Italy The Italian Republic is a state in the south of Europe. It shares borders with France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia. Dolomite Mountains which cross northern Italy is a part of the mountain chain of the Alps. Apennines pass through the centre of Italy stretching from the north to south dividing the east and west coast. As a part of Italy, there are also two independent countries. Vatican is the centre of the Roman Catholic Church, and the smallest country in the world – San Marino which is located on northern coast of Italy and an independent republic. Official language: Italian. Northern provinces speak French, German and Slovenian. Sardinians speak a dialect close to the Latin language of the ancient Romans. North is an international Italy, at first sight it is not so easy to distinguish it from France or Switzerland. But here is concentrated the whole fashion chic, in this region come for shopping, as well as ski resorts. Centre is the focus of history and culture: this is Rome with its sights at every turn, the Vatican, Pisa and Tuscany fields. The south is the Italy of the films with Adriano Celentano: unhurried, lush, very hot and sunny. For art you should certainly go to Florence, there is the largest collection of paintings in Italy. One must visit Venice: this city built on canals in itself is a big attraction in the open air. The most luxurious shopping is in Milan and romantic persons will appreciate Verona. Beach resorts are located in Italy around the perimeter of the country. Almost all the coast is distinguished by sloping entrance to the sea and the beautiful bays. The most popular Italian beach resort is Rimini. It is 15km long sandy beach, a large selection of budget hotels on the coast and the entire spectrum of entertainment. Italian ski resorts are a network of first-class resorts scattered over southern slopes of the giant arc of the Alps encircling the country from the north and northwest. Here is focused a tremendous amount of the world- famous mountain centres suitable for a relaxing break at any time of year and many small resorts that combine excellent opportunities for winter recreation and unique programs of outdoor activities and ecotourism. Valley di Fassa is one of the most popular ski areas in Italy suited for fans of diverse skiing and frequent route change. Here is comfortable for families with children and young companies, and skiers with different levels of training. Thanks to the huge amount of snow cannons, you can ski on the slopes even in the little snow winter.

The list of attractions in Italy

• Valley of the Temples in Sicily
• The Uffizi Gallery in Florence
• Sassidi Matera Cave Town
• Ancient Pompeii
• Amalfi and its coast
• The historic centre of Siena
• Vatican
• Leaning Tower of Pisa

Rome is the capital of Italy and the Lazio Region, the country’s largest and one of the most visited cities in the world. The city stands on 12 hills and its centre, the old town is on seven hills. From the north to south through the city flows the river Tiber. Architectural monuments of the city reflect its almost thousand-year history. Painters, sculptors and architects from all over Europe came here to work on the orders of senior clerics and popes. During the Renaissance, there were created especially outstanding works of architecture. In Rome remained some ancient monuments (Colosseum, the Pantheon, the triumphal arches, baths), the whole architectural ensembles (Forums), medieval quarters (Trastevere), numerous palaces and churches of the Renaissance. The city picturesque spread out over the hills is decorated with marble staircases, cosy squares with fountains, numerous monuments of different eras. Rome is a unique city which contains an independent Vatican State. It is the main centre of Catholicism with the abundance of the Catholic Churches created by top Italian architects and decorated with the works of the great Italian painters and sculptors. Masterpieces of Italian painting and sculpture are gathered in the Vatican, the Capitoline Museums, the Borghese Gallery, the Lateran. Many archaeological findings are presented in the Roman National Museum. Today, Rome is one the oldest and one of the most visited cities in the world thanks to a huge focus of historical and architectural monuments of different eras. The city centre is completely included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. After passing through the thickness of the century ‘Eternal City’ carried down to us the grandeur of palaces and cathedrals, power of the medieval castles and the silver music of the Baroque fountains. Now, every tourist knows that ‘all roads lead to Rome,’ and tries to visit this city at least once. Milan is the capital of the Lombardy region, the economic centre of Italy, as well as the most populous city in the country. It is the second largest city of Italy, the largest industrial, financial, commercial and transportation hub of the country, an important cultural centre, as well as the legislator of the European fashion. The city is famous for its museums, art galleries, theatres, monuments. It always attracts a huge number of tourists who want not only to plunge into the bustling nightlife of Milan which it is so famous for, but also to visit historical sites and attractions. The most famous architectural monument and symbol of Milan is the Gothic Cathedral Duomo (Duomo di Milano), the oldest shopping arcade Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, the medieval Sforza Castle (Castello di Sforzesco), scenic Sempione Park (Parco Sempione) and, of course, Last Supper fresco by the great Leonardo. In addition, Milan can be considered a culinary centre of Italian cuisine. In this city, you can enjoy native traditional meals and drinks including the world famous varieties of white and red wines. In the entire world the city is famous for its opera house La Scala. Milan has many large boutiques of all famous fashion houses. The best shops are located in Via Montenapoleone. In our time, Milan gained fame as a city which is the legislator of the world of fashion. Main place that should be visited going to Milan to make a shopping tour is Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II. This is a whole avenue of boutiques which every connoisseur of fashion considers the purpose to visit. This place is a business card of Milan. Here are sold the most expensive and luxurious objects of fashion houses collections.