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ITALY
The Italian Republic or Italy (Italian: Italia) is a country in the south
of Europe, consisting mainly of a boot-shaped peninsula together with
two large islands in the Mediterranean Sea: Sicily and Sardinia. To the
north, where it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia, the
country is bounded by the Alps. The independent countries of San Marino
and the Vatican City are enclaves within Italian territory .
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History
Italy's history is perhaps the most important one for the cultural and
social development of the Mediterranean area as a whole. The country has
been host to important human activities in prehistoric times, and
therefore archaeological sites of note can be found in many regions:
Latium and Tuscany, Umbria and Basilicata. After Magna Graecia, the
Etruscan civilisation and especially the Roman Empire that came to
dominate this part of the world for many centuries, came the medieval
Humanism and the Renaissance that further helped to shape European
philosophy and art. The city of Rome contains some of the most important
examples of the Baroque.
The Italy of modern times became a nation-state belatedly — on March 17,
1861 when the states of the peninsula and the Two Sicilies were united
under king Victor Emmanuel II of the Savoy dynasty, hitherto ruler of
Piedmont and kings of Sardinia. The architect of Italian unification,
however, was Count Camillo Benso di Cavour, the Chief Minister of Victor
Emmanuel. Rome itself remained for a decade under the Papacy, and became
part of the Kingdom of Italy only on September 20, 1870, the final date
of Italian unification. The Vatican is now an independent enclave
surrounded by Italy, as is San Marino.
The Fascist dictatorship of Benito Mussolini that took over in 1922 led
to the alliance with Germany and Japan, and ultimately Italy's defeat in
World War II. On June 2, 1946 a referendum on the monarchy resulted in
the establishment of the Italian republic, which led to the adoption of
a new constitution on January 1, 1948. Members of the royal family were
sent into exile because of their association with the fascist regime,
and were only allowed to return to their country in 2002.
Italy was a charter member of NATO and the European Union, and hence
joined the growing political and economic unification of Western Europe,
including the introduction of the Euro in 1999.
Politics
The 1948 constitution established a bicameral parliament (Parlamento),
consisting of a Chamber of Deputies (Camera dei Deputati) and a Senate (Senato
della Repubblica), a separate judiciary, and an executive branch
composed of a Council of Ministers (cabinet), headed by the president of
the council (prime minister). The president of the republic is elected
for 7 years by the parliament sitting jointly with a small number of
regional delegates. The president nominates the prime minister, who
proposes the other ministers (formally named by the president). The
Council of Ministers (mostly, but not necessarily composed of members of
parliament) must retain the confidence (Fiducia) of both houses.
The houses of parliament are popularly and directly elected by a mixed
majoritarian and proportional representation system. Under 1993
legislation, Italy has single-member districts for 75% of the seats in
parliament; the remaining 25% of seats are allotted on a proportional
basis. The Chamber of Deputies has 630 members. In addition to 315
elected members, the Senate includes former presidents and several other
persons appointed for life according to special constitutional
provisions. Both houses are elected for a maximum of 5 years, but either
may be dissolved before the expiration of its normal term. Legislative
bills may originate in either house and must be passed by a majority in
both.
The Italian judicial system is based on Roman law modified by the
Napoleonic code and later statutes. A constitutional court, the Corte
Costituzionale, passes on the constitutionality of laws, and is a
post-World War II innovation.
Regions
Italy is subdivided into 20 regions (regioni, singular regione), of
which five enjoy a special autonomous status, marked by a *:
Abruzzo
Basilicata
Calabria
Campania
Emilia-Romagna
Friuli-Venezia Giulia *
Latium (Lazio)
Liguria
Lombardy (Lombardia)
Marche
Molise
Piedmont (Piemonte)
Apulia (Puglia)
Sardinia (Sardegna) *
Sicily (Sicilia) *
Tuscany (Toscana)
Trentino-South Tyrol (Trentino-Alto Adige) *
Umbria
Aosta Valley (Valle d'Aosta)*
Veneto
All regions except Valle d'Aosta are further subdivided into two or more
provinces.
Geography
Italy consists predominantly of a large peninsula with a distinctive
boot shape that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, where together with
its two main islands Sicily and Sardinia it creates distinct bodies of
water, such as the Adriatic Sea to the north-east, the Ionian Sea to the
south-east, the Tyrrhenian Sea to the south-west and finally the
Ligurian Sea to the north-west.
The Apennine mountains form the backbone of this peninsula, leading
north-west to where they join the Alps, the mountain range that then
forms an arc enclosing Italy from the north. Here is also found a large
alluvial plain, the Po-Venetian plain, drained by the Po River and its
many tributaries flowing down from the Alps, Apennines and Dolomites.
Other well-known rivers include the Tiber, Adige and Arno.
Its highest point is the Mont Blanc (Monte Bianco) at 4,810 m, but Italy
is more typically associated with two famous volcanoes: the currently
dormant Vesuvius near Naples and the very active Etna on Sicily.
Economy
Italy has a diversified industrial economy with roughly the same total
and per capita output as France and the United Kingdom. This
capitalistic economy remains divided into a developed industrial north,
dominated by private companies, and a less developed agricultural south,
with 20% unemployment. In comparison to its western European neighbours,
it has a high number of small to medium sized enterprises (SMEes).
Most raw materials needed by industry and more than 75% of energy
requirements are imported. Over the past decade, Italy has pursued a
tight fiscal policy in order to meet the requirements of the Economic
and Monetary Union and has benefited from lower interest and inflation
rates and joined the Euro from its conception in 1999.
Italy's economic performance has lagged behind that of its EU partners,
and the current government has enacted numerous short-term reforms aimed
at improving competitiveness and long-term growth. It has moved slowly,
however, on implementing certain structural reforms favored by
economists, such as lightening the high tax burden and overhauling
Italy's rigid labour market and expensive pension system, because of the
current economic slowdown and opposition from labour unions.
Culture
Italy is well-known for its art, culture, and several monuments, among
them the leaning tower of Pisa and the Roman Colosseum, as well as for
its food (pizza, pasta, etc.), wine, lifestyle, elegance, design,
cinema, theatre, literature, poetry, visual arts, music (notably Opera),
holidays, and generally speaking, for taste.
Europe's Renaissance period began in Italy during the 14th and 15th
centuries. Literary achievements, such as the poetry of Dante, Petrarch,
Tasso, and Ariosto and the prose of Boccaccio, Machiavelli, and
Castiglione exerted a tremendous and lasting influence on the subsequent
development of Western culture, as did the painting, sculpture, and
architecture contributed by giants such as Filippo Brunelleschi,
Leonardo da Vinci, Raffaello, Botticelli, Fra Angelico, and
Michelangelo. Modern artists include the sculptor Tommaso Geraci.
The musical influence of Italian composers Palestrina, Monteverdi,
Corelli and Vivaldi proved epochal; in the 19th century, Italian
romantic opera flourished under composers Gioacchino Rossini, Giuseppe
Verdi, and Giacomo Puccini. Contemporary Italian artists, writers,
filmmakers, architects, composers, and designers continue to contribute
significantly to Western culture.
Football is the main national sport and the Italians are well known for
their passion for this sport. Italy has won the Football World Cup three
times: in 1934, 1938 and 1982.
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