With its 58,090,681 people Italy is the 23rd largest country in the world by population. It is the 71st largest country by area with 301,340 square kilometers. Italy became a nation-state in 1861 when the regional states of the peninsula, along with Sardinia and Sicily, were united under King Victor EMMANUEL II. An era of parliamentary government came to a close in the early 1920s when Benito MUSSOLINI established a Fascist dictatorship. His alliance with Nazi Germany led to Italy's defeat in World War II. A democratic republic replaced the monarchy in 1946 and economic revival followed. Italy was a charter member of NATO and the European Economic Community (EEC). It has been at the forefront of European economic and political unification, joining the Economic and Monetary Union in 1999. Persistent problems include illegal immigration, organized crime, corruption, high unemployment, sluggish economic growth, and the low incomes and technical standards of southern Italy compared with the prosperous north.
Check out the recommended reading list below for great sources of information on Italy.
Rick Steves' Italy 2013
Rick Steves
Italy (Maps/Country (Michelin))
Michelin Travel & Lifestyle
Streetwise Rome Map - Laminated City Center Street Map of Rome, Italy - Folding pocket size travel map with metro map, subway
Streetwise Maps
Tuscany, Italy Travel Guide 2013: Attractions, Restaurants, and More... (One Day In A City)
Gina Douglas Tarnacki
Frommer's Italy 2013 (Frommer's Color Complete)
Donald Strachan
Italy Plane Reader - Get Psyched About Your Upcoming Trip to Italy: Stories About Italian People, Places and Eats (GoNomad Plane Readers)
Italy for the Gourmet Traveler
Fred Plotkin
Italy For Dummies
Bruce Murphy
Streetwise Florence Map - Laminated City Center Street Map of Florence, Italy - Folding pocket size travel map with train tracks & stations
Streetwise Maps
Streetwise Venice Map - Laminated City Center Street Map of Venice, Italy
Streetwise Maps
