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Piedmont - The Region stretches on the buttress of a great Alpine arc: Maritime, Cotian, Graian, Pennine Alps and a little part of the Lepontine Alps. It includes two large hilly areas, the Langhe and the Monferrato. The Po river has its source in Piedmont. The region is crossed by several Alpine streams flowing into the Po. Many Alpine lakes, with those of the morainic area of the Canavese, dot the region. In the eastern part, we find two bigger lakes: Lago Maggiore and Lago d'Orta. Be sure to visit the great ski centers of Sestri'res, Bardonecchia, Sansicario; the district of the Langhe and the Lakes Orta and Maggiore.

Aosta Valley - It ins the most mountainous region of Italy, entirely surrounded by the best known, splendid peaks of the Alps: the Monte Bianco, the Matterhorn, the Monte Rosa and the Gran Paradiso. The latter is at the center of a magnificent National Park, populated by beautiful specimens of ibex, chamois and eagle. Numerous glaciers feed a rich web of streams, which at the bottom of the respective valleys flow in the basin of the Dora Baltea. The distinctly Alpine character of this region can be seen in the pine forests, up to rather high altitudes, where they give place to large pasturelands. The small Alpine lakes, little jewels set in majestic mountain landscapes, are numerous. Thanks to the Monte Bianco's and the Gran San Bernardo's tunnels, the great historic passes are today important lines of communication. Be sure to visit the Matterhorn, the Monte Rosa, the Monte Bianco, which can be reached by the loftiest cableway in Europe; the beautiful National Park of Gran Paradiso; in winter, the numerous ski resorts. There are the typical villages with the quaint local houses (rascards). St. Vincent and its Casino offer a wide range of entertainment.

Lombardy - The region occupies the main part of the Po Valley. Its northern borders are formed by the Lepontine, Rhaetian and Orobic Alps. It includes a hilly district with the major Italian lakes, from the Easter slope of Lago Maggiore to the Lakes of Varese, lseo, Como and to the northern part of Lake Garda. This region ins rich inn water, thanks to the Po and its affluents. Be sure to visit the peninsula of Sirmione on Lake Garda and the 'Gardesana' coast; the Lomellina and the Valtellina districts.

Trentino - It is a mainly mountainous province, rich in rivers, torrents and numerous lakes, clusters and chains of mountains of singular beauty, divided in two by the valley of the river Adige. To the west one finds the glaciers of the group Adamello-Presanella-Care Alto and the group of Brenta. To the east the groups of Lagorai, Latemar, the Dolomites of Fassa, and the Pale di S. Martino. Many alpine valleys break away from the valley of Adige: the Valsugana, the Vallarsa, the Val di Non, the Val di Sole, the Val di Cembra, Fiemme and Fassa; inside instead the valley Giudicarie and Rendena. The principle lakes are those of Garda, Caldonazzo, Tovel and Ledro; thermal waters gush forth from springs rich in therapeutic properties. Extensive coniferous forests cover the dolomitic slopes and wide table-lands like those of Folgaria, Lavarone and Pine. Three natural parks, Adamello-Brenta, Paneveggio-Pale of S. Martino and Stelvio conserve the typical species of animals and vegetation of the alpine environment including even the bear. Be sure to visit the Alto Adige is a land of castles. To visit and to live in: as some of them have been transformed into hotel castles, it is possible to enjoy a hospitality that has, in itself, an ancient taste. The following is a list of the names of the oldest castles to visit: Castel d'Appiano, Appiano; Castel Ganda, Appiano; Castel Roncolo, Bolzano; the episcopal castle of Bressanone; the Tures castle of Campo Tures; Castelbello of Castelbello; Casteldarne of Casteldarne; Castel Monteleone of Cermes; the convent of Sabiona of Chiusa; Castel Presule of Fi'; the abbey of Monte Marina, Malles; the princely castle of Merano; Castel Forte of Ponte Gardena; Castel Rodengo of Rodengo; Castel Badia of St. Lorenzo; Castel Scena of Scena; Castel Coira of Sluderno; Castel Font ana of Bolzano; the abbey of Novacella of Varna / Novacella; Castel Velturno of Velturno and Castel Tasso of Vipiteno.

Veneto - The region includes the eastern part of the Po Valley and, to the north, a part of the Dolomites. The extensive plain, with the Po delta, is rich in waters. It is a region which combines two different and unique aspects of the Italian nature: the lagoon zone (Venice) and the majestic peaks of the Dolomites of Cadore. Be sure to visit The Venetian islands of Murano, Burano and Torcello; Chioggia; the canals of the Brenta and the Veneto villas. Visitors can admire the enchanting and unique lagoon and the majestic reddish spires of the Dolomites.

Friuli-Venezia Giulia - The region consists of a flat region, extending from a morainic amphitheater, to the Tagliamento river and to the Adriatic coastline, with its plain and lagoons; of a pre-Alpine part with the Carnic Pre-Alps and of an Alpine Part, which includes the Carnic and Julian Alps. The Carso area shows interesting geological formations called "Doline" and countless grottoes. Be sure to visit the Carso area there is the Gian Grotto, near Trieste; on the sea there are Duino and the Sistiana bay; the Miramare Castle, built during the nineteenth century by Maximilian of Austria, looms over the Adriatic Sea.

Liguria - Liguria, facing the Tyrrhenian Sea, forms an imposing arc, with the Gulf of Genoa in its center. It is a mountainous and hilly region, which includes part of the Maritime Alps and the Ligurian Apennines, whose the spurs plunge almost everywhere into the sea, leaving scant space to the plains, which form a narrow coastline. Here landscapes of great beauty can be admired. The region is divided in two sections: the Riviera di Ponente (to the west), from Ventimiglia to Genoa, and the Riviera di Levante (to the east), from Genoa to La Spezia. The terminal strip of the Riviera di Levante is known as 'Le Cinque Terre' (the Five Lands) and still today represents a beautiful example of intact landscape. Be sure to visit The inland, with Dolceacqua, Balardo, Portofino, one of the moist fascinating resorts in Liguria, San Fruttuoso, Punta Chiappa, the Natural Park of Capo Noli.

Emilia-Romagna - Half of Emilia Romagna territory is formed by the Apennines; the other half is a large plain, which reaches to the Adriatic Sea. The coastline is flat and sandy, with a typical lagoon and marshy area (the Valli of Comacchio). Be sure to visit In Ravenna: the splendid Mausoleum of Galla Placidia, erected in the fifth century A.D. and the tomb of the great poet Dante; the Mausoleum of Theodoric and the magnificent basilica of Sant'Apollinare in Classe.

Tuscany - The region stretches over the slope of the Apennines, in front of the Tyrrhenian Sea. The Tuscan landscape is mainly mountainous and hilly, with a flat area besides the sea (the Maremma). The coastline presents different aspects, offering both long sandy expances and headlands. In front of the coast there are the small enchanting islands of the Tuscan archipelago. Be sure to visit the nature sceneries, such as the National Park of the Argentario and the Isola of Elba. In Siena there is the beautiful Piazza del Campo. In Florence there are the fifteenth-century shops on the Ponte Vecchio. Pisa has the Campo dei Miracoli, with the famous Leaning Tower.

Umbria - The region is mostly mountainous and hilly and presents a landscape rich in woods and water resources. It is crossed by the Apennines, which form numerous valleys. This region has a comparatively large lake: the Trasimeno. Be sure to visit the Rich in history and in nature, Umbria offers the Falls of the Marmore, which are the highest in Italy; the sources of the Clitunno and Mount Subasio. The Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli and the Rocca Maggiore. The ancient city of Spoleto offers the Roman Theater and Druso�s Arch. Near Perugia, people can visit the Ipogeo del Volumni, which is an Etruscan tomb.

Marches - It is an essentially mountainous and hilly region, facing the Adriatic Sea. The mountain area is rugged, with narrow valleys, deep gorges and numerous rushing, sometimes inaccessible, streams (Gorge of Furlo). The coastline presents a succession of gently rolling hills and flat plains crossed by rivers. Be sure to visit the seaside Fano, the coastline and the panoramic area of Mount Conero. Then, there are the Gorge of Furlo, Pesaro, and Urbino with its beautiful view and environs.

Latium - The region, with undulated hills, stretches from the western buttresses of the Apennines to the Tyrrhenian Sea. The landscape is varied and presents flatlands, on the coastline and in the hinterland, ridges and calcareous highlands. Latium has four very ancient volcanic distincts, where the craters of extinct volcanoes form the lakes of Bolsena, Vico, Bracciano, Albano and Nemi. Be sure to visit the center of Rome, we can admire the Roman Forum, the imposing arid universally known Colosseum and the Cathedral of St. Peter. Visitors can admire the archaeologic excavations, visit the quaint quarter of Trastevere, go to Tivoli to see Villa Adriana.

Abruzzo - The region is essentially hilly and mountainous and stretches from the Apennines to the Adriatic Sea. It embraces the highest and hugest massifs of Central Italy, with landscapes of rugged and intact beauty, and peaks which often are higher than 2,000 meters. In this part of the Adriatic, the long sandy expanses are replaced by steep and rocky coasts. There are wide amphitheaters near L'Aquila and Sulmona and in the dried hydrographic basin of the Fucino. Geological karst formations with grottoes and 'Doline' are present. The National Park of Abruzzo, in the western part of the region, harbors numerous animal species, such as the Marsican Bear and the Gray Wolf. Be sure to visit Sulmona, Roccaraso and Scanno: the Highland of the Five Miles and the National Park.

Molise - A region of hills and mountains, facing the Adriatic Sea, north of the Gargano promontory. It is a continuation of Abruzzo's landscape, and inn fact Abruzzo and Molise constituted a single administrative district until 1963. Among the southern regions, it is one of the richest in waterways, which cross the land from the Apennine watershed to the Adriatic Sea. Other rivers, affluents of Volturno, flow into the Tyrrhenian Sea, after crossing the region of Campania. Be sure to visit In Campobasso, visitors can admire the historic center and the majestic battlemented castle of the Longobard period; the Romanesque churches of San Bartolomeo and San Giorgino. The church of Sant Antonino Abate houses the collection of carvings and wooden sculptures of sixteenth-century masters of Molise. About fifteen kilometers from the city, rises the Romanesque Santa Maria della Strada, with the fifteenth-century Gothic sepulchre. In Isernia, the Civic Museum holds Samnitic epigraphs and sculptures; the fourteenth-century Fontana della Fraterna is also very interesting. In Pastena, tourists can admire the monumental Sanctuary of the Addolorata of Castelpetroso, surrounded by a thick forest.

Campania - The region faces the Tyrrhenian Sea and includes one of the finest coastlines in Italy. The hinterland is essentially mountainous, with irregular massifs broken here and there by valleys and plains. In front of the Gulfs of Naples and Salerno, we can admire marvelous and enchanting islands: Capri, Ischia, Procida. Be sure to visit The splendid Amalfi coast; the marvelous islands; the Imperial Villa in Capri; the Royal Palace of Caserta with its splendid Italian gardens; Herculaneum and Pompeii.

Apulia - This region forms the easternmost part of the peninsula and has a long coastline, facing the Ionian and the Adriatic Seas. Apulia is essentially a flatland with wide arid expanses, terraces and table-lands poor in water. The Murgia highland and the coast present impressive karst formations (grottoes and 'Doline' hollows). The coasts are essentially high and, in the Gargano district, plunge steep into the sea; in other areas, they are sandy or rocky, but usually flat. Be sure to visit The Gargano area and the coastline from Brindisi to Santa Maria di Leuca; Alberobello with its typical 'trulli' houses.

Basilicata - The region is mountainous, arid, scarcely watered. It has two coastlines, one in the center of the Gulf of Taranto in the Ionian Sea, and a tiny one on the Tyrrhenian Sea, with the famous sea resort of Maratea. The bare mountain landscapes slope down to the Ionian Sea. Be sure to visit In Matera, visitors can see the 'Sassi', the typical houses and churches dug into the 'tufa' crag. In the Gulf of Policastro, tourists can enjoy the fascinating Maratea, an important resort of the Tyrrhenian Sea; on the Ionian Sea, the Antiquarium of Metaponto.

Calabria - It is the extreme south-western region of Italy, washed by the Tyrrhenian Sea and the lonian. It is an essentially mountainous region, with a high central Apennine ridge, which crosses it lengthwise. The mountain slopes are overgrown with thick woods. The coastlines present landscapes of wild beauty. Be sure to visit Tourists can make excursions to the Sila district and its lakes. Moreover, there are Villa San Giovanni (on the straits of Messina), Sibari, Crotone and the isle of Capo Rizzuto.

Sicily - It is the biggest island in the Mediterranean, separated from the Italian peninsula by the strait of Messina. It has important mountain groups: Peloritani, Nebrodi, Madonie, Iblei. The plains are scanty, with the exception of the area around Catania. The coasts offer a landscape of fascinating beauty almost everywhere; groups of marvelous smaller islands are scattered round the coast (the Eolie or Lipari, Ustica, the Egadi. the isle of Pantelleria and the Pelagie). The Etna, rising in the center of a volcanic area of Sicily, is the highest active volcano in Europe (3,323 meters). The isles of Stromboli and Vulcano are also active volcanoes. Be sure to visit Taormina, the Etna and the majestic monuments in the Valle dei Templi of Agrigento.

Sardinia - The Costa Smeralda and the island of the Maddalena (Bocche di Bonifacio); the islands of San Pietro and Sant'Antioco, near Cagliari. Tourists should not omit a visit to the archaeologic excavations of Tharros and to the cork-oak woods, at the foot of the Gennargentu. Be sure to visit The Costa Smeralda and the island of the Maddalena (Bocche di Bonifacio); the islands of San Pietro and Sant'Antioco, near Cagliari. Tourists should not omit a visit to the archaeologic excavations of Tharros and to the cork-oak woods, at the foot of the Gennargentu.

source: - E.N.I.T. North America

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