346 sq mi) Italy geographically comprises the Italian Peninsula, the Po River plain and the two large islands of Sicily and Sardinia. To the north the Alps, the highest chain in Europe, mark the border with France, Switzerland, Austria, and Slovenia. The independent countries of San Marino and the Vatican City are also within Italian territory.

Italy was the cradle of many great civilizations of antiquity, including the Etruscans, Greeks and the Romans, and later experienced the invasions of the Goths, Lombards, Franks, Byzantines, Saracens, Normans, French and Spaniards, and only in 1861 became a united nation. This multi-cultural past, which is at the root of the extraordinary wealth and variety of Italy's artistic heritage, the great variety of landscapes and thousands of miles of wonderful coastlines have always been an irresistible attractions for artists and tourists.

Accomodation in the large art cities:
Hotels in Rome | Hotels in Venice | Hotels in Florence | Hotels in Milan | Hotels in Naples Browse by region and province:
ABRUZZO: Chieti, L'Aquila, Pescara, Teramo || AOSTA VALLEY: Aosta || APULIA: Bari, Brindisi, Foggia, Lecce, Taranto || BASILICATA: Matera, Potenza || CALABRIA: Catanzaro, Cosenza, Crotone, Reggio Calabria, Vibo Valentia || CAMPANIA: Avellino, Benevento, Caserta, Naples, Salerno || EMILIA ROMAGNA: Bologna, Ferrara, Forlì-Cesena, Modena, Parma, Piacenza, Ravenna, Reggio Emilia, Rimini || FRIULI VENEZIA GIULIA: Gorizia, Pordenone, Trieste, Udine || LAZIO: Frosinone, Latina, Rieti, Rome, Viterbo || LIGURIA: Genoa, Imperia, La Spezia, Savona || LOMBARDY: Bergamo, Brescia, Como, Cremona, Lecco, Lodi, Mantua, Milan, Monza-Brianza Pavia, Sondrio, Varese || MARCHE: Ancona, Ascoli Piceno, Fermo | Macerata, Pesaro-Urbino || MOLISE: Campobasso, Isernia || PIEDMONT: Alessandria, Asti, Biella, Cuneo, Novara, Turin, Verbania, Vercelli || SARDINIA: Cagliari, Carbonia-Iglesias, Medio Campidano, Nuoro, Ogliastra, Olbia-Tempio, Oristano, Sassari || SICILY: Agrigento, Caltanissetta, Catania, Enna, Messina, Palermo, Ragusa, Syracuse, Trapani || TUSCANY: Arezzo, Florence, Grosseto, Livorno, Lucca, Massa-Carrara, Pisa, Pistoia, Prato, Siena, || TRENTINO SOUTH TYROL: Bolzano, Trento || UMBRIA: Perugia, Terni || VENETO: Belluno , Padua, Rovigo, Treviso, Venezia, Verona, Vicenza

English Guide to the Italian Regions:
Aosta Valley | Abruzzo | Basilicata | Calabria | Campania | Emilia Romagna | Friuli Venezia Giulia | Lazio | Liguria | Lombardy | Marche | Molise | Piedmont | Puglia | Sardinia | Sicily | Tuscany | Trentino Alto-Adige | Umbria | Veneto

LODGING:
All Categories
Hotels & Pensions
Agritourism
Bed & Breakfast
Holiday Homes
Hostels & Budget

TRAVEL:
Italian airports
Escorted Tours