Is Italy the most beautiful country in Europe? In this video, we discus 10 interesting facts about Italy. In my opinion, I think Italy is beautiful and there aren’t too many places with the history that it has. Some features Italy has are, the coliseum, volcanos and much more. Let me know what country you would like to see next!
Italy has one of Europe’s longest histories, yet it’s only been a country since 1861. In Roman times Italy was a single entity. It then divided into a collection of sovereign states and remained that way until 1861.
This long history of individuality is why the country today has such a wide range of cultural variations. Rome was founded in 753 BC and the Roman Empire was born in 27 BC. The Empire ruled Europe and parts of North Africa right up until 395 AD. After the fall of the Empire, Italy divided into separate states until 1861. Italy’s national day is called Festa della Repubblica and it’s celebrated each year on 2 June. Italy’s flag represents hope, faith and charity. Green is hope, white denotes faith and red is the colour of charity. Inspired by the French flag, it’s often called Il Tricolore.
Tricolore Day in Italy is 7 January. And it’s celebrated on Reggio Emilia, at the very spot where the flag was first adopted in 1797. Toss a coin into the Trevi and you’ll return to Rome. That’s the legend.
Tourists toss around €3,000 a day into the fountain. This amounts to roughly €1,000,000 every year, which is all donated to charity. There’s a reason Italy gets a few mentions in our round-up of the world’s top 20 volcanoes.
Mount Etna on Sicily last erupted in 2021, its 50th recorded eruption. However, plumes of steam regularly flow out of the volcano and are best seen from Catania. Despite its liveliness, you can also trek to Etna’s summit.
Mount Stromboli is another active Italian volcano. It’s on a small island near Sicily. If you plan to visit, check current activity and go with experienced guides. A visit to nearby Pompeii lets you see the effects of its devastating 76AD eruption. Almost 65 million people visit Italy each year. Given that most head to Rome, Florence and Pisa, it’s still possible to find uncrowded places. Try Castelmezzano in Basilicata or head to Camogli in Liguria.
Though growing in popularity, Puglia is another stunning, less crowded option, and it also happens to be one of our best places to visit with kids and features in our round-up of the best beach holidays in Italy. The first batteries were invented in Italy in 1800 by Alessandro Volta – the man after whom ‘volts’ are named. Columbus might have sailed under the Spanish flag, but he was actually Italian, and born in Genoa in 1451.
Genoa is Europe’s largest medieval town. The Bank of San Giorgia was another Italian world first, it opened in Genoa in 1149. Italy produces about 54,800 hectolitres of wine a year compared to 49,000 hectolitres produced by France. Italy’s also the world’s largest wine exporter with most exports going to Germany, US and the UK.
Visit Tuscany and take a tour of Chianti vineyards with local experts
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