Geographical
position: Italy shares its northern alpine boundary with
France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia. The independent
countries of San Marino and the Vatican City are enclaves within
Italian territory.
Territorial area:
Total: 301,230 km2
Water: 7,210
km2
Mainland:
294,020 km2(including Sardinia and Sicily)
Population:
58,462,375 inhabitants.
Italy is largely homogeneous in
language and religion. The German minority lives in South Tyrol
(Italian: Alto Adige), the Slovenian minority around Trieste, and
the French one in the Aosta Valley region.
Political
system: Parliamentary democracy.
Official
language: The official language is Italian, as well as
German in South Tyrol and French in the Aosta Valley
region.
Time zone:
Italy belongs to the GMT +1 time zone. The zone changes to GMT +2
the last Saturday in March until the last Sunday in
October.
Religion:
Although the majority of population are Roman-Catholics (85%),
there are also old Protestant and Jewish communities as well as the
growing Muslim community.
Capital:
Rome (2,775,000 inhabitants)
Coastline:
Italy has a total of almost 8,490 km of coastline, including the
peninsula itself as well as numerous islands in the sea surrounding
the country.
Highest
peak: Mont Blanc (Monte Bianco): 4,810 m above
sea level.
Climate:
The north of Italy has a true continental climate, while the
coastal areas of the peninsula as well as the islands have a
typical Mediterranean climate. The areas of Apennines and Alps have
mountainous climate, and at the highest peaks sometimes also polar.
The east coast of the peninsula is not as wet as the west coast,
but is usually colder during winter. The east coast north of
Pescara is occasionally affected by the cold bora winds in winter
and spring, but the wind is less strong here than around
Trieste.
The summer temperature in the
Adriatic area: 25-35°C.
The sea temperature during summer:
21-25°C.
Currency:
Euro (€) - 1 EUR = 100 cent
Coins: 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50 cent
and 1 and 2 EUR
Bank notes: 5, 10, 20, 50, 100,
200 and 500 EUR
Foreign currency can be exchanged
in banks and exchange offices.
Average costs of
a meal (plus wine) for two: 60 €
Electricity:
Voltage of city power grid - 220V, frequency 50Hz.
Water: Tap
water is potable.
Telephone code:
The telephone code for Italy is + 39.
National
holidays:
| January: |
1st January - New
Year
6th January - Epiphany |
| April: |
Easter and Easter
Monday
25th April - Liberation
Day |
| May: |
1st May - Labour
Day |
| June: |
2nd June - Republic
Day |
| August: |
15th August -
Assumption |
| November: |
1st November - All Saints'
Day |
| December: |
8th December - Day of
Immaculate Conception
25th December - Christmas
Day
26th December - Santo Stefano
(Boxing Day)
31st December - New Year's
Eve |
Working hours:
Offices and shops are closed on Sundays. However, during the high
season it's possible to do the shopping every day in almost all
shops in tourist destinations.
Important telephone
numbers: In emergency cases you can dial one of the
following numbers:
Carabinieri: 112
Police Emergency Number:
113
Blue Phone emergency number -
children-related emergency: 114
Fire Department: 115
Medical Emergencies:
118
Calls to these numbers are free of
charge, and can be dialled both from telephone booths and mobile
phones.
Mobile telephone
network: There are three GSM operators in Italy: TIM
(Teleco Italia Mobile), Vodafone and Wind (only UMTS mobile
phones). Note that cell phones from North America will not work in
Italy, unless they are Tri-band. If you are coming from abroad and
you are going to make a consistent number of calls, the easiest and
most convenient way is to buy a "pay-as-you-go" SIM card and put it
in your mobile phone.
Cuisine:
Italian food is extremely popular - various kinds of pastas,
pizzas, risottos, or many other meals based on meat or seafood,
tiramisu for desert, etc.