Honeymoon Tours Travel

Italy has drawn people in search of culture and romance for centuries. Few countries can compete with its Classical origins, its art, architecture, musical, and literary traditions, its scenery, or its food and wine. Since World War II Italy has climbed into the top ten world economies, yet at its heart it retains many of the customs, traditions, and regional allegiances of its agricultural heritage.

Italy has no single cultural identity. Between the snowy peaks of the Alps the rugged shores of Sicily lies a whole series of regions, each with its distinctive dialect, architecture, cuisine. There is also a larger regional division. People speak of two is: the rich industrial north and the poorer agricultural south, known as ll Mezzogiorno (Land of the Midday Sun).

The north is directly responsible for Italy’s place among the world's top industrial nations, a success achieved by names such as Fiat, Pirelli, Olivetti, issi, Alessi, and Armani. The south, in contrast, has high unemployment, many areas in the grip of organized crime, and regions that rank among the most depressed in Europe.

History and geography have both contributed to the division. The north is closer both in location and spirit to Germany and France while the south has suffered a succession of invasions from foreign powers: Carthaginians and Greeks in ancient times, Saracens and Normans in the Middle Ages and until the middle of the last century, the Bourbons from Spain held sway.