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Italy map An extraordinary variety of climate and land can be found in the boot-shaped peninsula, that stretches out into the Mediterranean Sea. Only a quarter of Italy’s total surface area is occupied by plains; Italian coasts are pounded by the gentle waves of the coastal seas: Mar Ligure, Mar Tirreno, Mar Jonio and Mar Adriatico.
Italy - map: Abruzzi Abruzzo lies almost entirely along the Adriatic side of the peninsula and it is characterized by the presence of the largest and most complex group of the Appennine Mountains.
Italy - map: Alto Adige Primarily moutanious, it includes notable Dolomitic groups. The landscape is famous : steep slopes alternate to great gentle hollows ,high meadows and pastures looming over fir woods or harsh rock slides, mirrored in calm clear little lakes. Alto Adige is a special attraction for skiers, climbers and walkers.
Italy - map: Apulia Puglia is bordered by two seas, the Adriatic to the east and the Ionian to the south.
Italy - map: Basilicata known to the Romans as Lucania, the small region of Basilicata is a mountainous territori with large tracts of beech woods, scented pine forests and upland meadows.
Italy - map: Calabria Calabria constitutes the southernmost extremity of the Italian peninsula and is itself a peninsula between the Tyrrhenian and the Ionian seas. Most of the territory is mountainous. Calabria’s beaches are among the cleanest in Italy.
Italy - map: Campania The landscape is varied, especially around the gulf of Naples and the gulf of Salerno:the alternatine of plain, hill and mountain, jagged coastline, a flourishing vegetation, luminous sea and the islands of Capri, Ischia and Procida create views and settings that are always equal to thei celebrated reputation.
Italy - map: Emilia Romagna The regional capital was one the most important medieval cities;Bologna is a sophisticated city, well worth a visit of several days. Ferrara, Modena and Parma are all once important Reinassance towns while the Adriatic towns of Ravenna(which boasts one of the world’s best collections of Byzantine mosaics)and Rimini are famous for their beaches(although the sea isn’t that clean).
Italy - map: Friuli While the Adriatic coast is made up of little more than a series of lagoons and flat wetlands, the Friulian plains and Giulian palateus led up to the pine-covered Alps in the North, bordered by the Veneto to the West,Austria to the North and Slovenia to the East.
Italy - map: Lazio The Lazio area has been ,since ancient times, an extension of Rome. Through the ages the rich built their villas in the Lazio cuontryside and many towns developed as the fielfdoms of noble Roman families.
Italy - map: Liguria This region covers the Tyrrhenian slopes of the Maritime Alps and the Ligurian Apennines, foming a great arch around the Gulf of Genova. Liguria is wholly mountainous or hilly and one of the region’s charms is certainly the close encounter of mountain and sea.
Italy - map: Lombardy This region occupies the central portion of the Po valley and the Alps. Lombardy is divided into 3 natural areas: mountains, plains and hills.
Italy - map: Marche Characterised by undulating countryside and peppered with quiet and seemingly untouched medieval towns and villages, Le Marche forms a narrow and little-travelled band between the Appenines and the Adriatic sea.
Italy - map: Molise Hived off from Abruzzo, its bigger Northern sibling,in 1963, Molise is a small, hilly region and constitutes a kind of cultural bridge from north to south.
Italy - map: Piedmont The region’s position against the French and Swiss Alps has helped forge an identity for Piemonte that is quite separate from tht of the rest of Italy.
Italy - map: Sardinia Sardegna has always been considered an isolated land, and even today its people and culture maintain a separate identity from the mainland which they call il Continente.
Italy - map: Sicily Sicilia is the longest island in the Mediterranean and its strategic location made it a prize for many invaders. As well as Greek temples there are roman riuns, Norman churches and castles, Arab and Byzantine domes and beautiful examples of baroque architecture.
Italy - map: Tuscany This region features beautiful hill towns, Etruscan sites, pleasant beaches and natural beauties.
Italy - map: Trentino It is a land of mountains and forests with a wide range of landscapes: pre-alpine, Dolomitic and Alpine mountains,with high meadows, small lakes and the northern basin of Lake Garda.
Italy - map: Umbria Umbria is called il cuore verde d’Italia (Italy’s green heart) and in fact its landscape of rolling mountains and sweet hills covered with flowers is a beautiful attraction. This region also offers many possibilities for agriturismo (holidays in farm accomodation).
Italy - map: Valle d'Aosta The mountains offer some formidable skiing options and numerous ski passes are available ( the region shares Europe’s highest mountain with France: Mt. Blanc).
Italy - map: Veneto Most travellers go to Veneto dazzled by Venice and neglect the rest. You can also find natural beauties in places like Cortina d’Ampezzo, one of the world’s most famous ski resorts.
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