Europe's
kinky
over-the-knee
boot
has
it
all:
popes,
painters,
polenta,
paramours,
poets,
political
puerility
and
potentates.
Its
three
millennia
of
history,
culture
and
cuisine
seduce
just
about
everyone.
In
Italy
you
can
visit
Roman
ruins,
gawk
at
Renaissance
art,
stay
in
tiny
medieval
hill
towns,
go
skiing
in
the
Alps,
explore
the
canals
of
Venice
and
see
more
beautiful
churches
than
you
imagined
could
exist
in
one
country.
Naturally
you
can
also
indulge
in
the
more
elementary
pleasures
of
enjoying
good
food
and
wine,
improving
your
wardrobe
and
seeking
out
la
dolce
vita.
When
to Go
Italy
is
at
its
best
in
spring
(April-May)
and
autumn
(October-November).
During
these
seasons,
the
scenery
is
beautiful,
the
temperatures
are
pleasant
and
there
are
relatively
few
crowds.
Try
to
avoid
August,
as
this
is
the
time
that
most
Italians
take
their
vacations,
and
many
shops
and
businesses
are
closed
as
a
result.
The
ski
season
generally
lasts
from
December
to
late
March;
sea
swimming
is
best
between
June
and
September;
and
July
and
September
are
the
best
months
for
walking
in
the
Alps.
The
further
south
you
go,
the
longer
you
can
linger
into
November
and
December
without
feeling
the
pinch
of
winter.
Italy's
multitude
of
festivals
and
traditional
events
may
be
a
factor
in
planning
your
visit.
Easter,
in
particular,
is
celebrated
fervently,
and
every
second
town
has
a
festive
Saint's
day.
Environment
Italy's
instantly
recognisable
boot
shape
kicks
its
way
into
the
Adriatic,
Ionian,
Ligurian
and
Tyrrhenian
Seas
- all
of which
form
part
of the
Mediterranean
Sea.
From
west
to east,
France,
Switzerland,
Austria
and
Slovenia
form
a rugby
scrum
to the
north.
The
islands
of Elba,
Sardinia,
Ischia,
Capri,
the
Aeolians
and
Sicily
lie
offshore.
Mountains
feature
prominently
in Italy's
topography,
and
bolster
its
landlocked
borders
all
the
way
from
Genoa
in the
west
to Trieste
in the
east.
Italy's
backbone
is formed
by the
Apennines,
extending
from
Genoa
right
down
to the
soccer
ball
that
bounces
off
the
toe
of Calabria:
Sicily.
The
Po River
Valley
in the
country's
northeast
forms
the
largest
lowland
area,
and
is heavily
populated
and
industrialised
as a
result.
Underground
rambunctiousness
is evident
from
the
country's
three
active
volcanoes
- Stromboli
in the
Aeolian
Islands,
Vesuvius
near
Naples
and
Etna
on Sicily
- and
the
devastation
wrought
by earthquakes,
especially
fierce
in 1908
and
1980.
Beauty
abounds
in Italy
but,
unfortunately,
so does
pollution,
particularly
in the
big
cities
and
along
the
coast.
A
couple
of millennia
of human
occupation,
coupled
with
the
locals'love
of hunting,
has
extinguished
many
animal
species
once
endemic
to Italy.
You
might
spot
a brown
bear
or a
lynx
if you're
lucky,
and
the
Alpine
regions
are
still
home
to wolves,
marmots,
chamois
and
deer.
Mouflon
sheep
and
wild
boars
and
cats
can
be found
on Sardinia,
while
in the
skies
falcons,
hawks
and
golden
eagles
dodge
the
hunters'
birdshot.
Italy's
climate
varies
from
north
to south
and
from
lowland
to mountain
top.
Winters
are
long
and
severe
in the
Alps,
with
snow
falling
as early
as mid-September.
The
northern
regions
experience
chilly
winters
and
hot
summers,
while
conditions
become
milder
as you
head
south.
The
sirocco,
the
hot
and
humid
African
wind
that
affects
regions
south
of Rome,
produces
at least
a couple
of stiflingly
hot
weeks
in summer.
Environment
