1. Italy is the fifth most visited country in the world
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.
Puglia |
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| Florence |
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| Castelmezzano |
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Pisa |
2. Rome is over 2,000 years old
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.
3. Italy's last king ruled for just 34 days
Italy was a dictatorship until 1945, although it also had a royal family until 1946.
After WWII the country voted to become a republic. King Umberto II only ruled from 9 May to 12 June 1946.
He ended his days exiled in Portugal. In a nod to his unusually short reign, he's known in Italy as, "the May King".
4. Italy has more World Heritage sites than any other country
Italy is home to the largest number of UNESCO heritage site in the world. It has 58 world heritage sites, more than anywhere else on earth.. They cover the entire country, and range from Mount Etna to the Colosseum..
5. Italy is home to Europe’s only three active volcanoes
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.
Vesuvius in Naples has been dormant since 1944. But a visit to nearby Pompeii lets you see the effects of its devastating 76AD eruption.
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| Mount Etna |
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| Mount Stromboli |
6. The Vatican City is the world's smallest country
The Vatican City in Rome covers just 1000 acres. In 1929 it became a sovereign nation and the Pope is officially its head of state.
The Vatican's economy is mainly fueled by donations. It's only an 1/8 of the size of Central Park, yet packed with monuments. This is where you'll see St Peter's Basilica and it's also home to the Sistine Chapel.
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Vatican City |
7. Santorio Santorio designed the world's first thermometer
Italian Santorio Santorio invented the thermometer in 1612. It was the first instrument to show an exact temperature against a scale.
Galileo had previously worked on a thermoscope. But his invention only showed changes in temperature and didn't measure the degrees of change.
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| Santorio Santorio |
8. Christopher Columbus was Italian
Columbus might have sailed under the Spanish flag, but he was actually Italian, and born in Genoa in 1451.
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| Christopher Columbus |
9. The first ever bank started in Italy
It is generally accepted that the first bank in the world was established at the peak of the Italian Renaissance in Siena in the fifteenth century. At that time Sienna was part of the Republic of Florence which was one of the most powerful financial centers in Italy. The bank is called Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena and in its original form was created in 1472.
10. Italians invented eyeglasses
Italians also invented corrective eyeglasses. They were first made in the 13th century, and used mainly by monks. Previously Ancient Romans had used magnifying glasses, but medieval Italian eyeglasses were the first to be worn.
11. Fourteen billion espressos are consumed in Italy each year
Over 20,000 Italians work as baristas and the country's average household coffee consumption is 37 kg a year.
You can drink espresso any time in Italy. But it's an unspoken rule that you don't order Cappuccino after 11am.
12. Italy is the world's largest wine producer
Italy produces about 54,800 hectoliters of wine a year compared to 49,000 hectoliters produced by France. which is almost 20% of the global production. With a long history of winemaking (since the Greek colonization), an ideal climate and over 700 thousand ha of vineyards all work in their favor, thus making it the biggest wine producer in the world.
