Italy is a state in the south of Europe. “Italia” is Greek for “country of calves”.

Capital – Rome. Language Italian, English, French, German. Religion – Catholicism. Currency – euro. Population – 57 634 million people.

According to Agooddir.com, the longest river in Italy is Po. Its length is 682 km. The largest lake is Garda. The territory of Italy is washed by 5 seas: Adriatic, Ligurian, Tyrrhenian, Ionian, Mediterranean. Italy is equally maritime and mountainous country. On the territory of Italy there are two mini-states – the Vatican, San Marino.

Italy is a member of the Schengen Agreement. Citizens receive a Schengen visa at the consulate of the country that is the main one for visiting. (a tourist visa allows you to stay in the territory of the Schengen countries for a maximum of three months in each half year).

Consular section of the Italian Embassy in Moscow: Yakimanskaya emb., 10; tel.: (495) 796-96-92, 916-54-49; Consulate General of Italy in St. Petersburg: Theater Square, 10; tel.: (812) 312-32-17

Russian Embassy in Rome: Gaeta street, 5; tel.: (06) 494-16-80, 494-16-81, consular department: via Nomentana, 116; tel.: (06) 442-341-49, 442-356-25. There are Russian consulates in Rome (via Nomentana, 116), Milan, Genoa. Aeroflot Representative Office in Rome (via Leonida Bissolati, 27, tel.: (06) 482-66-61) and Milan (via Vittor Pisani, 19, tel.: (02) 669-869-85).

Telephone communication with Russia – 007 area code + phone number
Telephone connection to Italy – 8 10 39 + telephone number

Emergency telephones: 100, Carabinieri (military police): 112, Police: 113 (in Rome: 4686), firemen: 115, ambulance: 118 (in Rome: 5510)

Climate Mediterranean, cooler in the north of the country, hot and arid in the south. The time is 2 hours behind Moscow time. Flight duration Moscow – Rome: 3 hours 45 minutes.

The Italian Republic, a state located in southern Europe in the central Mediterranean, occupies the Apennine Peninsula, the islands of Sicily and Sardinia and other small islands. The shores of Italy are washed by the waters of 5 seas: in the west – the Ligurian and Tyrrhenian, in the east – the Adriatic, in the south – the Ionian and Mediterranean. Equal rivers – Po and Tiber.

Italy is predominantly a mountainous country: in the north – the southern slopes of the Alps, where the highest mountain in Europe Mont Blanc (4807 m) is located; to the south – the Padana plain, on the peninsula – the mountains of the Apennines (the highest Point of the city of Corno (2914 m). In Italy there are 2 active volcanoes in Europe – Vesuvius and Etna.

In the north, Italy borders on France, Switzerland, Austria, in the northeast – on Slovenia. On the territory of Italy are two tiny states of the Vatican and the Republic of San Marino.

Safety
If you do not seek adventure in the expatriate quarters, then you can not worry. Pickpockets and hooligans on motorcycles pose the main danger to tourists, especially in southern cities (watch out for bags that are better not to be worn on the shoulder – they can be torn off by passing motorcyclist thieves).

Recommendations
Tourists need to have comfortable shoes. To visit churches and museums, please dress appropriately. With all the liberalism of the Italians, you will not be allowed into a church or a cathedral in shorts and dresses that are too open.

And in Sardinia you can save

Throughout Italy, you will not find more beautiful seascapes than in Sardinia. Bright colors of coastal waves, snow-white yachts, bizarre rocks, golden sands of the beaches create a feeling of some kind of unearthly harmony. If there was ever a paradise on earth, then it was most likely in Sardinia.

Therefore, it is not surprising that even Italians spoiled by Mediterranean resorts tend to spend their summer holidays on this island. Thanks to excellent beaches, cozy bays and warm sea, Sardinia has long been chosen by millionaires and celebrities, and very clear water, unusual marine life, underwater caves and rocks attract diving enthusiasts.

But not only excellent conditions for a beach holiday and amazing nature attract many tourists from all over the world to the island. There are many historical monuments and other attractions on the island. First of all, these are nuraghi towers scattered throughout Sardinia: stone structures of some ancient unknown civilization. Some of them reach a height of 20 meters, but time did not spare these mysterious structures: it is no longer possible to determine the true size of most nuraghes. Especially a lot of them are concentrated in the vicinity of the city of Barumini, there are more than seven thousand conical tower columns. Surprisingly, the nuraghi are not the most ancient buildings in Sardinia: the so-called ”

Among other attractions of Sardinia, it is worth noting the Phoenician necropolis on the island of St. Antioco, the old part of the ancient city of Cagliari with an ancient castle and a bastion of St. Remy. In Cagliari, the ancient Roman amphitheater, carved directly into the limestone rock, has been preserved. It still hosts festive events and shows, but of course without gladiator fights.

Of the sights of later eras, the ancient Christian temple of San Gavino stands out. This is a massive seventy-meter building with powerful columns. In San Gavino, sculptures of Catholic saints are kept – works of art of the Romanesque era. Another monument of Christian architecture is the Cathedral of St. Mary dates back to the 13th century, although it was subsequently rebuilt several times. The refined forms and rich decoration of the facade make it one of the most beautiful buildings in Sardinia. The temple is famous for its luxurious interiors and the ancient masterpieces of Italian masters of the early Middle Ages located in it. Another monument of architecture – the Cathedral of Palazzo D’Albis was built in the XVI century.

Holidays in Sardinia are not considered cheap pleasure. However, you can save here too. For example, resorts in the northern part of the island are cheaper than those on the south side. Accommodation in hotels will cost more than in apartments – small private hotels. Currently, direct flights to the island from Moscow are open, but if you don’t chase after comfort and pick up flights with transfers, you can pretty well save on air tickets. And finally, the swimming season in Sardinia begins in June, but since there are much fewer tourists at this time than in July – August, the prices are significantly lower.