Italy

Italy map

Italy is a country located in the south of Europe. It is a peninsula, shaped like a 'boot' and includes the larger islands of Sicily and Sardinia.

Originally formed as a monarchy in 1861, Italy is now a republic, founded in 1946, and is governed by a President elected by the State parliament. The Fascist party, led by Benito Mussolini, governed the country from 1922 to 1943.

The official language is Italian although varieties of German are spoken in the northern Alto Adige (Sued Tirol) region. Regional and local dialects are also common throughout the country.

The capital city is Rome.

Major regions and cities: Lombardy (Milan), Veneto (Venice), Piedmont (Turin), Lazio (Rome), Sicily, Puglia, Tuscany (Florence), Emilia-Romagna (Bologna).

Italians in pop culture

Deceased	Federico Fellini (1920-1993) - film director Gina Lollobrigida (1927-2023) - actress Ennio Morricone (1928-2020) - composer Umberto Eco (1932-2016) - writer, academic Luciano Pavarotti (1935-2007) - tenor Silvio Berlusconi (1936-2023) - entrepreneur, politician Raffaella Carrà (1943-2021) - singer, dancer Paolo Rossi (1956-2020) - footballer Gianluca Vialli (1964-2023) - footballer, coach	Living	Marla Landi (b.1933) - actress, TV presenter Sofia Loren (b.1934) - actress Rita Pavone (b.1945) - pop singer Mario Draghi (b.1947) - economist, academic Drupi (b.1947) - pop singer (UK Top 20, 1973) Ornella Muti (b.1955) - actress Bruno Tonioli (b.1955) - dancer Andrea Bocelli (b.1958) - tenor Alessandra Mussolini (b.1962) - politician, granddaughter of Benito Giorgio Locatelli (b.1963) - celebrity chef Gianfranco Zola (b.1966) - footballer, coach Alexia (b.1967) - pop singer Giovanni Pernice (b.1990) - dancer, TV celebrity Matteo Berrettini (b.1996) - tennis player Khaby Lame (b.2000) - social media personality Jannik Sinner (b.2001) - tennis player
Groups	Black Box - house music group Eiffel 65 - dance music group Måneskin - rock group	Films/TV shows	Eurovision Song Contest (1965) It's a Knockout (Aug. 1974) Eurovision Song Contest (2022)

Sporting events

since 1964

• UEFA Euro 1968
• UEFA Euro 80
• 1990 FIFA World Cup
• 2006 Winter Olympics (Turin) (see also 26 February 2006)
• 2026 Winter Olympics (Milan/Cortina)
• Six Nations Rugby Cup - since 2000 (home games played in Rome)

World Cup Winners: 1982, 2006

Eurovision Song Contest

Winner	Subsequent Location
1964 Gigliola Cinquetti - Non ho l'età	Naples (1965)
1990 Totò Cotugno - Insieme: 1992	Rome (1991)
2021 Måneskin - Zitti e buoni	Turin (2022)

Other TV shows

links to external sites where available

• Blue Peter Special Assignment: 1: Rome (BBC One, 1973)
• Gimme 8 (DEF II, BBC Two 1989)
• Pavarotti: King of the High Cs (BBC Two, 1979 - rpt. 2023)
• Italy Inside Out (BBC Two, 2009)
• The Medici: Makers of Modern Art (BBC Four, 2008)
• Opera Italia (BBC Four, 2010)
• Shakespeare in Italy (BBC Two, 2012)
• Inspector Montalbano (BBC Four, 2012)
• The Young Montalbano (BBC Four, 2013)
• Italy Unpacked (BBC Two, 2013)
• Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy (BBC Two, 2022)
• Amanda & Alan's Italian Job (BBC One, 2023)
• Clive Myrie's Italian Roadtrip (BBC Two, 2023)

See also

• 27 June 1980 - Ustica plane tragedy
• 27 March 1994 - General election
• 20 May 2012 - earthquake (Emilia region)
• 08 March 2020 - Lombardy lockdown