Sicily at a Glance
http://www.SensationalSicily.c
omSicily's history spans
10,000 years, during a third
of which the island suffered
through foreign rule by more
than 11 different kingdoms.
The dark and reflective gaze
of its people, known as the
'eyes of Sicily', reflect its
turbulent history and ultimate
resilience.Sicilian
more

Sicily at a Glance
http://www.SensationalSicily.c
omSicily's history spans
10,000 years, during a third
of which the island suffered
through foreign rule by more
than 11 different kingdoms.
The dark and reflective gaze
of its people, known as the
'eyes of Sicily', reflect its
turbulent history and ultimate
resilience.Sicilian is a
language as original as Sicily
itself, a mishmash of Italian,
Greek and Arab influences. The
cities of Noto and Ragusa show
off grand examples of Baroque
architecture, and Caltagirone
produces colourful ceramics.
The capital city of Palermo is
Sicily's opera centre, and has
several important churches and
museums to explore.
Agrigento's Valley of the
Temples, ruins from the
original city of Akragas, are
rivaled only by Rome's ancient
Forum, and the medieval cities
of Taormina, Agrigento,
Siracusa, Selinunte and Erice
are rife with culture, history
and hidden secrets. Sicily's
oldest and most famous
resident, the still-active
volcano of Mt. Etna, grumbles
and churns regularly,
reminding islanders and
visitors alike of the tenuous,
yet precious, nature of life
on an island.The Italian
railroad system, which is
owned by the government,
provides convenient
transportation throughout the
country. Ferries link the
principal islands with the
mainland, and those that
travel between southernmost
Italy and Sicily carry trains
as well as cars, trucks, and
people. The railroad system is
most extensive in the north,
but main lines run along both
coasts, and other routes cross
the peninsula in several
places. The Simplon Tunnel,
one of the world's longest
railroad tunnels, connects
Italy and Switzerland. Other
rail lines follow routes
across the Alps between Italy
and France, Austria, and
Slovenia. The world's first
automobile expressways were
built in northern Italy during
the 1920s. Today Italy and
Germany have the most
extensive networks of fast,
limited-access highways in
Europe. Motorists can drive
without encountering traffic
lights or
crossroadsâ??stopping only for
border crossings, rest, or
fuelâ??from Belgium, The
Netherlands, France, or
Germany across the Alps all
the way to Sicily. Two highway
tunnels through the Alps,
under the Great St. Bernard
Pass and through Mont Blanc,
enable motor vehicles to
travel between Italy and the
rest of Europe regardless of
weather. The expressways,
called autostradas, are
superhighways and toll roads.
They connect all major Italian
cities and have contributed to
the tremendous increase in
tourist travel.Industry
-Tourism For centuries Italy's
attractions have drawn people
from other countries. Some
come to visit Rome and its
monuments of the Roman Empire
and its shrines of the Roman
Catholic church. Others are
attracted by the works of art
created throughout Italy's
long history. Tourists are
lured not only by places of
religious and artistic
significance but also by the
varied and beautiful
landscape. The money spent by
tourists contributes
significantly to the Italian
economy. At the same time the
tourist business is one of
Italy's most important service
branches because it employs
people who work in
restaurants, hotels, shops,
and transportation. Most of
the tourists come from
Germany, Switzerland, Austria,
France, Great Britain, and the
United States.When the unified
Italian state came into
existence on Feb. 18, 1861,
its government was a
constitutional monarchy. On
June 2, 1946, the people voted
for their nation to become a
republic. A new constitution
became effective on Jan. 1,
1948. The chief of state is
the president, whom the
parliament elects to a
seven-year term. The president
appoints the premier, who
actually heads the government
and decides its policies. The
president has the power to
dissolve parliament and
represents the country on
formal occasions, such as the
signing of treaties. His
appointment of the premier is
subject to approval by
parliament, and a vote of lack
of confidence by either house
of parliament requires the
official to resign. The people
elect the 630 members of the
Chamber of Deputies and 315
members of the Senate to
five-year terms. The president
may appoint additional
senators. Italy is divided
into 20 regions whose names,
with few exceptions, date back
to the time of the emperor
Augustus at the beginning of
the Christian era. The regions
are subdivided into 103
provinces. Aosta, or the Valle
d'Aosta, in northwestern Italy
is a province as well as a
region. Southeast of it lies
the region of Piedmont, whose
capital is Turin. The rest of
northern Italy is divided by
the Po River. North of the Po
are the regions of Lombardy,
Veneto, Friuli-Venezia Giulia,
and Trentino-Alto Adige. South
of the Po are Emilia-Romagna
and Liguria. Central Italy
consists of Tuscany, Marche,
Umbria, and Lazio. The regions
of southern Italy are Abruzzi,
Molise, Campania, Apulia,
Basilicata, and Calabria. Each
of Italy's two large islands,
Sicily and Sardinia, is a
region. The constitution gives
each region considerable
freedom in running its own
affairs, such as farming and
tourism. However, the national
government has basic powers of
control over the regions.
Italian politics, long
controlled by the Fascist
dictatorship that took over
the country in 1922, burst
into activity in 1945
following World War II.
Numerous political parties
sprang forth. A system of
proportional representation
designed to avoid totalitarian
rule was set up. Italy has had
more than 50 governments since
World War II, but the nation's
well-established bureaucracy
tends to hold the state
together despite the political
instability. The conservative
Christian Democratic party
dominated politics from World
War II until the 1990s,
getting the largest slice of
the vote, but it was often
forced into a governing
alliance with other parties.
For example, in the 1980s the
governing coalition was made
up of four partiesâ??Christian
Democrats, Socialists, Social
Democrats, and Liberals. Faced
with a crippling budget
deficit, deteriorating public
services, and the strains of
European integration beginning
in 1993, Italy saw support
grow for a stronger central
government. Electoral reforms
in the mid-1990s changed the
Italian parliament's
proportional representation
system so that voters directly
elect individual candidates to
three quarters of the seats.
The rest are awarded on a
proportional basis to
candidates of the parties that
win the most votes. The
political climate was also
affected by a series of
corruption scandals and
prosecutions of several
government officials, who
included members of most of
Italy's political parties.
Since the mid-1990s the major
political force of the
center-left has been the Olive
Tree alliance, which includes
the Democratic Party of the
Left (formerly the Italian
Communist party). On the
center-right emerged the
coalition known as the House
of Freedoms, which includes
the Forza Italia party, the
Northern League, and the
National Alliance. Italy has
been a member of the North
Atlantic Treaty Organization
(NATO) since the alliance was
established in 1949. The
country joined the United
Nations in 1955. Italian
statesmen, led by longtime
Premier Alcide De Gasperi,
played an important part in
the creation of the European
Coal and Steel Community and,
later, of the European
Economic Community and the
European Atomic Energy
Commission, whose charters
were signed in Rome in 1957.
These three bodies later
became the principal
institutions of the European
Union.Italy is one of the most
popular travel destinations on
Planet Earth. Some say the
Italians invented tourism in
the 16th century, and it is
safe to say that no country
has given the world more
cultural icons, including fine
automobiles, architecture,
fashions, operas, paintings,
sculptures, tenors, and we
certainly can't forget food.
Italy has so much to see and
do, from skiing in the Alps,
the Lake District of the
north, the historic and
stylish cities of Florence,
Milan, Naples, Siena, Turin
and Venice, coastal cities and
quaint little villages, and of
course Rome, and the Holy See
(Vatican). The world famous
boot-shape peninsula of Italy,
extending into the central
Mediterranean Sea is a rugged,
mountainous country of simply
stunning scenery that also
includes the popular island
destinations of (Sardinia) and
(Elba) to the west, and
(Capri), (Ischia) and (Sicily)
off the southern coast. Italy
is renowned for it's olive
oil, pastas, people, wine, and
of course sunshine, and
year-round great weather.
Simply stated, Italy is 'la
dolce vita' (the sweet life),
and many people that travel to
this incredible country never
want to leave. GENERAL ITEMS
OF INTEREST Currency Italy
uses the euro countrywide.
Instead of traveling with your
own country's currency and
then paying the somewhat
expensive cash conversion
rates, we suggest - to get the
best exchange rate - that you
use an ATM for cash and credit
cards for purchases.
Electricity Italy runs on 230
volts AC (50 cycles). Note
that most modern laptop, cell
phone and digital camera
chargers are dual voltage and
will work perfectly in Italy
with just a simple adapter
plug. Times to Travel Italy
has a largely temperate
climate with regional
variations, making it a
perfect year-round
destination. Most people visit
Italy between June and August,
however the best time to visit
is in Spring (April-May) and
Autumn (September-October)
when the weather is
consistently at its best. The
sea is warm enough for
swimming between June and
September. Most Italians take
their vacation in August and
many shops and restaurants are
closed during this period. The
ski season runs between
December and April and the
best time to walk in the Alps
is between June and September.
VISAS A valid passport is
required to enter Italy. For
stays up to 90 days visa
requirements (if any) vary
from country to country. To
find out whether or not you
need to apply for a visa, we
suggest you the contact the
applicable Italian Consulate.
For stays longer than 90 days
regarding employment, study or
tourism, a visa is required
and must be obtained in
advance. For additional
information please contact the
Italian Consulate with
jurisdiction over your country
of residence.

Category Travel & Places

Tags tourism, transportation, travel, airports, shipping