Adventourus Active Vacations

Italy became a nation-state in 1861 when the regional states of the peninsula, along with Sardinia and Sicily, were united under King Victor EMMANUEL II. An era of parliamentary government came to a close in the early 1920s when Benito MUSSOLINI established a Fascist dictatorship. His alliance with Nazi Germany led to Italy's defeat in World War II. A democratic republic replaced the monarchy in 1946 and economic revival followed. Italy was a charter member of NATO and the European Economic Community (EEC). It has been at the forefront of European economic and political unification, joining the Economic and Monetary Union in 1999. Persistent problems include illegal immigration, organized crime, corruption, high unemployment, sluggish economic growth, and the low incomes and technical standards of southern Italy compared with the prosperous north.

Source: The CIA Factbook

Videos:

Video #1: Link - About Venice

Video #2: Link - Hilarious sketch about Italians

Video #3: Link - Lonely Planet video

Video #4: Link - Pictures

Our tours:

The Pearls of Venice

Bolzano to Venice

Lake Garda

Tuscany

Tuscany - Single Hotel Based

Tuscany - A Taste of Chianti

Bike & Barge In Northern Italy

Bike & Barge On The Amalfi Coast

Sicily

Venice to Porec

Florence to Rome

Rome to Naples

Piedmont

Umbria