Places of interest to be found within the city of Milan include The Duomo, which houses the largest collection of marble statues in the world, the Binlioteca Ambrosiana, a library which contains many of the drawings produced by Leonardo da Vinci, and is considered to be one of the major repositories of European culture within Europe and the Teatro alla Scala, considered to be one of the most important operatic centres in the world.

If we consider Milan to be the fashion centre of Italy, then surely Turin must be the historic and cultural centre. Famous as the home of the Shroud of Turin, the cloth which is believed by many to have been used to wrap the body of Jesus Christ after the crucifixion. Motoring enthusiasts will be enthralled by a visit to either headquarters of Fiat, or Lancia, both of which have their head offices in Turin, along with some of their more classic models on display. History buffs will enjoy a visit to Palatine Towers; these are some of the best and most well preserved Roman ruins in Italy. Of course most people will wish to visit the Cathedral of St John the Baptist, which houses the aforementioned Shroud of Turin.

Sardinia is the second largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, covering an area of approximately 24,000 square miles. It is a mountainous island with several large coastal plains and exhibits a Mediterranean climate all year round. A popular destination for tourists looking for a beach holiday, Sardinia continues to be one of the best summer sun destinations in the world. Sardinia is not all about sun and sand, there are actually eight regional parks within Sardinia, all of which make a great choice of location to spend a day away from the beach.

Geography

Italy, slightly larger than Arizona, is a long peninsula shaped like a boot, surrounded on the west by the Tyrrhenian Sea and on the east by the Adriatic. It is bounded by France, Switzerland, Austria, and Slovenia to the north. The Apennine Mountains form the peninsula’s backbone; the Alps form its northern boundary. The largest of its many northern lakes is Garda (143 sq mi; 370 sq km); the Po, its principal river, flows from the Alps on Italy’s western border and crosses the Lombard plain to the Adriatic Sea. Several islands form part of Italy; the largest are Sicily (9,926 sq mi; 25,708 sq km) and Sardinia (9,301 sq mi; 24,090 sq km).

Government

Republic.

History

The migrations of Indo-European peoples into Italy probably began about 2000 B.C. and continued until 1000 B.C. From about the 9th century B.C. until it was overthrown by the Romans in the 3rd century B.C. , the Etruscan civilization was dominant. By 264 B.C. , all Italy south of Cisalpine Gaul was under the leadership of Rome. For the next seven centuries, until the barbarian invasions destroyed the western Roman Empire in the 4th and 5th centuries A.D. , the history of Italy is largely the history of Rome. From 800 on, the Holy Roman Emperors, Roman Catholic popes, Normans, and Saracens all vied for control over various segments of the Italian peninsula. Numerous city-states, such as Venice and Genoa, whose political and commercial rivalries were intense, and many small principalities flourished in the late Middle Ages. Although Italy remained politically fragmented for centuries, it became the cultural center of the Western world from the 13th to the 16th century.

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Sicily (Sicilia in Italian) is an autonomous region of Italy and the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, with an area of 25,700 sq. km and 5 million inhabitants.

Towns and Cities

Sicily’s principal cities include the regional capital Palermo, together with the other provincial capitals Catania, Messina, Syracuse (Siracusa in Italian), Trapani, Enna, Caltanissetta, Agrigento, Ragusa. Other famous Sicilian towns include Cefalù, Taormina, Bronte, Marsala, Corleone, Castellammare del Golfo Francavilla di Sicilia, and Abacaenum (now Tripi). The regional flag is divided diagonally yellow over red, with the trinacria symbol in the center.

Geography

The volcano Etna, is situated close to Catania. Etna is 3,320 m (10,900 ft) high, making it the tallest volcano in Europe. It is also one of the world’s most active volcanos.

The Aeolian islands to the north are administratively a part of Sicily, as are the Aegadian Islands to the west, Ustica Island to the north-west, and the Pelagian Islands to the south-west.

Sicily has been noted for two millennia as a grain-producing territory: olives and wine are among its other agricultural products. The mines of the Caltanissetta district became a leading sulphur-producing area in the 19th century, but have declined since the 1950s.

Arts

Sicily is well known as a country of art: many poets and writers were born on this island, starting from the Sicilian School in the early 13th century, which inspired much subsequent Italian poetry and created the first Italian standard. The most famous, however, are Luigi Pirandello, Giovanni Verga, Salvatore Quasimodo, Gesualdo Bufalino and the dialectal poet Ignazio Buttitta. Other Sicilian artists include the composers Sigismondo d’India (from Palermo), Vincenzo Bellini (from Catania), as well as the sculptor Tommaso Geraci.

Noto and Ragusa contain some of Italy’s best examples of Baroque architecture, carved in the local red sandstone. Caltagirone is renowned for its decorative ceramics. Palermo is also a major center of Italian opera. Its Teatro Massimo is the largest opera house in Italy and the third largest in the world, seating 1400.

Sicily is also home to two prominent folk art traditions, both of which draw heavily on the island’s Norman influence. Donkey carts are painted with intricate decorations of scenes from the Norman romantic poems, such as The Song of Roland. The same tales are told in traditional puppet theatres which feature hand-made wooden marionettes.

The 1988 movie Cinema Paradiso was about life in a Sicilian town following the Second World War.

My first visit to Palermo was a memorable one that far exceeded my expectations for both the city and the people. I really did not know what to expect as I booked my ticket to Palermo — most people in San Francisco made some remark about pizza or the mafia when I mentioned my upcoming trip to Sicily. I was pleasantly surprised that Palermo offers considerably more than what my friends believed.
The first hint that Palermo was going to be something unique came before I even set foot on the ground. From the air, Palermo is beautiful with dramatic mountains rising sharply from the turquoise sea. Once in the historical part of the city, it became evident that Palermo is truly a special place.
For me, Palermo’s beauty is as much the result of its setting as it is the city’s historical and cultural richness. Palermo’s architectural mix is unlike anything I have ever seen and is a testament to the many cultures that have inhabited the city in the past.
From the Palazzo dei Normanni to the Teatro Massimo to the Santa Maria dell’Ammiraglio Church it seemed like everywhere I turned I saw evidence of the many influences — Arab, Norman, French, Spanish and Byzantine — that have made Palermo such an interesting city. My favorite area for exploring was La Kalsa with its narrow labyrinthine streets and vibrant street life. The Chiesa di Santa Maria dello Spasimo was a highlight with towering ailanthus trees growing up through its unfinished ceiling.

I discovered that Palermo’s appeal extends well beyond the city boundaries once I set out along the coast in a kayak from Mondello Beach. Within a short time I found myself marveling at the high limestone cliffs as sardines leapt in the sparking waters ahead of me and delicate, translucent jellyfish swam below. I visited the hidden, but beautiful “Oil Cave” where the sea is a glowing blue color and the walls are dotted with small shining minerals.
Finally I can’t forget the people of Palermo. In my travels it is rare to find a population so friendly and accommodating. Despite my lack of Italian I managed to meet many wonderful Palermians.
The people of Palermo should take pride in their beautiful city and fascinating history. I will treasure my memories from my time in Palermo and am looking forward to my next visit.

Italy is a country known for both its beauty and its history. Here, the city of Palermo is seen from Piana degli Albanesi, Sicily, which is the most important of five Albanian settlements in Sicily. Piana degli Albanesi has about 6,000 Arberereshe residents, who are decedents of Albanians who immigrated to Sicily during the 15th century. The residents still keep their traditions and speak Arberes, which will soon be taught in schools.

Italy are the wildcards ahead of Ireland clash

Italy’s influential flanker Mauro Bergamasco says his side won’t be lacking in confidence in tonight’s massive game against Ireland in Dunedin.It is the last pool game of this year’s World Cup and it has huge implications on what the make-up of the quarterfinals will be.If Italy beat Ireland they’ll finish second in the pool, Australia come top and Ireland go home.It also means the Wallabies no longer have the route of death to the final. They will play Wales in the quarterfinal and then England or France in the semifinal if they beat Warren Gatland’s side.In the other half of the draw, Italy face the Springboks in the last eight, with the winner of that game playing the All Blacks.While Ireland are favourites, their form leading up to the World Cup and in their other games aside from the win over Australia has been average.

Italy were desperately unlucky to lose to Ireland in this year’s Six Nations and it took a 77th minute drop goal from Ronan O’Gara to clinch a 13-11 win.Bergamasco says his team-mates will go into tonight’s game confident they can pull off a historic victory.”We have been building our confidence for the last two years and now at the World Cup we’re building that confidence higher match after match,” he told Sunday News.”We are aware Ireland may be the strongest team in our pool and it’s going to be a big match and a tough game.”There is no doubt Italy have the better front row and Ireland have better locks but it’s a close call on the back row. The Azzurri have Bergamasco and the world’s best No8 in Sergio Parisse, along with the handy Alessandro Zanni, while Ireland’s trio of Stephen Ferris, Sean O’Brien and Jamie Heaslip were outstanding in against Australia.Bergamasco missed Italy’s build-up and their first game, against Australia, but was impressive against Russia and USA.”I’m loving playing again,” he said. “I am really happy to be back in this group and have the possibility to play every week.

“This is really important to me and I’m grateful the staff have given me the chance to improve and give my all to the team.”Meanwhile, Ireland Ireland coach Declan Kidney has handed fledgling halfback Conor Murray his second international.The 22-year-old made his debut off the bench in the August warm-up test against France. He started in Ireland’s opening World Cup match against the USA and was an impressive replacement in the upset win over Australia.His lack of experience may have been influential in the return of vastly experienced Ronan O’Gara at first-five in the only other change from the team who started against Australia.”He’s a good player,” Kidney said of Murray. “He’s taken things in his stride, really.”Brian O’Driscoll, who sat out the win over Russia, returns to captain the team and said he had absolute faith in Murray.”He’s new but he’s dealing with it very well,” he said. “He’s a confident young man, very much in his depth in the surroundings.”