The splendors of Bel Paese

Italy & the World: Italy is a founding member of the European Union (1957), a NATO member since 1949, and a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for two years since January 2007. It is a G8 member and will assume the presidency in 2009. In May 2007, Italy was elected to the UN Human Rights Council for the 2007-2010 term.

Culture & Education: Italy is home to the world's largest number of UNESCO World Heritage Sites: 41 environmental, archeological and architectural sites; Italy has more than 3,000 museums, private art exhibitions and museum locations such as castles, palaces and mansions. Florence is the city with the highest density of art pieces in the whole world; Naples' San Carlo Theater, founded in 1737, is Europe's oldest working theatre. Besides, there are other worldwide famous theaters such as La Scala in Milan and La Fenice in Venice. Seventy-seven universities, including three institutes and schools of advanced studies, are the backbone of the Italian higher education system, among which is the world's oldest athenaeum - Bologna University - founded in 1088.

Tourism: With over 37 million tourists a year, Italy ranks fifth among the world's major tourist destinations. It offers a great variety of beautiful scenic spots, ranging from Europe's highest peak (Mont Blanc) and 7,500 km of coastline, to 25 natural reserves and parks, scattered all over the peninsula. Located at the heart of the Mediterranean Sea, Italy is the hub of all the sea routes connecting three different continents, which historically made it a strategic meeting point for different cultures and civilizations from Europe, Asia and Africa.

Made in Italy: "Made in Italy" - or even better, made by Italy - is a synonym not only for high quality and original design, but also for a lifestyle that can be appreciated and adopted everywhere. Italy's most famous exports are in the fields of fashion, luxury vehicles and food industry, with a particular stress on genuine, certified biological products. But amid the driving sectors, which register high export flows, there are also motor vehicles, machine tools, chemicals, petrochemicals and hi-tech goods. Industrial clusters and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are the backbone of the Italian economic model. Italy is widely and rightly regarded as the kingdom of SMEs.

Language: Italian is the fifth most taught non-native language in the world, after English, French, Spanish and German. There are about 60 million native speakers, but another 60 million people also speak Italian around the world. Italian language is considered a "lingua franca" not only for music, art and car races, but even for food and cooking: pasta, pizza, caff, cappuccino, and spaghetti sound more genuine and stylish than their English versions.

Sport: The national soccer team, the Azzurri, was World Champion for the fourth time in July 2006. The Italian Serie A teams have fans all around the world. But not only soccer, Italy is famous also for its motorbikes, car racing, and less famous sports, such as fencing or cycling. At the last Olympic Games in Athens, Italy won the gold medal in the most ambitious race and emblem of the Olympic spirit: the marathon.

(China Daily 06/05/2007 page25)