Italy is known worldwide for a variety of reasons. Personalities, art, food and music are just some of the tip-of-your-tongue facts people who go on Jeopardy know all too well. Here are some fast facts about Italy for anyone interested in their mecca of culture.

Italy is the fourth most visited country in the world, which means there's a good chance that someday you'll get to see all the sights and sounds of the country in your lifetime. More than 40 million foreigners touch down to visit some of the most amazing places in the world during just one year. Don't be left out, be one of them before you hang up your passport.

Travelers can also discover the tranquil seascapes of Italy traveling around Cinque Terre, Liguria, Sicily, Campania, the Amalfi Coast and Aeolian Isles.

The Pantheon of Rome - When traveling in Italy tourists have to see the Pantheon at Rome, which is a definitive symbol of ancient Rome and a historic building, dating back to the 2nd century A.D. It is structured as a mammoth cylinder covering eight piers, with a 43.2 meter dome. Countless visitors travel to this glorious building in Italy which has been in use as a church since 7th century.
Tourists can visit Italy's Pantheon free of cost.

The Leaning Tower of Pisa - The leaning Tower of Pisa is a widely visited travel hot spot in Italy. One of the wonders of the world, La Torre di Pisa, as this Italy's landmark also known, is adjacent to the grand Romanesque cathedral of Pisa. The unnatural tilt has attracted numerous tourists to Italy who travel to Pisa for its sake.

The Coliseum of Rome - nother great example of Roman architecture in Italy to which tourists travel is the grand Coliseum, an elliptical amphitheatre which is also the largest in Roman history.
Tourists regularly travel to Coliseum built around 70-80 A.D. under Titus, which has been a witness to gladiatorial fights and public spectacles. This top attraction of Italy is associated with imperial Roman grandeur.

The Statue of David in Florence - Art lovers and tourists make it a point to travel to Florence in Italy and make a way to the wonderful Uffizi Gallery for its superb stock of Renaissance art.

Rome - is the capital of modern Italy. Rome is full of history everywhere you look. It has many ancient monuments, interesting medieval churches, beautiful fountains, museums, and Renaissance palaces.

Venice - is a unique city built on water in the middle of a lagoon. Venice is one of Italy's most beautiful and romantic cities as well as one of the most popular for visitors to Italy. The heart of Venice is Piazza San Marco with its magnificent church.

Florence - has several interesting museums with many famous paintings and sculptures. There are also Medici palaces and gardens. Florence is in Tuscany.

Turin - host of the 2006 Winter Olympics, is a major cultural hub with excellent museums, elegant shops, and good restaurants. There are also some very nice examples of baroque architecture and historic palaces.

Milan - one of Europe's richest cities, is known for stylish shops, galleries, and restaurants and has a faster pace of life than most Italian cities. It also has a rich artistic and cultural heritage.

Naples - is one of Italy's most vibrant cities. It lies on the coast south of Rome and is the most important city in southern Italy. Naples has recently undergone some renovation but still retains much of its old character.

Bologna - is known for its beauty, wealth, cuisine, and left-wing politics. Its streets are lined with beautiful arcades, making it a good place to walk even in the rain. It has one of Europe's oldest universities and a nice medieval center.

Perugia - is a very cosmopolitan city and home to two universities. It hosts a world-famous jazz festival in the summer and its University for Foreigners is a great place to learn Italian. It's a walled city on a hilltop with great views over the valley and has several important monuments and a good central square.

Genoa - has a fascinating aquarium, an interesting port area, and a historic center said to be the largest medieval quarter in Europe, with a wealth of churches, palaces, and museums.

Padova - is a university city and has some of the best nightlife in the Veneto. It has lively squares and narrow medieval streets and is home to the oldest botanical garden in Europe as well as Giotto's frescoes.

Italian cuisine as a national cuisine known today has evolved through centuries of social and political changes, with its roots traced back to 4th century BC. Significant change occurred with discovery of the New World which helped shape much of what is known as Italian cuisine today with the introduction of items such as potatoes, tomatoes, bell pepper and maize, which are all central parts of the cuisine but not introduced in scale until the 18th century.

Ingredients and dishes vary by region. There are many significant regional dishes that have become both national and regional. Many dishes that were once regional, however, have proliferated in different variations across the country in the present day. Cheese and wine are also a major part of the cuisine, playing different roles both regionally and nationally with their many variations and Denominazione di origine controllata (DOC) (regulated appellation) laws. Coffee, and more specifically espresso, has become highly important to the cultural cuisine of Italy.

The moderating influence of the sea and the protection given by the Alpine barrier from the cold north winds join to bless Italy with a temperate climate. Nevertheless, the weather varies considerably according to how far one is from the sea or the mountains. The winter is very cold in the Alps, cold and foggy in the Po Plain and the central Apennines; mild and even warm on the Ligurian coast, the Neapolitan coast and in Sicilia.

The summer is hot and dry, but the temperature is mitigated on the coast by sea breezes and in the Apennines and Alps it is pleasantly cool. In mountain areas, winter is ideal for skiing, and summer for excursions, hiking, etc. Seaside and lake resorts, with their excellent hotel facilities, have an intense tourist season in the summer, while the cities that are rich in art treasures are ideal in spring and autumn.