Italy - a classic tourist destination

Italy - one of the most visited countries in the world. More than three thousand years of history preserved for us countless monuments of antiquity, the Middle Ages, the Renaissance and the Reformation, which can be seen in abundance in Rome and Venice, Florence and Genoa, Milan and Verona.

 But no less generously endowed Italy and Nature - warmed by the sunshine white and pink beaches washed by the Ligurian, Tyrrhenian, Ionian and Adriatic seas. Two mountain ranges - the Alps and Apennines - provide the perfect conditions for a ski holiday, and volcanic islands on which there are still some active volcanoes, extreme sports fans will be able to tickle your nerves.

The state capital - Rome. The country is divided into 20 regions - Valle d'Aosta, Lombardy, Trentino-Alto Adige, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Piedmont, Liguria, Veneto, Tuscany, Umbria, Emilia-Romagna, Marche, Abruzzo, Lazio, Molise, Basilicata, Campania, Calabria, Apulia, Sardinia and Sicily (of which 5 - Sicily, Sardinia, Trentino-Alto Adige, Valle d'Aosta and Friuli-Venezia Giulia - have a special status), including as an administrative unit 110 provinces. Provinces are in turn divided into municipalities, a total of 8,101 municipalities. In the autonomous regions have their own parliaments - regional councils and government - Junta of authority in local governance.

Up until 1861, Italy was fragmented, so many Italian states were their own foreign policy, focusing on the powerful neighboring state.

Since 1861, the policy of a united Italy was aimed at joining areas with Italians living there - namely, the Papal States, Trentino, Istria, Dalmatia. Italy also tried to create their own colonial empire. During the Franco-Prussian war of 1870, Italy annexed the Papal States. Next oriented foreign policy towards Germany, as a welcome foothold in Tunisia, who also claimed France. However, because of the desire to connect Istria and Trentino Italy comes into conflict with Austria-Hungary in the late XIX - early XX centuries.

Since 1914, Italy is negotiating with the Entente, in union with Germany, trading with them. As a result, in 1915, the Entente promised Italy coveted territory, if she agrees to take the side of the Entente. In 1915 Italy attacked Austria-Hungary. According to the results of the Paris Peace Conference in 1918 Italy received Istria, Trentino and a number of islands in the Adriatic. After the First World War, Italy has a new rival - the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes in 1929, which became Yugoslavia.

After the arrival of the Nazis to power Italy's foreign policy is extremely radical. Conflict with Yugoslavia become important until the end of World War II, the results of which Italy regained Dalmatia, Istria Yugoslavia, granted independence to Albania.

One of the most important foreign policy event was the signing in February 1947 in Paris peace treaty allies with Italy. According to the agreement, in Italy dismissed fascist organizations, the withdrawal of occupation forces, defines the boundaries, forbidden military bases on Italian territory. After the Second World War, Italy was a passive policy, the country has followed in line with NATO and the U.S. in particular. In a country dominated by the idea of ​​the role of the role of Italy as a "middle power." April 4, 1949 in Washington, the official signing of the North Atlantic Treaty. Together with representatives of the U.S., France, Britain, Belgium, Canada, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Norway, Denmark, Portugal and Iceland, the North Atlantic Treaty signed by the representative of the Italian Government - Minister of Foreign Affairs C. Sforza. Foreign Minister Sforza actively promoted as Italy's entry to the European Council (1949) and the European Coal and Steel Community (1951).

Italy is considered the classical country of tourism, it is extremely popular around the world. Ancient beautiful city with their unique monuments and art treasures, favorable climate and magnificent nature of the country brought her widespread fame.

Italy is located in Southern Europe in the central Mediterranean. In the north of Italy is bordered by Switzerland and Austria, in the east - with Slovenia, in the north-west - with France and washed by four seas - the Adriatic to the east, in the south - the Ionian to the west - the Tyrrhenian and Ligurian.

         Italy belong to the island - Sicily, Sardinia, Elba, and several smaller islands. The country's territory stretches from north to south for more than 1100 km and consists of 23% of the valleys (river and coastal), 35% - from the mountains (Alps and Apennines) and by 42% - from the hills of varying heights. On the territory of the peninsula also has two independent states: the Vatican and San Marino.