Additionally, Italy has remained an international prized possession, noted for its interesting terrain and significant positioning.

Due to countless invasions, the country has been immersed with practically all examples of each artistic era including: Egyptian obelisks, Greek temples, Byzantine mosaics, Baroque fountains and Etruscan huts. All of this rich artistic history is spread across 19 regions. There is a unique vibrancy of dialects, dress customs and artistic styles.

The Italians enjoy the finer things in life, most notably culinary delights.

Italy is a country where one may take a leisurely gondola ride or dance the night away at a techno-night club: there is something for everyone in the country famous for the language of romance and more.

Fast Facts About Italy

The official name of the country is the Italian Republic. The government is a republic. The Capital of the country is Rome. The land area comprises 294,020 km. The geography is mainly rugged and mountainous with some plains and coastal lowlands. The climate is Mediterranean; hot and dry in the south; and Alpine in the far north. Major cities include: Venice, Milan, Florence and Naples.

The main language is Italian with some German (spoken). The primary religion is Roman Catholic with other religions encompassing a mere two percent of the population. Major Italian exports include engineering products, textiles, production machinery and chemicals.

You will want to start your Italian venture in the city of Rome. Here you may view the ruins of the Roman Empire; the cathedrals of Christianity and the art of the Renaissance while gallivanting around the city on a moped. Later you will want to travel north to Umbria; then check out magnificent Sienna and the medieval towers of San Gimignano.

As you continue northward, you will want to visit Florence where colorful roofs house and shelter the works of the Renaissance grandmasters. The well-known Leaning tower is close by in Pisa. You will find charm and plenty of palaces in Genoa. The mysterious shroud of Turin may be viewed prior to your arrival to the five vibrant fishing villages of Clinque Terre located on the Riviera.

You'll find the nightlife in Milan exciting and fast-paced once you travel away from the coast. The beauty of Lake Como cannot be rivaled.

The dreamy town of Verona is a “romantics” paradise. Skiing is a year-round activity at nearby Trent. Travel to Venice for mist-laden mornings. Padua is filled with water colored plaster or frescoes. Ravenna is a Byzantine treasure chest located on the country's east coast. Bologna, located further inland is full of culinary delights. Naples is a great place to satisfy cravings for pizza. Roman remains may be found on a trip to Pompeii (buried in AD 70.) Next stop is magnificent Capri and the Amalfi Coast with its crystal blue waters.

Head back to Naples. Palermo is accessible by a ferry. The tour of Italy ends at the Aeolian Islands with their volcanoes and sandy beaches.

Italy's enormous capital (Rome or Roma) is full of marble, statues and vehicles. The city has 2,000 years of history, art, architecture, literature and politics.

Rome, in its long enduring history has been the capital of kingdoms and republics. This is where the famous Roman Empire defined the Western World and it is from here where the Catholic Church has spread its influence on a world wide basis.

The traveler will enjoy the sights, the culinary aromas, and city noise that make Rome such an exhilarating city.

The Centro Storico is the area to stay if you wish to be close to Rome's famous sites. The medieval center provides many accommodations. Several suggestions follow:

• Albergo Pomezia, V. dei Chianari 12 (Behind S. Andrea della Valle.) Rooms have phones and stays include breakfast.
• Albergo Abruzzi, P. della Rotonda 69. The accommodation is located (only) two hundred feet from the Pantheon. The rooms are very old-fashioned and clean.
• Hotel Piccolo, V. del Chiavari 32. rooms have fans and phones. Stays include breakfast.
• Hotel Navona, V. del Sedian 8, 1st fl. V. del Canestrari from P. Navona. The accommodation is a 16th century Borromini building and has been a pensione for one-hundred fifty years. Breakfast is included with stay.
• Albergo del Sole, V. del Biscione 76, off Campo dei Flori. The accommodation is reported as being Rome's oldest pensione. Here the visitor will find modern rooms with phone, fan, TV and antique furnishings.
• Accommodations near Piazza Di Spagna are only a brief walk to Prada. The following hotels are suggested:
• Pensione Panda, V. della Croce 35. The lodging provides lovely painted and vaulted bathroom ceilings.
• Pensione Jonella, V. della Croce 41. The rooms are spacious, quiet, and cool even during summer months. There is no reception area so call ahead in order that someone may meet you.
• Hotel Pensione Suisse S.A.S., V. Gregoriana 54. The furniture is old-fashioned with extremely “comfy” beds. An in-room breakfast is included. Curfew is two a.m.
• Hotel Boccaccio, V. del Boccaccio 25. M: A-Barberini. The staff is quite friendly, providing a warm welcome. The rooms have elegant décor with wood floors.

Trastevere is a nice artsy neighborhood. The streets are filled with markets and working class Romans by day and after the sun goes down, an exciting nightlife. Two suggestions for lodging follow:

• Hotel Trastevere, V. Luciano Manara 25. Take a right off V. di Trastevere onto V. delle Fratte di Trastevere. There are nine quiet rooms with “graceful” furnishings, bath, television and phone. Breakfast is served in the morning.
• Hotel Carmel, V.G. Mameli 11. (Take a right onto V.E. Morosini (V.G. Mameli) off V. di Trastevere. Rooms each have a bath and breakfast is included with your stay.

Centro Storico or Rome's historic center offers the visitor many places to eat. Expect serenades by street performers in the area, particularly around P. Navona.

• Pizzeria Pentola, V. Metastasio 21. Off P. di Campo Marzio. Try Pizza dello chef made with spinach and parmesan.
• Pizzeria Baffetto, V. del Governo Vecchio 114. At V. Sora. This establishment, at one time was a meeting place for 60's radicals. Nowadays it is a popular eatery.
• Trattoria Da Luigi, P.S. Cesarini 24 near Chiesa Nuova. Here the cuisine can be described as “inventive” with dishes such as tagliolini with shrimp, asparagus and tomato. There is also a terrific antipasto buffet.
• Ristorante da Giggetto, V. Del Portico d'Ottavio 21-22. The famed Giggetto is known for having some of the city's finest cooking. Pick peppers from the “potted” pepper plants if you wish to spice up your dish.
• Gelato is as plentiful as good Italian leather. Following are some favorite sweet shops:
• San Crispino, V. della Panetteria 42. Near P. di Trevi. The gelato is without question the best in the world. Look for flavors such as meringue, armagnac and grapefruit.
• Tre Scalini, P. Navona 30. This is a very chic old-fashioned spot famous for tartufo: chocolate truffle ice cream rolled in chocolate shavings.

Conclusively, not only does Italy offer a tremendous amount of culturally fulfilling activities along with a tremendous amount of historically significant sites; the country is brimming full of excellent restaurants offering a wide array of culinary delights.

One of the great pleasures of Roman life is to sip a coffee at one of the elegant coffee bars and watch the world go by. But you can build your whole afternoon around that espresso ... from the wonderful journey to the coffee bar to the arrival to your selection of seating or standing and your careful selection of beverage.

My favorite Sundays spent in Rome is a trip to via Via Condotti to Antico Caffe Greco.

Via Condotti is located in the centro storico- or the historic center- is a display of the finest not only Italian but European style. Who says that food and fashion have nothing in common? In Rome it is fashionably chic to get dressed up in the afternoon for this stroll or as we call it "paseggiata" (stroll or walk) and present a "bella figura"(dressed in your best) and stroll to one of Rome's most elegant of coffee houses.

I have always observed that everything in Italy is set out like an opera- even daily life and my afternoon is not finished until the final act has occurred- and what a beautiful final act- that is my cup of espresso to end my afternoon or evening.

The Italian painter from the early 1900's- Giorgio De Chirico described the Antico Caffe Greco best- Il Caffe Greco e l'unico posto al mondo dove sedersi e aspettare la fine- translated means- “It is the only place in the world where one sits and waits for the end”

The oldest, and the most elegant café in Rome, Café Greco has no competition in that respect. This café has earned its distinguished place in Rome's history centuries ago and it is filled with an aura, mystery as wondrous as the geniuses who gathered there.

'Imaginary' (imagine) for a minute- an elegant salon filled with the most creative geniuses from around the world that have left in some way their mark, their creations and spent a large part of their life here..

As we say: ”Incredibile”

Antico Caffe Greco's former patrons reads like a who's who- from Berlioz , Buffalo Bill, Dickens, Goethe, Hawthorne, Humperdinck, Keats, Liszt, Lord Byron, Mendelssohn, Stendhal, Twain, Wagner, Wells. To think Hans Christian Andersen lived upstairs....Rossini composed here..you can just hear it when you sit and sip your day away.

But at Antico Caffe Greco you don't stand at the counter here. You see, this is not your typical bar. One sits here in an elegantly upholstered chair, all the more reason to sip and imagine you being one of the turn of the century intellectuals or "glitterati." For in that period, coffee was known as the beverage of intellectuals.

A famous saying in Rome is that ”there are 2 types of people in the world: espresso drinkers and non-espresso drinkers,” referring to how serious Italians take their coffee, as they consume 14 billion cups of espresso per year. So when you go to Italy, be sure that you are recognized as an espresso drinker.

Some tips for ordering coffee in Italy:

Caffe Corretto- espresso with a shot of grappa

Caffe Macchiato- (literally means- coffee with a mark- referring to the milk) - so this is an espresso with a 1-2 tablespoons of frothy milk

Cappuccino- real espresso drinkers know that in Italy we only drink this in the morning. It is typically 1/3 espresso and 2/3 frothy milk.

Not to be confused with...

Caffe Latte- which is espresso with steamed not frothed milk. It is usually a double shot of espresso (3 ozs) with 5 ozs. Steamed milk.

Mocha Cappuccino- 1/3 espresso, 2/3 frothed milk, but the finest cocoa powder is mixed into the espresso along with a spoon of sugar before it is topped with frothed milk.

Americanino- if you must get the tradition al American- you will be served a shot of espresso in a large cup with another small pitcher of hot water, so you can make it "lungo" long- as they say. However, in Italy they are so used to Americans asking for this that at some bars if they detect an American accent they will serve this to you automatically.

It is estimated only 1000 people live in the Vatican City and it is second last in the list of countries by population after the colony Pitcairn Island which is claimed by the United Kingdom. The population density of the Vatican City is 1,780/km squared.

If you are visiting this interesting and cultural microstate, there's places you wouldn't want to miss! The Sistine Chapel contains many pieces of works by famous artists such as Botticeli, Bernini and Michelangelo, and this chapel is also the official residence of the Pope! The conclave of this chapel is where a new Pope is selected. Some other notable places in the Vatican City are the Vatican Library and Museums. Interestingly, the Vatican City is the first and only country to be added by the UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) to the list of World Heritage Sites.

Don't forget, if you are visiting this microstate, the Vatican City, that speaks mainly Latin or Italian, be sure to brush up these languages!