Soils 

The varying climate conditions in successive eras and differences in altitude and in rock types have combined to create Italy’s wide range of soils. An extremely common soil, dark-brown podzol, is a characteristic of mountains with a lot of flint, where the rainfall is heavy, as in the Alps that are around 300 feet high. In the Apennines, brown podzolic soils predominate, supporting forests, meadows and pastures. Brown  Mediterranean soils are an attribute of the Apennines. Mediterranean soil is also appropriate for agriculture. Renzinas, typically humus-carbonates, are characteristic of limestone and magensian mountain pastures and also of the many meadows and beech forests of the Apennines. Red earth, also known as the famous terra rossa, is derived from the residue left over by limestone rocks and is not only found in the extreme south of Italy (Puglia, for example) but also in Venetia, where it is common to find it in vineyards, olive groves,  and many gardens.

Climate 

Geographically, Italy lies in the temperate zone. Because of the length of the peninsula, Italy often has many climate variations between the climates of the north, attached to the European continent, and that of the south, bordered by the Mediterranean. The Alps are a partial barrier against the mean winds blowing from the north and west. Sardinia is subject to Atlantic winds and Sicily to African winds. Basically, four main meteorological situations dominate the Italian climate: the Mediterranean winter cyclone, with a corresponding summer anticyclone; the Alpine summer whirlwind, with a frequent winter anticyclone; the Atlantic autumnal cyclone; and the Siberian autumnal cyclone. The meeting of the Atlantic and Siberian autumnal cyclones usually brings heavy  and sometimes catastrophic rainstorms in the autumn. Italy can be split into seven climatic zones. In the most northerly, the Alpine Zone, which has a continental mountain climate,  where the temperatures are lower and the rainfall is higher in the east than the west. Permanent snow line in the Julian Alps is as low as 8350 feet. In autumn and in late  winter, a hot, dry wind known as the foehn blows from Switzerland or from Austria, and in the east the cold, dry bora blows with gusts up to 125 miles per hour. Rain falls in the  summer in the higher, remote areas. Snow falls only in the winter, but can vary from 10 to 32 feet in different years. More snow falls in the foothills than in the mountains and more in the Eastern than Western Alps. Around the lakes the climate is milder, with the  temperature of Milan being 1o C. The hot, humid wind called the sirocco effects Sardinia greatly. But on the west of Sardinia, the island suffers the cold mistral blowing from the northwest.  

Plant Life

The native vegetation of Italy reflects on the diversity in the prevailing physical environment in different parts of the country. There are at least three zones of differing vegetation, the Alps, the Po Valley, and the Mediterranean-Apennine area. From the foot of the Alps to the highest peaks, bands of vegetation are distinguished. Around the Lombard lakes, the  most common trees are the Evergreen Cork Oak, the European Olive, Cypress, and the Cherry Laurel. Mountain plain beech quite ubiquitous, gradually giving way to the deciduous larch and Norway Spruce. In high altitude zones, twisted shrubs include rhododendron, dwarf juniper, and then give way to pastureland that is entirely covered with grasses and sedges and wildflowers such as rock jasmine, dryad, campion, sea bindweed, primrose, and saxifrage. Farther up is curved sedge, the  Dwarf willow, and anthophytes. On the snow line is a numerous amount of moss, lichen, and flags as well  as a few varieties of pollinating plants such as saxifrage.

In the Po Valley, there are no remains of the lush, green forests that had once been there. Almost all of the vegetation has been planted or disposed by human activity. Poplar trees predominate where  there is an abundant capacity of water. On the coastal dunes, there is a noticeable development of  pioneer sea grape. The Mediterranean foothill area is characterized by the cork oak and the Aleppo pine.  Higher up, in the south, there are still traces of the mountain forest that once grew there, with truffle oak,  chestnut, flowering ash, Oriental oak, white poplar, and Oriental plane. Where a forest has been destroyed  in a strictly Mediterranean section of the Apennines, a small scrub called macchia has grown. On the  island of Sardinia, the destruction of the carob forests and on the Tavoliere di Puglia the decay of olive  trees and shore vegetation have produced steppes of tough plants such as the various sorts of feather grass.   

Animal Life

 The extent of animal life on Italy has been much reduced by the long presence of human beings.  In the alps, there are quite a variety of animals, such as marmots, that lie dormant, and others that change  their protective colouring according to the season. Animals that change their defensive colouring include  the ermine, the mountain partridge, and the Alpine rabbit. Larger mammals include the ibex, which is  protected on the Gran Parasido, the chamois in the Central Alps, and the roe in the Eastern Alps. The  lynx, stoat, and brown bear are all rare and protected in Ademello and Brenta. Alpine birds include the  black grouse, the golden eagle, and, more rarely, the capercaillie, or wood grouse. Reptiles include vipers amphibians include the Alpine salamander and Alpine newt. Species that are found in the Alps also exist in higher mountain regions., where there are, more foxes and wolves. In Abruzzi the brown bear may be  found and on the island of Sardinia the fallow deer, the mouflon sheep, and the wild boar. Brown trout,  sturgeons, and eel are among the freshwater fish. Besides the usual sea fish like red mullet and the dentex, there are, particularly in the southern part of the waters, the white man-eater shark, the bluefin tuna, and the swordfish. Invertebrates include the abundant amount of red coral and commercial sponge on the  rocks in the warm southern waters. The Greater Horseshoe bat is found in caves.

Coastal Areas

Seacoasts are reasonably diverse. Along the two Ligurian Rivers, on both sides of Genoa, the  coast alternates in rapid succession between high, rocky zones and level gravel. To Tuscany to Campania  there are long, sandy crescent beaches and abundant dunes, which are separated from rocky eminences.  The coast of Calabria is high and rocky, though sometimes broken by short beaches. The coast of Puglia and, indeed, most of the Adriatic coast is level, although it is dominated by terraced gradients. The  majestic delta of the Po, extending from Rimini to Monfalcone, is riddled with lagoons that are recognizable to visitors in Venice.

Rivers

Italian rivers are comparatively short; the longest, the Po, is only 400 miles long. Only three  major rivers flow into the Ionian Sea, while Puglia virtually has only two rivers flowing to the Adriatic Sea. Along the Adriatic coast a good number run parallel like the teeth of a comb down from the  Apennines through Molise, Abruzzi, and the Marche regions. The rivers that flow into the Tyrrhenian Sea carry greater quantities of water and are more complex. These include the Volturno, in Campania; the Roman Tiber; and the Arno, which flows through Florence and Pisa. The rivers of the Ligurian rivieras are generally small and swift flowing. But the Po is still the prince of all Italian rivers. Intensifying in the Monviso area, it runs across the Pianura Lombarda ( the Plain of Lombardy ), through a variety of major cities, such as Turin and Cremona, and is increasingly enlarged by the tributaries that join it. The rivers of the south have imposing floods during winter storms, and those that run through  zones of impermeable rock may become wild and dangerous. 

Lakes 

There are about 1 500 lakes in Italy. The most common types of lake found is the small, elevated Alpine lake formed by Quaternary glacial excavation during the last 25 000 years. These types of lakes are of major importance for hydroelectric schemes. Other lakes, such as Bolsena and Albano, in  Lazio, occupy the craters of extinct volcanoes. The best known, largest and most important of the Italian lakes are those which are cut into valleys of the Alpine foothills by Quaternary glaciers. These lakes,  which are listed according to size, are the Lago di Garda, Lago Maggiore, and the lakes of Como, Iseo,  and Lugano. They have a semi-Mediterranean climate and are surrounded by groves of olive and citrus trees. 

Sports

Cycling, football, tennis, winter sports, basketball, motoring, motorcycling, and hunting are  sports and recreations in Italy. Major sporting events include the professional cycling races, chief of them the Tour of Italy road race, which attracts the best foreign as well as professional Italian road-racing  cyclists, and major professional football matches. In football, each town supports its own professional  team; teams from Milan and Turin play before capacity crowds in their stadiums and have provided much of the national talent that took Italy in the final of the World Cup in 1970. Other sporting events include  the Grand Prix motor race at Monza, the international Italian Tennis Championship in Rome, the Martini Fencing Trophy at Turin, and the Show Jumping Championships at Rome.

Press

The Italian press is generally provincial and local in outlook, though the major daily newspapers carry foreign news and give comments on it. The dailies that command most notice abroad have included  the Corriere della sera and Il Giorno of Milan, La Stampa of Turin, and Il Messaggero and Il Tempo of  Rome. Political parties publish or control newspapers, and daily newspapers are issued in the major capitals. 

Broadcasting

Radiotelevisione Italiana (RAI) conducts all broadcasting and is a major state enterprise.  Programming includes present news, culture, sports, light music, debates, classical music, jazz, and interviews with people prominent in contemporary Italian life. Television includes variety shows, film  cycles, quiz channels, musical games, athletic events, news broadcasts (telegiornale), programs for  children, investigations in depth on modern problems, etc. 

Education

The constitution guarantees the freedom of art, science, and teaching, the existing, the existence  of private schools (mainly run by religious bodies) alongside the state schools, and the independence of  the many universities. Public schools are made to be open to all and creates provisions for scholarships  and grants. Elementary schools are attended between the ages of six and eleven, and most children go to secondary schools between the ages of 11 and 14. But for those who want to study music go directly to the conservatories. Postsecondary schooling is not compulsory and includes a wide range of technical and  trade schools, art schools, teacher-training schools, and scientific and classical grammar schools. Pupils  from these schools can go on to university, where course vary from four to six years. Maintenance support grants are few and insufficient, and the high cost of supporting children while they study,  particularly at trade or grammar schools and at university level, when they could otherwise be learning,  effectively limit higher education to a privileged elite.

Health  

The constitution guarantees the protection of health as an individual right and a community  interest; the support of those who are unable to work and are impoverished; and the right of workers to social-insurance benefits in the case of sickness, old age, car accidents, or unemployment. A  complete national health service and national medical insurance were introduced in 1980. The Instituto Nationale della Previdenza ( INPS ) provides a system of social benefits , including unemployment,  disability, and retirement pensions, and family allowances.

The Land

Italy is largely mountainous, with 35 percent of its territory occupied by ranges that are higher than 2,3oo feet (702 metres), 42 percent by hills, and only 23 percent by plains. There are two mountain systems: the scenic Alps, part of which lie within the neighbouring countries of France, Switzerland, Austria, and Yugoslavia; and the Apennines, which form the spine of the entire peninsula and of the island of Sicily. A third mountain system exists in the two large islands to the west, Italian Sardinia and French Corsica. 

Mountains

The rugged Alps run a broad west-to-east arc from the Colle di Cadibona (Cadibona Pass) which is near Savona, on the Gulf of Genoa. to the north of Trieste, at the head of the Adriatic Sea. The section properly called Alpine is the border district that includes the highest masses, made up of weathered Hercynian rocks, dating from the Carboniferous or the Permian periods. The Alps have rugged, very high peraks, reaching more than 13,000 feet in various spectacular formations, characterized as pyramidal, pinnacted, rounded, or needle like. The valleys were heavily scoured by glaciers operation in the Quaternary Period; there are still more than 1,ooo glaciers left, though in a phase of retreat, more than 100 having disappeared in the last half century or so. 

Music

Italian music has been one of the supreme expressions of that art in Europe: Gregorian Chant, troubadour song, the madrigal, the work of Palestrina and Monteverdi and of composers such as Vivaldi, Alessandro and Domenico Scarlatti, and Cimarosa, followed by the 19 th century flowering of Italian opera in the hands of Tossinik, Donizetti, Bellini, and , greatest of all, Giuseppe Verdi. Arrigo Boito and Giacomo Puccini garnered the Verdian heritage, and then Verismo, or Realism, made itself felt in operatic tradition as in literature in the work of Pietro Mascagni and others. Since World War II, in the post -Schoenberg world of serial music, two Italians have made significant contribution: Luigi Dallapiccola and Luigi Nono.  

Motion Pictures

It is in the cinema that Italy has probably made its most significant contribution to contemporary art on an international scale. Before World War II the Italian film industry had produced epic films that were by no means negligible in quality. But just after World War II Italy caught the world’s eye, being the first country with the Neo-Realism of the films of Roberto Rossellini and Vittorio De Sica in particular, dealing in a matter-of-fact way with conditions in Italy at the end of and just after that war, and later with the more freely imaginative interpretation of Realism exemplified in the films of such directors as Mchelangelo Antonioni, Federico Fellini, Cesare Zavattini, Pier Paolo Pasolini, and Luchino Visconti. The trenchantly laconic statement of many of these films and their affinity with the attitudes of Existentialist thinking marked a development in cinematic imagination that had a cross-fertilizing influence, in particular, on the young French filmmakers of the “New Wave.” 

Plains 

Plains cover only 23 percent of the area of Italy. Some of these, such as the Po Valley, and the  Tavolier di Puglia ( Plain of Puglia ), are ancient sea gulfs filled by alluvium. Others, such as the Tavolier di Lecce ( Plain of Lecce ), in Puglia, flank the sea on rocky plateaus that are around 65 to 100 feet high and are formed of ancient land levelled by the sea and subsequently uplifted. Plains in the centre such as the long Val di Chiana ( Chiana Valley ) are made by alluvial or other filling of ancient basins. The Po

Valley, the most extensive and important plain in Italy, occupies more than 17 000 square miles of the  27 000 square miles of Italian plain land. Other notable plains include the maremme of Tuscany and Lazio, reclaimed marshlands with dunes at the edge of the sea; the Agro Pontino, a recently reclaimed seaward extension of the Roman countryside ( campagna ); the fertile Pianura Campania ( Plain of Campania ) around Vesuvius; and the rather parched Plain of Puglia. 

Tourism

For many centuries foreigners have been attracted to Italy’s magnificent sculptures, wonderful  paintings and its varied architectural monuments, scenery, and climate. Rome, the so-called ” Eternal City,” has drawn visitors to it especially because of its classical antiquities and as an early centre of 

Christianity and the seat of the head Roman Catholic Church. In the 18th century it became a custom for English gentlemen or for their sons in the company of a tutor to make the Grand Tour, a educative tour in western Europe in which the visit to Italy was the highlight of the event. In the 19th century a number of English literary figures chose to live in Italy for time, and their example led to the growth of small colonies of expatriates, mainly in Florence and Rome, where the people there were happy to receive visiting fellow countrymen. 

Foreign visitors once sought the great cultural centres of Rome, Florence, Venice, and Naples, but now many people spend their time at Italy by staying at the many coastal resorts and islands or among the Alpine hills and lakes. The small islands in the Tyrrhenian Sea ( Elba, Capri, Ponza, Lipari, Stromboli) and the “Emerald Coast” of Sardinia are visited frequently throughout the year. The Taormina resort at Sicily, the National park at the Gran Parisido, the Dolomites in the Western and Eastern Alps, the north lakes of Italy (especially Maggiore, Como, and Garda) and the National park at Abruzzi are some of the many other popular places to visit.  

Transportation

Transportation in Italy is have accounted for a total of 10 percent of Italy’s gross national product since World War II. Traffic is especially intense in northwest Italy, where Turin, Milan, and Genoa form a complicated triangle of industry but a dense road network seems to keep most things in place. The traffic magnet of northeast Italy is ironically the canal filled city of Venice, which is the world’s third largest port. The most popular and drove on route is Venice-Padua-Verona-Milan, which, with Genoa, forms Milan’s second traffic outlet. Rome is the traffic hub of Italy, while traffic with Lazio is slow; the level is high toward the south and the southeast.  

The Italian road network is made up of four subdivided administrative categories-express highways ( autostrade), national, provincial, and municipal roads ( strade satali, strade provincali, and strade cummunali, in that order), to which city streets can also be added to.  

The two coastal roads are linked by two transverse highways, Rome-Pescara and Naples-Bari. Construction of the system was obstructed by mountainous stretches, which were crossed by tunnels and viaducts, some of them splendid examples of modern architecture, such as the elevated roadway joining the Tyrrhenian coastal route to the Genoa road. Generally, most highways usually have four lanes, but the Milan-Turin being a exception with six.  

Railways

The railway network has three types: national, regional, and urban (metropolitan). Over long distances the railways have a advantage over road transportation, and the national line are therefore the most heavily used. The network of principal national lines corresponds to that of the express highways: opposite of each express highway is a railway line, equipped with a double track. 

The important line is the peninsula route Milan-Bologna-Rome-Naples, of which the most heavily stretches are Milan-Bologna and Rome-Naples; the first section of the high-speed which directs the Florence-Rome railway was opened in 1977. The Turin-Milan-Venice and Milan-Genoa line link the industrial belt of the country with Genoa and Venice for freight transportation.  

Water Transportation

Many ports are inadequate. The more crowded, larger ports, such as Genoa, Savona, and Venice, and Livorno, have imposed primage at the times of entry and sometimes at departure, which dramtically increases production costs. In the north of Italy there are only a few large ports that include: Venice, Genoa, and Savona. Ports that are of local importance include fishing ports like Chioggia, and tourist ports such as the numerous ones of the Ligurian riviera.  

Conclusion

I really liked studying about Italy because Igot to learn a lot more about European countries, their companies and much more. I learned many things such as the currency of Italy is euros, the longest river is the Po, the largest plain is the Po Valley and a countless number of other interesting things that I have never known  before.I learned about the education in Italy and how its lumber and resources are scant while their livestock number many. I learned about Italy’s great history of wine making and the transportation and climate in Italy. I really enjoyed studying Italy!