Italy, officially the Italian Republic (Italian: Italia, IPA: or Repubblica Italiana, IPA: ), is a Southern European country. It comprises the Italian Peninsula, the Po River valley, and two large islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia, and shares its northern alpine boundary with France, Switzerland, Austria, and Slovenia. The country also shares a sea border with Croatia, and France. The independent countries of San Marino and the Vatican City are enclaves within Italian territory. It is shaped like a boot, and for this reason it is commonly called lo stivale (Italian for the boot).

Italy was home to many well-known and influential European civilizations, including the Etruscans, Greeks and the Romans. For more than 3,000 years Italy experienced migrations and invasions from Germanic, Celtic, Frankish, Byzantine Greek, Saracen, Norman, and the French Angevin, and Lombard peoples, and was divided into many independent states until 1861 when Italy became a nation-state.

Italy is called "il Belpaese" (Italian for beautiful country) by its inhabitants, due to the beauty and variety of its landscapes and for having the world's largest artistic patrimony; the country is home to the greatest number of UNESCO World Heritage Sites (41 as of July 13 2006).

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NYT > Italy

Rare Peek at Riches of Past in Rome
By ELISABETTA POVOLEDO Sat, 04 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0400
Rome’s archaeological authority has reallocated money so that it can provide staffs for five monuments in the ancient heart of the city that are usually closed.
Cleveland Museum Returns Works to Italy
By ELISABETTA POVOLEDO; COMPILED BY DAVE ITZKOFF Fri, 03 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0400
Fourteen works from the antiquities collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art were officially presented to the Italian public in Rome on Thursday.
Death Toll Rises to 17 in Italy Train Derailment
By RACHEL DONADIO and SOFIA GROOPMAN Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0400
A freight train carrying liquid gas derailed late Monday on the Tuscan coast, causing an explosion that left 17 dead and more than 34 injured.
In Naples, Ex-Convicts Keep a Close Eye on Tourists
By ELISABETTA PROVOLEDO Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0400
After less than a month, a project that enlists ex-convicts to escort tourists through Neapolitan streets with seedy reputations has caused considerable problems for its supporters.
Impunity No More
By LUIS MORENO-OCAMPO Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0400
Sometimes the process is painful and sometimes it is controversial, but the International Criminal Court is changing international relations forever.
Freight Train Derailment and Explosion Kill 14 in Italy
By RACHEL DONADIO and SOFIA GROOPMAN Wed, 01 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0400
A freight train carrying liquid gas derailed late Monday on the Tuscan coast, causing an explosion that left 14 dead and more than 34 injured.

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