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Italy (Italian: Italia), officially the Italian Republic(Italian: Repubblica Italiana),is a country located on the
Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe and on the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia.Italy shares
its northern,Alpine boundary with France, Switzerland,Austria and Slovenia. The independent states of San Marino and the Vatican
City are enclaves within the Italian Peninsula, and Campione d'Italia is an Italian enclave in Switzerland. The land known
as Italy today has been the cradle of many European cultures and peoples, such as the Etruscans and the Romans, and later
was the birthplace of the University, the Renaissance that began in Tuscany and spread all over Europe, Vitruvian Man, modern
science and astronomy, heliocentrism and opera. Italy's capital, Rome, was for centuries the center of Western civilization.
Today,Italy
is a democratic republic and a developed country with the eighth-highest quality of life index rating in the world. It is
a founding member of what is now the European Union.
Italy has a long recorded history that the biggest problem
facing the traveler is to choose among the nation's endless cultural attractions. All main centers, most of the provincial
cities and many quite small towns have museums. Of all the countries in the world, there is none more magical than Italy,
a traveler's dream destination. Ancient monuments and archaeological sites are perfectly preserved; the museums are bursting
with the genius of Italy's finest sons: Raffaello,Michelangelo, Tiziano, Canova;contemporary architects are still inspired
by ancient buildings and squares (piazze). Italian cities are veritable living museums.
UNESCO World Heritage Sites
According
to UNESCO, the United Nations' cultural branch, two thirds of the world's historical artistic heritage are in Italy. Tuscany,
whichis only one region of Italy, by itself possesses more artistic treasures than the whole of Spain, which is the second
country in the world for cultural heritage. Practically all major styles of Western architecture can be found in Italy.
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