Italy is a land widely celebrated for the arts, and not the least among the arts that have attained their highest expression in Italy is the art of hospitality. The Italian welcome is as warm and traditional as a glass of fine wine. Italians are also such good hosts because they get so much practice welcoming visitors from all over the world. In winter, the Italian Alps are unequaled for scenery and skiing. In northern Italy are some of the world's most renowned winter sports resorts, easily reached from such centers as Turin, chief city of the westernmost Piemonte region; from Milan, hub of the central mountain and lake district; and from Venice, the leading city of the eastern region.

From the sunny southern slopes of the Alps to the lush orange groves of Sicilia, Italy offers enormous variety in its natural scenery and historical backgrounds. Because a good part of Italy grew up as a collection of independent city-states, customs and food vary greatly between regions and this rich history is preserved in a multitude of colorful folklore festivals. With 5,310 miles of shoreline bordering Italy and its islands, you can usually find waters where the temperature is right for swimming. And history is always in season: choose any time of year to tour historic buildings and view the world's greatest art treasures, for this is a land that has been writing and preserving its history for over three thousand years.

Italy is a country which has succeeded in cultivating the greatness of even its least noted cities, villages and hamlets. There is scarcely a place in Italy that has remained untouched by the waves of history, art, folklore and culinary tradition, where a visit does not afford a chance for reflection or even simple pleasure. Click HERE to see a list of the regions in the country.

Art and culture, the pleasures of good food and music, traditional crafts and expressions of collective religion, folklore and contemporary art, opera and operetta, concert and theatre seasons: in Italy the calendar of festivals and events is practically endless. Day after day people work weaving a continuous thread with the past and memory, living and interpreting the present and imagining the future in a crowd of festivals, rituals, exhibitions, expositions, recitals and markets. Not a single interest is left unfulfilled, not a single curiosity unsatisfied. Click HERE to search for a festival/event etc

The official tourist site for Italy is http://www.enit.it/