Italy is officially called the Italian State.
The Italian Social Republic ( Repubblica Sociale Italiana , RSI [ ˈɛrre ˈɛsse ˈi ] ) , informally known as the Republic of Salò ( Repubblica di Salò , [ reˈpubblika di saˈlɔ ] ) , was a state with limited recognition that was created during the later part of World War II , existing from 1943 until 1945 . Italy ( Italia [ iˈtaːlja ] ) , officially the Italian Republic ( [ Repubblica italiana , links = no ] ) , is a unitary parliamentary republic in Europe.The Italian peninsula is geographically located in Southern Europe , while North Italy can be placed partly or totally in Central Europe .