Country book · Europe

Italy

Three thousand years of history, served with espresso

Italy invented the Renaissance, reinvented food into an art form, and still argues about the right way to make carbonara. Every region — from the Alps to Sicily — feels like its own small country stitched together by language and love of the table.

Myths

What's true, what isn't

Actually true

Coffee rules have real etiquette
Cappuccino is a morning-only drink; ordering one after a meal marks you instantly as a tourist.
Family meals are non-negotiable
Sunday lunch with extended family can run three hours and multiple courses, without exception.
Regional identity outweighs national identity
A Sicilian and a Milanese may feel they have less in common with each other than with foreigners from nearby countries.
Fashion and design are everyday standards
Even casual dressing follows an unspoken code of quality fabric and fit, from Milan to small towns.

Commonly believed, wrong

"Pizza and pasta are eaten every single day"
Meals are far more varied — risotto, polenta, fish and vegetable dishes rotate constantly depending on region and season.
"All Italians are loud and dramatic"
Temperament varies hugely by region; the reserved north differs sharply from the expressive south.
"Italy is just Rome, Venice and Florence"
Puglia, Sardinia, the Dolomites and Sicily each offer entirely different landscapes and cultures.
"Italian food abroad is the same as in Italy"
Dishes like fettuccine Alfredo or 'Italian dressing' barely exist in Italy itself.

Highlights

The best of Italy

The Amalfi Coast

Cliffside towns in lemon groves above the Tyrrhenian Sea.

Ancient Rome

The Colosseum, Forum and Pantheon standing two thousand years on.

Tuscan hill towns

Cypress-lined roads, vineyards and medieval towers around Siena.

Venice's canals

A city built entirely on water, still without a single car.

Culture

Cultural riches

Renaissance art

Michelangelo, da Vinci and Botticelli reshaped Western art from Florence and Rome.

Opera tradition

La Scala and Italian composers like Verdi and Puccini defined the art form.

The passeggiata

The evening stroll through town is a daily social ritual in nearly every town.

Automotive design

Ferrari, Lamborghini and Vespa turned engineering into desirable art.

Food

What to eat

Pizza napoletana

Thin, blistered dough from Naples, the birthplace of pizza itself.

Carbonara

Roman pasta with egg, guanciale and pecorino — no cream, ever.

Risotto alla Milanese

Saffron-gold rice from the north, slow-stirred to creaminess.

Gelato

Denser and less sweet than ice cream, eaten daily across the country.

Espresso

A quick, standing-up ritual at the bar, several times a day.

Music

World-famous voices

Andrea Bocelli

Tenor with over 90 million records sold.

Måneskin

Rome rock band that won Eurovision and went global.

Luciano Pavarotti

The greatest operatic tenor of the modern era.

Laura Pausini

Italy's most successful pop export.

Eros Ramazzotti

Stadium-filling romantic pop.

History

Important people in history

Julius Caesar

100 BC — 44 BC

Roman general and statesman whose conquests and assassination reshaped the ancient world.

Giuseppe Garibaldi

1807 — 1882

Military leader central to the unification of Italy in the 19th century.

Leonardo da Vinci

1452 — 1519

Renaissance polymath whose art and inventions defined an era of Italian genius.

Cities