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Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern and Western Europe. It is located on a peninsula that extends into the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land border, as well as islands, notably Sicily and Sardinia. Italy shares its borders with France, Switzerland, Austria, Slovenia and two enclaves: Vatican City and San Marino. It is the tenth-largest country in Europe, covering an area of 301,340 km² (116,350 sq mi), and third-most populous member state of the European Union, with a population of nearly 60 million. Its capital and largest city is Rome; other major urban areas include Milan, Naples, Turin, Florence, and Venice.

In antiquity, Italy was home to numerous peoples; the Latin city of Rome, founded as a Kingdom, became a Republic that conquered the Mediterranean world and ruled it for centuries as an Empire. With the spread of Christianity, Rome became the seat of the Catholic Church and the Papacy. During the Early Middle Ages, Italy experienced the fall of the Western Roman Empire and inward migration from Germanic tribes. By the 11th century, Italian city-states and maritime republics expanded, bringing renewed prosperity through commerce and laying the groundwork for modern capitalism. The Italian Renaissance flourished during the 15th and 16th centuries and spread to the rest of Europe. Italian explorers discovered new routes to the Far East and the New World, leading the European Age of Discovery. However, centuries of rivalry and infighting between city-states left the peninsula divided. During the 17th and 18th centuries, Italian economic importance waned significantly. (Full article...)

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Lisa was portrayed in the Mona Lisa (detail above) by Leonardo da Vinci

Lisa del Giocondo (Italian pronunciation: [ˈliːza del dʒoˈkondo]; née Gherardini [ɡerarˈdiːni]; June 15, 1479 – July 14, 1542) was an Italian noblewoman and member of the Gherardini family of Florence and Tuscany. Her name was given to the Mona Lisa, her portrait commissioned by her husband and painted by Leonardo da Vinci in the Italian Renaissance.

Little is known about Lisa's life. Lisa was born in Florence. She married in her teens to a cloth and silk merchant who later became a local official; she was a mother to six children and led what is thought to have been a comfortable and ordinary life. Lisa outlived her husband, who was considerably her senior. (Full article...)

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Image 1Youth of Moses by Sandro Botticelli, 1481-82, Sistine Chapel
Image 2A section of the Sistine Chapel ceiling, painted by Michelangelo
Image 3The Forma Urbis Romae is a massive marble map of ancient Rome, created under the emperor Septimius Severus between 203 and 211.
Image 4Dome of Florence Cathedral
Image 5Porta Soprana is the best-known gate of the ancient walls of Genoa.
Image 6Interior of the Santa Maria della Vittoria in Rome
Image 7Sellajoch, South Tyrol and Trentino (seen from Pordoi Pass), Langkofel on the left, Piz Ciavazes on the right
Image 8View of Piazzetta San Marco toward Grand Canal of Venice, at dawn, with Doges' Palace on the left and Biblioteca Marciana on the right.
Image 9South face of the Tofana di Rozes in the Parco naturale regionale delle Dolomiti d'Ampezzo

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...that Poliphilo, the main character in the Renaissance book Hypnerotomachia Poliphili, was said to have felt "extreme delight", "incredible joy", and "frenetic pleasure and cupidinous frenzy" when he saw the buildings depicted in the book?

...the famous biblical period movies Pier Paolo Pasolini’s The Gospel According to St. Matthew (1964), Bruce Beresford’s King David (1985), and Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ (2004) were filmed in Matera?

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Fettuccine Alfredo (Italian: [fettut'tʃiːne alˈfreːdo]) is a pasta dish made with fettuccine, butter, and Parmesan cheese. As the cheese is mixed with freshly cooked, warm fettuccine and ample butter, it melts and emulsifies to form a smooth, rich cheese sauce coating the noodles. Originated in Rome in the early 20th century, it is now popular in the United States and other countries. Cream is commonly added to American versions, which are often served as a main course with optional chicken, shrimp, salmon or other ingredients on top or on the side.

The dish is named for Alfredo Di Lelio, a Roman restauranteur who is credited with its invention and popularisation. Di Lelio's elaborate tableside service was an integral part of the dish. Fettuccine Alfredo is a richer version of the standard Italian fettuccine al burro ('fettuccine with butter'), also called pasta burro e parmigiano ('pasta with butter and Parmesan cheese'). It is a kind of pasta in bianco, that is, without added sauce. The Italian recipes do not include cream and are not topped with other ingredients, nor is the dish generally called "Alfredo" in Italy. (Full article...)

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Italian cuisine Pizza Ancient Roman cuisine Pasta Roman cuisine Parmigiano-Reggiano Sicilian cuisine Mozzarella Acquacotta Carbonara Gelato Marron glacé Minestrone Pizza di Pasqua Chianti Food and dining in the Roman Empire Espresso Italian wine Testaroli Prodotto agroalimentare tradizionale Latte

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The following are images from various Italy-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1Palazzo della Civiltà Italiana in Rome is a perfect example of modern Italian architecture. (from Culture of Italy)
Image 2Royal Palace of Caserta, the largest royal residence in the world (from Culture of Italy)
Image 3Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa is an Italian art masterpiece worldwide famous. (from Culture of Italy)
Image 4The Ecstasy of Saint Teresa by Gian Lorenzo Bernini (from Culture of Italy)
Image 5The cover of the Corriere dei Piccoli on 11 July 1911 carries a cartoon strip in the Italian style without speech bubbles. (from Culture of Italy)
Image 6Prada shop at Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II in Milan (from Culture of Italy)
Image 7William Shakespeare is an example of an Italophile of the 16th century. (from Culture of Italy)
Image 8The Forum of Pompeii with Vesuvius in the distance (from Culture of Italy)
Image 9Federico Fellini, considered one of the most influential and widely revered filmmakers in the history of cinema (from Culture of Italy)
Image 10The Leaning Tower of Pisa (from Culture of Italy)
Image 11The Trevi Fountain in Rome (from Culture of Italy)
Image 12Italian wine and salumi (from Culture of Italy)
Image 13Carnival of Venice (from Culture of Italy)
Image 14Ferragosto fireworks display in Padua on 15 August 2010 (from Culture of Italy)
Image 15Luciano Pavarotti, considered one of the finest tenors of the 20th century and the "King of the High Cs" (from Culture of Italy)
Image 16John Florio is recognised as the most important Renaissance humanist in England (from Culture of Italy)
Image 17Gucci and Dolce & Gabbana Store on the Las Vegas Strip in Las Vegas (from Culture of Italy)
Image 18Castel del Monte, Apulia (from Culture of Italy)
Image 19The Venice Film Festival is the oldest film festival in the world. (from Culture of Italy)
Image 20Romulus and Remus, the Lupercal, Father Tiber, and the Palatine on a relief from a pedestal dating to the reign of Trajan (AD 98–117) (from Culture of Italy)
Image 21Roman mosaic of Virgil, the most important Latin poet of the Augustan period (from Culture of Italy)
Image 22Traditional pizza Margherita, whose ingredients, tomato (red), mozzarella (white) and basil (green), are inspired by the colours of the national flag of Italy. (from Culture of Italy)
Image 23Dario Fo, one of the most widely performed playwrights in modern theatre, received international acclaim for his highly improvisational style. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1997. (from Culture of Italy)
Image 24Festival of Saint Agatha (from Culture of Italy)
Image 25Palio di Siena (from Culture of Italy)
Image 26Alessandro Manzoni is famous for the novel The Betrothed (1827), generally ranked among the masterpieces of world literature. (from Culture of Italy)
Image 27Entrance to Cinecittà in Rome, the largest film studio in Europe (from Culture of Italy)
Image 28Palazzo Senatorio, seat of the municipality of Rome. It has been a town hall since AD 1144, making it the oldest town hall in the world. (from Culture of Italy)
Image 29The Altare della Patria in Rome, a national symbol of Italy celebrating the first king of the unified country, and resting place of the Italian Unknown Soldier since the end of World War I. It was inaugurated in 1911, on the occasion of the 50th Anniversary of the Unification of Italy. (from Culture of Italy)
Image 30Antonio Vivaldi, in 1723. His best-known work is a series of violin concertos known as The Four Seasons. (from Culture of Italy)
Image 31Columbus Breaking the Egg by William Hogarth (from Culture of Italy)
Image 32Rai Radio 1 (from Culture of Italy)
Image 33The statue of Italia turrita in Reggio Calabria. Italia turrita is the national personification of Italy. (from Culture of Italy)
Image 34Dante Alighieri, one of the greatest poets of the Middle Ages. His epic poem The Divine Comedy ranks among the finest works of world literature. (from Culture of Italy)
Image 35Clockwise from top left: Thomas Aquinas, proponent of natural theology and the Father of Thomism; Giordano Bruno, one of the major scientific figures of the Western world; Cesare Beccaria, considered the Father of criminal justice and modern criminal law; and Maria Montessori, credited with the creation of the Montessori education (from Culture of Italy)
Image 36The discovery of the New World by Christoper Columbus (from Culture of Italy)
Image 37Tagliatelle with ragù (from Culture of Italy)
Image 38The historic seat of the Corriere della Sera in via Solferino in Milan (from Culture of Italy)
Image 39David, by Michelangelo (Accademia di Belle Arti, Florence, Italy) is a masterpiece of Renaissance and world art. (from Culture of Italy)
Image 40A wooden puppet depicting the Befana (from Culture of Italy)
Image 41Gelato is Italian ice cream. (from Culture of Italy)
Image 42The Arch of Constantine in Rome (from Culture of Italy)
Image 43The Jefferson Memorial in Washington, D.C., reflects the president's admiration for classical Roman aesthetics (from Culture of Italy)
Image 44The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci, possibly one of the most famous and iconic examples of Italian art (from Culture of Italy)
Image 45Folkloristic reconstruction of the Company of Death led by Alberto da Giussano who is preparing to carry out the charge during the battle of Legnano at the Palio di Legnano 2014 (from Culture of Italy)
Image 46Pinocchio Disney film is based on The Adventures of Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi. (from Culture of Italy)
Image 47Scrovegni Chapel. The chapel contains a fresco cycle by Giotto, completed about 1305 and considered to be an important masterpiece of Western art. (from Culture of Italy)
Image 48The Creation of Adam is one of the scenes on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel of the Vatican, painted by Michelangelo sometime between 1508 and 1512. (from Culture of Italy)
Image 49Sandro Botticelli, The Birth of Venus (c. 1486). Tempera on canvas. 172.5 cm × 278.9 cm (67.9 in × 109.6 in). Uffizi, Florence. (from Culture of Italy)
Image 50The Calling of St Matthew by Caravaggio (from Culture of Italy)
Image 51The espresso comes from the Italian esprimere, which means "to express," and refers to the process by which hot water is forced under pressure through ground coffee. (from Culture of Italy)
Image 52The Sistine Chapel ceiling, with frescos done by Michelangelo (from Culture of Italy)
Image 53Pietà, by Michelangelo is a key work of Italian Renaissance sculpture. (from Culture of Italy)
Image 54The Colosseum, originally known as the Flavian Amphitheatre, is an elliptical amphitheatre in the centre of the city of Rome, the largest ever built in the Roman Empire. (from Culture of Italy)
Image 55The Piazza dei Miracoli, with Pisa Cathedral, the Pisa Baptistery, and the Leaning Tower of Pisa, in Pisan Romanesque style (from Culture of Italy)
Image 56The Sagra dell'uva in Marino, celebrating grapes (from Culture of Italy)
Image 57The Roman Empire provided an inspiration for the medieval European. Although the Holy Roman Empire rarely acquired a serious geopolitical reality, it possessed great symbolic significance. (from Culture of Italy)
Image 58The Uffizi in Florence (from Culture of Italy)
Image 59Italian folk dance in Molise (from Culture of Italy)
Image 60Teatro di San Carlo, Naples. It is the oldest continuously active venue for opera in the world. (from Culture of Italy)
Image 61Statues of Pantalone and Harlequin, two stock characters from the Commedia dell'arte, in the Museo Teatrale alla Scala (from Culture of Italy)
Image 62Giorgio Moroder, pioneer of Italo disco and electronic dance music, is known as the "Father of disco". (from Culture of Italy)
Image 63Regional seat of RAI in Cosenza (from Culture of Italy)