Our country
Hello guys ! We live in Italy . Our country is a parliamentary republic , it ’ s a founding member of UE and the official language is Italian but there are some secondary languages , spoken only in a few regions , for example French in Valle D ’ Aosta ( Vallée d ’ Aoste ) and German in Trentino Alto Adige ( Südtirol ). Every Italian region has its own dialect . Italy is located in the heart of the Mediterranean Sea and borders with France , Switzerland , Austria , Slovenia , Vatican City and San Marino . The capital is Rome and it ’ s a very beautiful city ! It ’ s the biggest Italian city situated in the centre and it ’ s rich of monuments , for example the Coliseum , the Trevi Fountain , the Capitol , the Pantheon , The Quirinal and a lot of other monuments . Inside Rome , there is Vatican city , which is the Pope ’ s seat . Other main cities are Milan , Turin , Florence , Genoa and Palermo .
Milan is situated in the north of Italy and here you can find the Cathedral , the Palace of the Bank of Italy , Castello Sforzesco and the Arch of Peace . In Milan , there is the most important Italian theatre : Scala theatre . Furthermore , Milan is a major financial and economic center , it ’ s home of major universities and it ’ s important worldwide for Italian fashion .
Turin was the first capital of Italy for four years , from 1861 to 1865 and now it ’ s an important city for the production of Martini , for the espresso and more . The most important monuments are the Mole Antonelliana and the cathedral . There are also some big outdoor markets , like Porta palazzo and Balon . Turin is also the headquarters of FIAT , the main automotive company in Italy .
Florence is the most populous city in Tuscany . It ’ s known as the birthplace of Renaissance . Florence was the capital of the Kingdom of Italy from 1865 to 1871 and now it has a big influence on international fashion trends . The main sights in this city are the Palazzo Vecchio , the cathedral of the city “ Santa Maria del Fiore ”, the Campanile , the Ponte Vecchio , which spans the Arno river , and Palazzo Pitti , and here you can find the Uffizi Gallery . Futhermore , this city is the birthplace of Dante Alighieri , a major Italian poet . The historic centre of Florence was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO .
Genoa , which forms the corner of the Milan-Turin-Genoa industrial triangle , is one of the country ’ s major economic centers . It ’ s a seaside town and in fact it is famous for his aquarium but there are other important monuments like Palazzo Ducale and San Lorenzo ’ s cathedral .
Palermo is located in Sicily , the southern Italian island and it ’ s rich of World Heritage Sites by UNESCO like Palazzo dei Normanni , which is Sicilian parliamentary seat , the cathedral and Cappella Palatina . However , Palermo is rich of other monuments , mostly religious architectures , like Basilica di San Francesco D ’ Assisi , Basilica La Magione and Chiesa di San Domenico , civil architectures , like Muqarnas , Palazzo Pretorio and Palazzo Abatellis , archaeological sites , like Castellammare archeological park . There are falso very beautiful squares , like Piazza Pretoria , Piazza Indipendenza and Piazza della Memoria .