Destination: ITALY | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Things To Know Bella Italia Diverse Regions The People Country of Contrasts Exploring Italy Culinary Traditions Pastimes The Etruscans The medieval Campo, in the heart of Siena © AA Photo Library |
Bella Italia
Of all European countries, Italy is the one to which travelers return time and again, their love affair blossoming with each
trip. Whether your visit is a chance opportunity or the dream of a lifetime, Italy will fulfill and exceed your expectations,
capture your heart and senses, and send you away longing to return.
From the Alps in the north, through the prosperous and fertile heartland to the stark beauty of the deep south, Italy is blessed
with some of the world's most beguiling landscapes. The northern half features Tuscany's classic olive, vine and cypress-studded
rolling countryside; the dramatic peaks of the Dolomites (Dolomiti); pine-clad white cliffs and turquoise seas; and the eerie
loveliness of mist-laden mornings in the great river valleys. The south is equally lovely, with an arid and fierce beauty
during the long hot summers, when the intense color of the sea offsets the bleached ocher mountains.
Most of Italy is mountainous, the long spine of the Apennines (Appennini) running almost from top to bottom and stretching virtually from coast to coast. Some hilly areas are immensely fertile, as in Tuscany and Umbria in central Italy, while in other places, such as Basilicata and Calabria in the south, the combination of altitude and extreme climate make the land unproductive. The largest area of flatland is the great plain of the Po river valley in the north, which extends down the eastern seaboard, an agriculturally rich and productive swath. Much of upland Italy is wooded, and there is a wide variety of indigenous plants. |
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