Capital: Rome
Official language: Italian, though German and French are spoken in some parts of Northern Italy. The modern Italian, spoken nowadays, originated in the region of Tuscany by the famous writer Dante Alighieri.
National Anthem: Inno di Mameli
National flag: Vertically striped green, white, and red. The colours represent three virtues: hope (green), faith (white), and charity (red).
Note: Inspiration to the Italian flag was taken from the blue-white-red-striped French flag, which had been introduced during Napoleon's 1797 invasion of the peninsula.

Government: Parliamentary republic
- President: Giorgio Napolitano
- Prime Minister: Silvio Berlusconi
Note: Since the end of WorldWar II, Italy has seen almost 60 governments come and go. Voting age is 18.

Legislature: Parliament
- Upper House Senate
- Lower House Chamber of Deputies

Formation:
- Unification 17 March 1861
- Republic 2 June 1946
EU accession: 25 March 1957 (founding member)

Area: 20 regions form an elongated boot-shaped peninsula (plus the two major islands Sicily and Sardinia) of 301,338 km2 (116,346.5 sq mi). Italy is bordered on three sides by water (the Adriatic, Ionian, Tyrrhenean, Ligurian, and Mediterranean Sea), mainland boarders exist only in the North to France, Austria, Switzerland and Slovenia.
Population: Estimated 59,905,225 in summer of 2008 with a density of 198.8/km2 (511.7/sq mi).
Climate: Italy's north has warm summers and cool winters. Italy's south has hot summers and mild winters (simplified version).
Currency: Euro (€)
Calling code: +39. Note: Different from other European countries, the “0” of the area-code will be maintained when calling from another country. For Rome it would be: 0039 (Italy) + 06 (Rome are code) + the personal phone-number of hotel, friend etc.. When calling from Rome to Rome, the area-code must still be dialled.
Emergency calls: 112 e 113
Religion: Almost 90% of Italians are Roman Catholic.
National sport: Soccer, with such great teams as A.S. Roma, A.C. Milan, F.C. International, Juventus F.C., etc. Note: Soccer games are held from September to May almost every Sunday afternoon at 3 p.m.. An afternoon at the stadium can be quite an event, as Italians are famous for their abiding love for their team.
Electricity: 220 Volt