Italy

Italy, officially the Italian Republic (Italian: Repubblica Italiana), is a country in southern Europe. Italy shares its northern Alpine boundary with France, Switzerland, Austriaand Slovenia. The rest of the country is surrounded by the Tyrrhenian Sea, the Mediterranean Sea, the Ionian Sea and the Adriatic Sea. The islands of Sicily, Sardinia andElba and a number of smaller islands also belong to Italy.

A large part of mainland Italy is located on the Italian Peninsula and is surrounded by water. Because of the elongated shape is the country also called "the boot" called. On a territory of over 300,000 km² (2013) 61.482.297 Italians live. The capital of the country is Rome (Roma). Vatican City, the independent States of which the Pope is the head, and San Marino are two enclaves within the Italian borders. Campione d'Italia is an Italian exclave in Switzerland.

Italy was in the ancient times the Centre of the Roman Empire, which became the largest empire in Europe. Later in Italy, more precisely in the Tuscanyregion, the cradle of the renaissance. On March 17, 1861 the Italian unification took place, and since the monarchy in 1946 was voted downby the population, the existence of the Repubblica Italiana a fact. Today Italy is a parliamentary Republic with a president as a premier to power and is internationally represented in organisations such as the European Union, the NATO, the United Nations, the WTO and the G8.

Italy is in the top ten countries in the Quality-of-life index. [4]



Content
[hide] *1 History 
 * 1.1 ancient times
 * 1.2 middle ages and present tense
 * 1.3 Italian unification
 * 1.4 Fascism and World War II
 * 1.5 Republic
 * 2 Geography
 * 2.1 physical characteristics
 * 2.2 Climate
 * 2.3 Flora
 * 3 demographics
 * 3.1 Immigration
 * 3.1.1 Criticism on migration policy
 * 3.2 Language
 * 3.3 Religion
 * 4 politics and Government
 * 4.1 public authorities
 * 4.2 political history
 * 4.3 administrative divisions
 * 5 Economy
 * Activity 5.1
 * 5.2 contrast between North and South
 * 6 art and culture
 * 6.1 Museums
 * 6.2 Literature
 * 6.3 Film
 * 6.4 Gastronomy
 * 6.5 Sports
 * 7 Media
 * 8 education and science
 * traffic and transport 9
 * 10 external links

History
Map of the Roman Empire at its peak in the 2nd century ad.===Ancient Times=== Before the rise of the city-state of Rome Italy was populated with a large number of Nations: in addition to the Romans there were Apuliërs, the Etruscans, Ligurians, Latins, Sabines, Samnites, and Bretii in the Po Valley the Celts (Gauls). From the [http://www.microsofttranslator.com/bv.aspx?from=nl&to=en&a=http%3A%2F%2Fnl.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2F8e_eeuw_v.Chr. 8th century BC] the Greeks colonies established in southern Italy and on Sicily.

The power of the Romans expanded over Italy and then on the Iberian Peninsula. Carthage was in the [http://www.microsofttranslator.com/bv.aspx?from=nl&to=en&a=http%3A%2F%2Fnl.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2F3e_eeuw_v.Chr. 3rd] and [http://www.microsofttranslator.com/bv.aspx?from=nl&to=en&a=http%3A%2F%2Fnl.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2F2e_eeuw_v.Chr. 2nd century BC]the great rival in the Mediterranean, with which in [http://www.microsofttranslator.com/bv.aspx?from=nl&to=en&a=http%3A%2F%2Fnl.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2F146_v.Chr. 146 BC] was finally settled in the last of the three Punic Wars. This led the way for the rise of the Roman Empire, that for centuries the Mediterranean, the Balkans, Western Europe and parts of the Middle East controlled. This is due that in large parts of southern and Western Europe still be spoken Romance languages that are descended from the Latin.

The Romans took knowledge and culture of the Greeks conquered by them about practical and adapted this far. Itself they brought many innovations on architectural, military, administrative and legal grounds. Their circuses, aqueducts, triumphal arches and the remnants of the roads they have in their whole Empire, are still to be found in many places.

Middle ages and present tense
The Vitruvian Man of Leonardo da VinciAfter the demise of the Western Roman Empire in 476 hit Italy in decline. Rome nevertheless remained the center of the Roman Catholic Church, which would extend its influence on Europe for a long time and stick to it. Italy experienced a multitude of foreign rulers: Ostrogoths, the Eastern Roman Empire, the Lombards. In Central Italy was born the Papal States. In Northern Italy came the Franks under Charlemagne.

In the 9th and 10th centuries the Arabs conquered Sicily, where they founded the Emirate of Sicily . To help them against the Normans were called. This founded their own Kingdom in Sicily. In the 11th century the market slowly pulled back on. Especially the overseas trade flourished in the cities like Amalfi, Pisa, Genoa and Venice. Dante Alighieri Divine Comedy can with his (early 14th century) be seen as the starting point of an Italian literary culture, distinct from the Latin. Italy broke in to the renaissance in the 14th century withGiotto and has had influence in large parts of Europe. The Italian renaissance has great visual artists such as Botticelli, Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Titian and Rafael spawned and ended in the 16th century.

At the beginning of the 16th century the trade shifted from the Mediterranean to the Atlantic Ocean: a consequence of the voyages of discovery and the new sea routes with the new world, India, China and Indonesia. The direct result was a decrease in the power of the Italian city States. Italy became a plaything of the great powers Spain, France and Austria, but had that also need to be able to resist expanding Ottoman Empire . The papal authority and the papal influence names in Northern Europe very much by the Protestant reformation.

Italian unification
Giuseppe Garibaldi was a key figure in the unification processThe Italian political association was a lengthy process that began politically with the Congress of Vienna (1815). The Italian State was proclaimed In 1861, Turin first and later with Florence as the capital. Italy got a bicameral legislature with a Senate appointed by the King and a chosen Room. During the first decades, the authority of the Government undermined by the disputes between the political parties-the Liberals and radicals and personal scandals of politicians. The most important political figures in this time were Agostino Depretis and Francesco Crispi.

The Italians got Venice in 1866 in hands thanks to an alliance with Prussia against Austria. The relationship with the then large Papal States, which shared the country in half, remained difficult, so Rome only after a war in 1870 to capital could be declared. In the 80 's of the 19th century Italy acquired the colonies Italian Eritrea and Italian Somaliland. Italy conquered In 1912 after the Italo-Turkish war Libya and the Dodecanese on the Ottoman Empire, which was sealed at the Treaty of Lausanne. The universal suffrage for men was introduced on 25 may 1912 with the first elections on 26 October 1913, on the other hand, the women's suffrage only in 1945.

At the outbreak of the first world war Italy initially remained neutral. After the allied powers in the Treaty of London had promised generous territorial expansion, Italy stated in May 1915 the war to Austria-Hungary and also to Germany in August 1916. Militarily the war was not a success, but at the Treaty of Saint-Germain was rewarded with Italy Trieste, Istriaand Zadar (Zara) in Dalmatia and South Tyrol. The question then remained South Tyrol the Italian-Austrian relations tasking. Fiume (Rijeka), which initially was to free State had been declared unilaterally in 1919-1920, by the poet-politician Gabriele D'Annunzio for Italy occupied.

Fascism and World War II
The fascist dictator Benito Mussolini, Prime Minister of Italy in the period 1922-1943<p style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">In October 1922 Benito Mussolinicame, leader of the Partito Nazionale Fascista, after a March on Rome to power, supported by King Victor Emmanuel III. In the following years, Mussolini changed the Kingdom of Italy in a totalitarian, fascist State, of which he himself was the Duce (leader).

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">The relationship between the Vatican and the Italian State was been problematic since the conquest of Rome in 1870. It was not until 1929 were solved this problem with the Lateran Treaty, which of the temporal power of the Pope only a mini-state in the city of Rome was left.

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">In 1935, the Empire of Ethiopia invaded by Mussolini, fitting in his dream of a new Roman Empire. Italy was internationally isolated and became an ally of nazi Germany, with which it formed the Rome-Berlin axis . Italy annexed Albania In 1939 and in June 1940, after some doubt of Mussolini, the war to England and France. France, North Africa and Greece were invaded in areas, but only with great difficulty and with German support could be defeated opponents and areas. Nevertheless, the Italian Empire reached its peak in size.

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">The tide began to turn, however, when the allies from Sicily to the Italian campaign in which they started laboriously came up to the North. The Italian Government put Mussolini and made peace with the allies and declared war on Germany and the axis powers, the allies had to record it in Italy against Nazis and remaining Italian fascists. This led to fierce fighting and heavy damage on Italian territory. Mussolini was imprisoned, but released by the Germans. He was placed at the head of the Italian Social Republic, a puppet State in Northern Italy which de facto was controlled by nazi Germany.

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">After the last German SSunits in april 1945 surrender in Northern Italy was Mussolini arrested and killed by partisans . In total took the second world war in Italy to around 450,000 people, both military victims as civilian casualties and victims of the persecution of the Jews, life.

Republic Of
<p style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">After the collapse of the fascist regime the monarchy was called into question, mainly because of the establishment of the Royal family at the time of that fascist rule. In a referendum held on 2 June 1946 chose a bare majority of the population for a political system as a democratic Republic. The Democratic Republican Constitution entered into force on 1 January 1948 in operation. In it is inter alia that male descendants of the Royal family were no longer in Italy (this provision was moreover in 2002 by the Government Berlusconi eventually deleted after the descendants of the Royal family appealed on the European right of freedom of movement) and the Royal title is taken away from them. Also, the fascist party (PNF) prohibited and it is provided that the Republican form of Government cannot be changed. The Italian Republic has a president (Presidente della Repubblica italiana) which is mainly a ceremonial role. As a result of the said referendum was held the day when this was since then an official day off as "Republic day."

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">Since the 1950s, Italy is a member of NATO and from its creation to a member of the EC.

Physical characteristics
Views over the Lake Garda from Riva del Garda<p style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">About 75% of Italy is mountainous or hilly and roughly 20% of the land is wooded. There are narrow strips of lowland along the Adriatic coast and parts of the Tyrrheniancoast.

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">In the North of the country are the Alps and the Dolomites, and further stretch the Apennines from Genoa (Genova) in the North to beyond Naples (Napoli) in the South. The highest point of the Italian Alps is the mountain Mont Blanc de Courmayeur, which 4765 metres high. This mountain is the highest point of Italy. The highest point of the Apennines is located in the Gran Sasso d'Italiamountain massif: Corno Grande mountain with 2912 metres the highest there. The North also is rich in a number of large lakes: the Lake Maggiore, the Lake Como (Lago di Como), the Lago d'Iseo and the Garda (Lago di Garda). Italy are still In the middle of a number of lakes, the largest of which is the Lake of Bolsena . Important rivers are the Arno and Tiber River, the Po. The Po is by far the most important: most Alpine rivers mouths it out and it is the artery of the Po Valley, the largest agricultural area and the breadbasket of the country.

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">Northern Italy, dominated by the Po Valley, consists of the regions of Liguria, Piedmont, Valle d'Aosta, Lombardy, Veneto and part of Emilia-Romagna (that extends itself in Central Italy). Gran Paradiso (4061 m), the highest mountain which lies entirely within Italy, is located in Valle d'Aosta. The Italian peninsula consists of Central Italy (Marche, Tuscany, Umbria and Latium) and southern Italy (Campania, Basilicata, Abruzzo, Molise, Calabria and Apulia).

The Etna on Sicily is one of the most active volcanoes in the world<p style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">Next to the famous volcano Vesuvius, which in the year 79 destroyed Pompeii, Italy still has a number of active volcanoes, such as the Etna on Sicily, Stromboli andVulcano.

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">The capital and largest city of Italy is Rome. Some other major Italian cities are: Milan (Milano), Turin (Torino), Genoa (Genova), Venice (Venezia), Florence (Firenze),Bologna, Verona, Naples (Napoli), Ancona, Perugia, Bari, Cagliari, Catania, Messina and Palermo.

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">Most of Italy is in culture and on the grassy mountain slopes grazing sheep. The broad, flat Po Valley is the most fertile area. Italy has few natural resources and performs nearly all of its oil products in.

Climate
<p style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">Most of Italy has a Mediterranean climate with warm summers and mild winters. In the North it is colder than in the South. The climate is somewhat similar to that in Belgiumand Netherlands, but with colder winters and warmer summers. In the Alps and the Apennines is a pool/high mountain climate and there is often snow. In Sicily it is still warmer and there is less precipitation.

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">Many have a name winds in Italy, such as the tramontana, which means ' on the mountains'. This penalty, cold north wind is especially felt in the winter. It is a dry wind, because all much precipitation in the North has been dropped. The Greco' derived from Greece '-wind looks very much like the tramontana, but brings more clouds and thus more precipitation with it.

Flora
<p style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">The flora of Italy is the richest in Europe. Traditionally, the number of vascular plants at about 5500 types estimated. However per 2004 knows the Data bank of Italian vascular flora 6.759 species. There are 700endemic. Geobotanisch shares the Italian flora is in both the Circumboreale area as the Mediterranean in. According to the index compiled by the Italian Ministry of environment in 2001, 274 species of vascular plants protected.

Demographics
Development of the population of Italy in the period 1861-2008<p style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">As from mid- 1990s Italy had one of the first countries on the old continent a negative population growth. In other words the number of births was smaller than the number of people who died. In the last two or three years there has been a very weak growth there. Except Rome and Palermo know the major cities a declining number of inhabitants.

Immigration
<p style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">The illegal immigration via Southern Italian ports and beaches, including from Albania and Turkey, in particular in the North of Italy is seen as a cause of rising crime. It is also a cross-border problem, especially since countries such as Germany, the United Kingdom and Netherlands apply for many of these migrants and final destination. Although the Italian legislation, in the framework of Schengen, is now on level, still exist gaps in their implementation along the vast coast of Italy. In april 2000, the Italian and the Albanian Government signed an agreement on the annual admission of 5,000 Albanians in Italy. Formerly Italy has similar agreements with Tunisia and Morocco.

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">Italy also has a large influx of migrants from the island of Lampedusa. In 2006 are already done for extra-community workers 485,000 requests while the quota for 2006 recorded was on 170,000. The Government wants to tighten contacts with Libya and realize more EU cooperation on migration. At the informal meeting in Lahti on 20 October 2006, this item on the agenda. Italy supported the speech of the Spanish Prime MinisterZapatero for more EU cooperation in the field of immigration and cooperation with countries of origin and the transit countries.

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">In order to reduce the large influx of immigrants is in May 2009 a new immigration law approved by the Italian Parliament. This makes illegal immigration a criminal offence. The stay in Italy illegally is punishable by a fine that can range from € 10,000 to € 5000 euro and besides that, the person in question also expelled from the country.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-5" len="157" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;"> [5]

Criticism on migration policy
<p style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">Although Italy is calling for more collaboration, there are also hear sounds that put Italy in a different light. Amnesty International reports that there is no specific law that protects asylum seekers and that the current immigration laws no improvement. Also building detention camps in Libya they approved. According to Amnesty International, more than immigrants are expelled to Libya 1425. Libya gets financial support from Italy since 2004 and military equipment in Exchange for stopping migrants. Italy helps this way so in Libya with the establishment of camps for illegal immigrants. Italy knows further according to Amnesty a defective asylum procedure that causes even asylum seekers to be deported before their appeal against a rejection starts to run.

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">This happened for example with the refugees on the German ship Cap Anamur. Italy initially suggested that it was not responsible for the treatment of asylum applications, since the ship first had done to Malta. But this is not the case, according to Amnesty because the refugees not in Malta had had the opportunity to submit an application for asylum. The first country where the refugees have the opportunity to seek asylum, is seen as the country that it handles and then looks at whether it is responsible for the handling of the application for asylum. Additionally, minor asylum seekers in Italy first locked up in ordinary detention camps before they end up in youth camps:


 * 2005: 1,622 of the 22.939 migrants who reached the Italian coast, are minor;
 * 2006: 22.016 1,335 of the migrants who reached the Italian coast, are minor.

Language
<p style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">The large majority of the population speaks Italian (including several dialects); There are German-, French-, Greek-, Slovene- Friulian- Kroatischsprekende, and minorities. In the city of Alghero, Sardinia, on the island is called standard Catalan. Italian comes from the Latin (the language which the Romans spoke). The German speaking minority in Northern Italy is called Zimbern .

Religion
The Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence<p style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">Most Italians are Roman Catholic. Although it is no longer the State religion of Italy since 1984, it has a lot of influence Roman Catholicism in Italy on Italian culture. A survey, held in the year 2006, it has been found that 87.8% of Italians see themselves as Roman Catholic.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-6" len="157" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;"> [6]  only slightly more than a third of this group (36.8 percent) says to be a practising Roman Catholic.

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">There are also Protestant minorities, such as the Waldensians which includes a commune in Rome, but especially from 1960, there are also many other religious minorities in Italy.

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">Most Italians believe in a God or another spiritual power. In a 2005 Eurobarometer Poll <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-7" len="157" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[7]  said:

<p lang="en" len="843" style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">The Saints Bernardino of Siena, Catherine of Siena and Francis of Assisi are the patron saints of Italy.
 * 74% of the Italians that they believe there is a God;
 * 16% of the Italians that they believe that there is a kind of spirit or supernatural force exists;
 * 6% of the Italians that they do not believe there is a kind of spirit, God or supernatural force exists in any form.

Public Authorities
The Camera dei deputati, the Italian House of Commons<p style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">The Government is based on the Constitution of 1948. The bicameral Parliament consists of the Chamber of Deputies (630 members) and the Senate, which consists of 315 members composed it. Both Chambers are elected every five years, earlier today on the basis of proportional representation, based on a complicated mixture of proportional representation and a bonus for the winner in the various regions. Both rooms have equal powers.

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">The Council of Ministers, which is led by the Prime Minister must have the confidence of Parliament. The head of State is the president, who shall be elected by the European Parliament in a joint session. The president has limited powers.

Political history
<p style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">Italian politics from World War II for a long time was dominated by three parties: the Communist PCI, with in the early 1970s, 34% of the electorate behind him, and the Christian Democratic Democrazia Cristiana, when good for 39%, as well as the social democratic PSI (Partito Socialista Italiana). The fear of the Communist Party was one of the factors that helped the DC from 1947 to 1992 to remain in the saddle, in various coalitie's, often together with the PSI.

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">Former premier Aldo Moro was in the 70 's one of the few who understood that the exclusion of the PCI for the Government an ongoing exclusion of a significant part of the electorate meant. He did attempts to reach a so-called historic compromise with the PCI. However, he was in 1978 by the Red Brigades kidnapped and then killed, after which the idea no further sequel.

<p lang="en" len="402" style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">In a last attempt to save the ' old ' political system became in 1984 the PSI-socialist premier Bettino Craxi, who for the first time in post-war history as good as the entire term his Government could hold together.

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">However, after a series of corruption scandals came to light, which, while all parties struck, but that especially the DC and PSI by Craxi plunged into a deep crisis. Even this crisis eventually led to the removal of both the DC and the PSI in the period 1992-1994. This operation ' Maní pulite "(clean hands) came in 1992 on gang after the discovery by investigating magistrate Antonio Di Pietro of massive political corruption (BriberyTangentopoli, City) in Milan and on the basis of the investigations following the assassination of judge and mafia fighter Falcone.

<p lang="en" len="194" style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">The consequence was, that the electoral system was completely reformed (mostly in meerderheidsysteem with a past-the-post system) and the political constellation was completely shaken up.

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">From the 90 's is right on the one hand the Italian politics governed by a block, with Forza Italia (Silvio Berlusconi's Party), the separatist and xenophobic Northern League of Umberto Bossi and the post fascist National Alliance. On the other hand, a centre-left block (= Ulivo), currently headed by former European Commission President Romano Prodi. Current president is Giorgio Napolitano, even though of left-wing garnish: he belongs to the party Democratici di Sinistra.

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">The centre-left won on 9 and 10 april 2006 for the election and narrowly came out so that the short term got a new right-wing government Berlusconi cases before then. This had followed a populist neo-liberal/conservative politics and was plagued by allegations of corruption, especially at the address of Prime Minister Berlusconi. He would have bribed judges committed tax fraud and as leader of his business empire.However, he put himself outside persecution by a law that provides the premier immunity as long as he is in Office. Meanwhile, all corruption cases against him as good as barred.

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">Berlusconi also got sharp criticism as the owner of three commercial television stations had a media monopoly that he abused. In addition, he purged the public broadcaster Rai as premier of overly critical journalists and programme makers.

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">After his electoral defeat of 2006, Berlusconi mentioned fraud, but there turned out to be nothing of to. Prodi had narrowly won the elections with 49.8% against 49.7%. The profit is mainly come from abroad, thanks to the votes of Italians outside Italy who had obtained the right to vote for the first time; a law change, by the way, where in particular had argued for years for the right. Since the 2006 elections, the country was then ruled by the center-left Government of Prodi, who, however, ruled the country in a constant state of crisis, since the majority in the Parliament (especially in the Senate) was so small that the trust issue regularly came to also really all votes from the left to vote in favour of the proposed Government decisions. The Government finally fell on January 24, 2008 after the small UDEUR party (3 seats in the Senate), led by Minister Mastella had withdrawn its support. The Government could no longer rely on a majority in the Senate and Prodi had to offer his resignation to president Napolitano. Latter decided, after a failed attempt at the formation of an interim Government, elections for april 2008.

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">After the fall of the Prodi Government was still the right-wing block led by Silvio Berlusconi. The left-wing block was led by Walter Veltroni, former Mayor of Rome, and party Chief of the then newly established Partito Democratico (PD). The consituerende parts of the PD (among other things also the largest as DS and Margherita) have committed themselves in a blend in the new PD.

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">To center-right side also arose a new large batch, in which, among other things, Forza Italia and the National Alliance are merged. Under the leadership of Silvio Berlusconi took the Il Popolo della Libertà in the parliamentary elections of 2008 on these elections won against Veltroni's PD. Berlusconi with a wide lead over Veltroni. Therefore, the third time he was Prime Minister of Italy.

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">Berlusconi promised to resign if the reforms imposed by the European Union were also were actually fulfilled. After the adoption of a package of economic measures Berlusconi held by Parliament itself to its promise: he offered his resignation to president Napolitano, this loud cheers of his opponents. This early than to former EU Commissioner Mario Monti to form a Government of technocrats. On november 16, 2011 suggested that Government for the latter, in which he himself became Prime Minister and Minister of Economy.

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">After the elections of 2013 there arose a political stalemate. In the House of representatives Democratic Party got the most votes, while there is no majority in the Senate was for the Democratic Party. Help from the coalition of former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi (Il popolo della libertà) or the MoVimento 5 Stelle Beppe Grillo 's comedian was excluded. A cabinet cannot took office if it manages to gain a majority in both Chambers in a confidence vote. President Napolitano was not allowed to unsubscribe, new elections because he was working on his last months as president. At the election of a new president there was a stalemate, again no candidate obtained a majority. Napolitano, 87 years old, offered to carry out a second term, after which he took out a majority and as such was re-elected. He appointed Enrico Letta to formateur of a new Cabinet. The Democratic Party, the coalition of Berlusconi and the coalition of former Prime Minister Mario Monti are willing to support this cabinet. On 28 april 2013 was Letta appointed Prime Minister of Italy.

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">In February 2014 served Letta resign, after his own party led by Matteo Renzi stepped down from Office confidence in him. Renzi was formateur by the president until a new cabinet was appointed. On 22 February 2014 Matteo Renzi was sworn in as Prime Minister of Italy.

Administrative divisions
Map of the 20 regions of Italy <p lang="en" len="482" style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">The country is divided into 20 regions, which in a total of 110 provinces are subdivided.

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">These 20 areas also have parliaments and Governments. As a result of a referendum in 2002 that increased the regional powers, the Federal Government is responsible for foreign relations and national defense, public order and justice, election law and environmental issues.

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">Five regions have an autonomous status: Sicily (Sicilia)- Sardinia (Sardegna)- Aosta Valley - Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol (Trentino-Alto Adige)- Friuli-Venezia Giulia.

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">The other regions are: Piedmont (Piemonte)- Lombardy (Lombardia)- Liguria (Liguria)- Veneto - Emilia-Romagna - Tuscany (Toscana) (Umbria)- Umbria - Marche (Marche)- Latium(Lazio)- Abruzzo (Abruzzo)- Molise - Campania (Campania)- Apulia (Puglia)- Basilicata - Calabria (Calabria).

Activity
Petrochemical industry at Syracuse<p style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">Italy is the fifth economy in the G8 (the richest countries of the world), the seventh economy in the world in terms of nominal gross national product (= GNP) and the tenth on the basis of purchasing power parity or purchasing power parity (= PPP); the sixth exporter of the world and the second of the EU (after Germany); one of the founders and the third net payers of the European Union (after Germany and France); has the fourth gold reserve of the world (2451,8 tonnes).Despite large differences between the industrialized North and the rural South, Italy had in 2011 with 8.4% a relatively low unemployment compared to the neighbouring countries France (9.1%) and Slovenia (11%).

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">The country began to industrialize late compared to other European Nations, and to the Second World War was largely an agricultural country. However, after the second world war transformed Italy quickly from an agricultural country into a modern industrial nation. Between 1950 and 1980 saw Italy GDP per capita by 200% increase. The 1950s and 1960s of this period are known as the years of the Italian economic miracle. After 1980, the national debt and the percentage of unemployed, which led to GDP growth fell to an average of 1.3% per year. End 80 's restored the Italian economy is gradually. In this period, the GDP growth to 3.3% and inflation dropped to 6.5%. The percentage of unemployed, however, remained relatively high as the public debt.

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">With the rise of the tertiary sector (such as the banking and insurance sector) this percentage took off again. The share of this sector in employment, on the other hand, is growing (61.2% in 1998) and they counted in the 90 's for more than 60% of the gross domestic product (= GDP). In those same years 90, the Italian industry a share of 35% in the annual GDP and she cares for 32% of the employment. The Italian Agriculture has a share of less than 4% in the GDP and employment in the sector is decreasing (5.9% in 1998). The most important agricultural products are fruits, sugar beets, corn, tomatoes, potatoes, soy beans, olives and olive oil, and livestock (mainly cattle, pigs, sheep, and goats). In addition, many home-produced wine produced. There is a small fishing industry, where the Adriatic Sea an important role. One catches include anchovies, sardines, tuna, squid and crustaceans.

Tourism, such as here at Ortona, is an important source of income<p style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">The industry is concentrated in the North, particularly in the "golden triangle" of Milan-Turin-Genoa. Italy's economy has gradually transformed, of food and textile to engineering, steel and chemical products. Main products are iron, steel, and other metal products; refined petroleum; chemical products; electrical and non-electrical machines; motor vehicles; textiles and clothing; printed materials; plastic. Although many of the most important industries of Italy nationalized, there the last years been an important move towards privatisation. The role of the Italian authorities is still characteristic of the economy.

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">Small and medium-sized enterprises constitute the "engine" of the Italian economy. Mostly it's going to be family businesses, which have been set up in the 1980s in particular. In this period the Italian economy made a difficult time by. This shift in the Italian business culture came there especially by the changing consumption habits and the lack of flexibility of the Italian multinationals, just was due to the familisme. The small and medium-sized enterprises, which are mostly in the so-called "Italian industrial districts" (distretti industriali) can be found, these had no need for mass consumption, but on the contrary, specialized in specific markets.

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">Italy has a large foreign trade. The main export products are: textiles, clothing, metal, machinery, motor vehicles and chemical products; the main imports are machinery, transport equipment, chemical products, food, foods and minerals (especially petroleum). Tourism is also an important source of income. Its main trading partners areGermany, France, the United Kingdomand the United States . The Italian infrastructure, especially those in the South, is improved in the post-war years.

Contrast between North and South
<p style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">The Italian economy is known for the large welfare and development difference between the North and the South. The causes of this concern in particular the different historical development, geographical location and the physical environment. Of these two areas is the North most prosperous: it has the best agricultural land, the main port (Genoa) and the largest industrial centers. Northern Italy also has a thriving tourist trade on the Italian Riviera, in the Alps (including the Dolomites) and along the coasts of its beautiful lakes (Lago Maggiore, Lake Como and Lake Garda, Lago D'Iseo).

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">The country has to contend with the influence of the mafia. In Italy, in particular about the Sicilian Mafia (Cosa Nostra), the Neapolitan (the Camorra), the ' Ndrangheta (active in Calabria) and the Sacra Corona Unita(active in Apulia). The presence of these organizations, especially in the South, can be associated with the economic problems in South Italy with respect to the North.

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">Since the 1950s, trying the Italian Government by means of a Development Fund for the South (Cassa per il Mezzogiorno) to close the wealth gap with the North. In the beginning one did that to modernize theagricultural sector and to improve the Italian. When, however, it became clear that this way of investing the employment right narrowed, the emphasis on a rapid industrialization of the area. Although that the backwardness of the South with respect to the North could not remove, it is income level in southern Italy have increased.

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">The growth of the Italian economy after the Second World War has taken place especially in the North of the country. The industrial plants in the South are often labour-intensive and static structure, and can often only through State aid survival. An example of this is the creation of the Alfa Romeo Alfa Sud-or South-factory by the Italian Government in Pomigliano d'Arco near Naples, later privatized by FIAT. By these adverse economic development with regard to the South is the wealth gap between North and South has increased significantly.

Art and culture
Four well-known Italian writers, clockwise from top left: Machiavelli, Dante, Goldoniand Petrarca <p style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">The most famous culture period of Italian history is the Italian renaissance. Inspired by the culture of Greeks and Romans strove writers, architects and Visual Artists strive to surpass their antique examples. Treatments of renaissance literature usually start in the protorenaissance with Petrarca (1304-1374). He was known for his Canzoniere, elegant sonnets in the vernacular, and was one of the first frantic manuscripts collectors under the Italian humanists. His friend and contemporary Boccaccio was the author of the Decameron. Famous poets of the 15th century volkstaal are Luigi Pulci (author of Morgante), Matteo Maria Boiardo (Orlando Innamorato), and Ludovico Ariosto(Orlando Furioso). 15th-century writers such as the poet Poliziano and the Platonic philosopher Ficino made translations from both Latin and Greek texts. In the beginning of the 16th century Castiglione put in his (book of the courtier) explains his vision of the perfect gentleman and Lady, while Machiavelli in the Prince (' Il principe ') those in power by an image of (political) virtue in ancient and modern examples of virtù (virtue) to compare with each other. Italian renaissance painting exercised a predominant influence in the centuries after European painting, with artists such as Giotto di Bondone, Masaccio, Piero della Francesca, Domenico Ghirlandaio, Pietro Perugino, Raphael,Michelangelo, Botticelli, Leonardo da Vinci and Titian. The same applies to the architecture, as practiced by Brunelleschi, Alberti, Andrea Palladio and Leone Bramante.Some of their important works are the Santa Maria del Fiore, the Duomo of Florence, the St. Peter's Basilica in Rome and the Tempio Malatestiano in Rimini, just to name a few of a long list which includes splendid private villas of rich clients belong. Finally, the Aldine press, founded by the active printer Aldus Manutiusin Venice, of great importance. The Italic font developed Manuzio and the small, relatively portable and inexpensive printed book. In addition, he was also the first to books published in ancient Greek.

Museums
<p style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">Italy has many renowned museums. These were the most popular in 2012: Uffizi, Galleria dell'Accademia, Palazzo Ducale, Castello di Miramare, Palazzo Reale di Milano, Palazzo Strozzi, Museo di Capodimonte,Castel Sant ' Angelo, Palazzo Pitti and Altare della Patria.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-8" len="157" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;"> [8]

Literature
<p style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">The Italian literature was created in the early 12th century, somewhat late compared with literature of other Romance languages such as French. The longer preservation of the Latin in Italy played a large role and also regionalism, characterized by the great diversity of dialects. Well-known names from the Italian literature include Dante (La Divina Commedia), Boccaccio (Decameron), Niccolò Machiavelli, Ludovico Ariosto, Gabriele D'Annunzio and Sibilla Aleramo. The following Italian writers won the Nobel Prize for literature: Giosuè Carducci, Grazia Deledda, Luigi Pirandello, Eugenio Montale , Salvatore Quasimodoand Dario Fo.

Film
<p style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">What also known worldwide, the Italian film. In the 1960s began the real heyday of the Italian film with directors like Federico Fellini, Michelangelo Antonioni and Luchino Visconti. Fellini made in 1960 the classic La Dolce Vita and Marcello Mastroianni, Sophia Loren and Giulietta Masina were international stars. Sergio Leone's spaghetti westerns with the film music of Ennio Morricone were a household name. The last decadesthere are occasional successes with award-winning movies like La vita è bella, Il postino and La grande bellezza .

<p lang="en" len="138" style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">The Italian films are closely linked to the Italian society and the filmmakers also give their personal artistic vision.

Gastronomy
The pizza is an Italian dish, but is now eaten all over the world<p style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">Italy is well known for its pasta's, pizza and ice cream and for its good tomatoes (= pomodori) and olives. In addition, there are many wine tea and drunk. Each zone has its special culinary specialities and wines are the best known of which that of Tuscany. Eating Italy belongs to the Mediterranean cuisine.

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">The Italian breakfast is usually simple and often consists of coffee or coffee with milk with bread, butter and jam. Both in the afternoon and the evening is warm, eat one dinner, depending on the region, often around an hour or eight eaten.

Sports
<p style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">Football is the main sport in Italy. There are many football clubs, of which the most known SSC Napoli, Juventus, AC Milan, AS Roma, Lazio and Inter Milan are. The national football team is four times (in 1934, 1938, 1982 and 2006) become world champion. European champion Italy In 1968. In addition, cycling there particularly popular: the Giro d'Italia, the tour of Italy cycling, is along with the Tour de France and the Vuelta rides one of the big three races. What is also popular in Italy are the motor sports. Especially the Moto GP, with among others. Valentino Rossi, and the Formula 1, with the Italian automaker Ferrari

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">A well known basketball player Marco Bellinelliis. He plays for the New Orleans Hornets in the NBA American.

Media
The sports newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport<p style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">The most important Italian newspapers are: La Repubblica (circulation 626.000), Corriere della Sera and La Stampa (715,000) (500,000). The main left-wing newspapers areL ' Unità and Il manifesto. Il Giornale (300,000, owned by Berlusconi) belongs to the right colored newspapers, as well as Libero and Il Foglio. There are a lot of great regional newspapers; the most authoritative journal in Rome's Il Tempo (243.500) next to Il Messaggero (230,000). Il Sole 24 Ore (330,000) is the most important Italian business newspaper. La Gazzetta dello Sport is a large and well-known daily sports newspaper with a circulation of about 400,000.

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">There are seven major national television channels, three of which are in the hands of the State, including Abood (Rai Uno, Rai Dueand Rai Tre) three owned by Silvio Berlusconi, media magnate and politician, namely (Canale 5, Italia 1, Rete 4) and there is a transmitter, La7, which is owned by Telecom Italia Media. Also the thematic channels MTV (of Telecom Italia and MTV Networks/Viacom) and Deejay TV (de L'Espresso) are national, while channels as OdeonTV as well as others 7Gold, SuperSix and syndicated programs bring national semi.

<p lang="en" len="201" style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">There are three national public radio channels: Rai Radio 1, which is dedicated to information and reports, Rai Radio 2 focuses on an audience of young people and young adults, Rai Radio 3 is cultural.

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">The national commercial radio stations are divided into different categories. There are stations that combine music and news, such as RTL 102.5, a music channel. The biggest competitor of RTL 102.5 Radio Dimensione Suono, is also a music channel. Radio Capital (from L'Espresso) is based on the same principle. Music Radio Montecarlo offers classic and is aimed at an audience of young adults. Kiss Kiss focuses more on entertainment and comedy programs. Radio DeeJay (by L'Espresso, best listened to commercial radio station), Radio Italia Network Radio 105 and focus on young people. Radical Radio is a news channel that is very focused on the politics, the transmitter is in the possession of the party Lista Pannella. CNR Popolare Network and bring just news. Radio 24 (launched by the newspaper Il Sole 24 Ore) is based solely on information and news, with virtually no music.

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">Vatican Radio broadcasts around the world via satellite, while the receive only at regional level in FM. Radio Vaticana brings many news broadcasts, which are very focused on overseas. Radio Maria broadcasts especially prayers and religious cultural programs.

Education and science
<p lang="en" len="330" style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;font-family:sans-serif;color:rgb(15,15,95);">There are numerous universities in Italy, including those in Bari, Bologna, Genoa, Milan, Naples, Pisa, Florence, Turin, Padua, Palermo, Salerno, Rome and Verona.

Traffic and transport
<p style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">Italy has several airports as in Milan, Bologna, Pisa, Florence, Rome and Naples. Furthermore, there is a good rail network, for which Trenitalia is responsible. In the cities there are trams, buses and metros (trolley). The road network is also well developed, albeit very taxed, especially in the North of the country.