Miracle at St. Anna is set primarily in Europe.
Italy -LRB- Italia -LSB- iˈtaːlja -RSB- -RRB- , officially the Italian Republic -LRB- -LSB- Repubblica italiana , links = no -RSB- -RRB- , 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 .. Italian. Italians. parliamentary. Parliamentary system. republic. Roman Republic. Republic. Italian constitutional referendum, 1946. unitary. Unitary state. parliamentary republic. parliamentary republic. Italian peninsula. Italian peninsula. Southern Europe. Southern Europe. North Italy. North Italy. Central Europe. Central Europe. Due to cultural , political and historical reasons , Italy is a Western European country .. Located in the heart of the Mediterranean Sea , Italy shares open land borders with France , Switzerland , Austria , Slovenia , San Marino and Vatican City .. Mediterranean Sea. Mediterranean Sea. open land borders. open borders. France. French First Empire. Austria. Austrian Empire. Italy covers an area of 301338 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal and Mediterranean climate .. temperate seasonal. Temperate climate. Mediterranean climate. Mediterranean climate. Due to its shape , it is often referred to in Italy as lo Stivale -LRB- the Boot -RRB- .. Boot. Boot. With 61 million inhabitants , it is the fourth most populous EU member state .. fourth most populous EU member state. List of European Union member states by population. Since classical times , ancient Phoenicians , Carthaginians and Greeks established settlements in the south of Italy , with Etruscans and Celts inhabiting the centre and north of Italy respectively and various different ancient Italian tribes and Italic peoples dispersed throughout the Italian Peninsula and insular Italy .. Italian. Italians. classical times. classical antiquity. Greeks. Magna Graecia. Etruscans. Etruscan civilization. Celts. Celts. ancient Italian tribes. List of ancient peoples of Italy. Italic peoples. Italic peoples. insular Italy. insular Italy. centre. caput mundi. the south. southern Italy. The Italic tribe known as the Latins formed the Roman Kingdom , which eventually became a republic that conquered and assimilated other nearby civilisations .. republic. Roman Republic. Italic tribe. Italic tribe. Latins. Latins. Roman Kingdom. Roman Kingdom. conquered. Roman conquest of Italy. assimilated. Romanization ( cultural ). Rome ultimately emerged as the dominant power in the Mediterranean basin , conquering much of the ancient world and becoming the leading cultural , political and religious centre of Western civilisation .. Rome. Ancient Rome. dominant power. Roman Empire. ancient world. Ecumene. centre. caput mundi. Western civilisation. Western world. leading. EU big four. The legacy of the Roman Empire is widespread and can be observed in the global distribution of civilian law , republican governments , Christianity and the Latin script .. Christianity. Christianity. legacy of the Roman Empire. legacy of the Roman Empire. civilian law. civilian law. Latin script. Latin script. During the Middle Ages , Italy suffered sociopolitical collapse amid calamitous barbarian invasions , but by the 11th century numerous rival city-states and maritime republics rose to great prosperity through shipping , commerce and banking , laying down the groundwork for modern capitalism .. Middle Ages. Middle Ages. sociopolitical collapse. Collapse of the Roman Empire. barbarian invasions. Migration Period. city-states. Italian city-states. maritime republics. maritime republics. capitalism. capitalism. These independent statelets , acting as Europe 's main trading hubs with Asia and the Near East , often enjoyed a greater degree of democracy and wealth in comparison to the larger feudal monarchies that were consolidating throughout Europe at the time , though much of central Italy remained under the control of the theocratic Papal States , while Southern Italy remained largely feudal until the 19th century , partially as a result of a succession of Byzantine , Arab , Norman , Spanish and Bourbon conquests of the region .. Asia and the Near East. Spice trade. feudal. feudalism. central Italy. central Italy. theocratic. theocratic. Papal States. Papal States. Southern Italy. Southern Italy. Byzantine. Byzantine Empire. Arab. History of Islam in southern Italy. Norman. Norman conquest of southern Italy. Spanish. Crown of Aragon. Bourbon. House of Bourbon. The Renaissance began in Italy and spread to the rest of Europe , bringing a renewed interest in humanism , science , exploration and art .. Renaissance. Renaissance. humanism. Renaissance humanism. science. Renaissance science. exploration. Renaissance exploration. art. Renaissance art. Italian culture flourished at this time , producing famous scholars , artists and polymaths such as Leonardo da Vinci , Galileo , Michelangelo and Machiavelli .. Italian. Italians. polymaths. polymaths. Leonardo da Vinci. Leonardo da Vinci. Galileo. Galileo Galilei. Michelangelo. Michelangelo. Machiavelli. Niccolo Machiavelli. Italian explorers such as Marco Polo , Christopher Columbus , Amerigo Vespucci and Giovanni da Verrazzano discovered new routes to the Far East and the New World , helping to usher in the European Age of Discovery .. Italian. Italians. Marco Polo. Marco Polo. Christopher Columbus. Christopher Columbus. Amerigo Vespucci. Amerigo Vespucci. Giovanni da Verrazzano. Giovanni da Verrazzano. Far East. Far East. New World. New World. Age of Discovery. Age of Discovery. Nevertheless , Italy 's commercial and political power significantly waned with the opening of the Atlantic trade route and the route to the Indian Ocean via the Cape of Good Hope , which bypassed the Mediterranean .. Atlantic trade route. Triangular trade. Indian Ocean. Indian Ocean. Cape of Good Hope. Cape of Good Hope. Furthermore , the Italian city-states constantly engaged one another in bloody warfare , culminating in the Italian Wars of the 15th and 16th centuries that left them exhausted , with no one emerging as a dominant power .. Italian. Italians. dominant power. Roman Empire. city-states. Italian city-states. Italian Wars. Italian Wars. The weakened sovereigns soon fell victim to conquest by European powers such as France , Spain and Austria .. conquest. Conquest ( military ). European powers. Power ( international relations )#Modern Age European powers. France. French First Empire. Spain. Spanish Empire. Austria. Austrian Empire. By the mid-19th century , a rising movement in support of Italian nationalism and independence from foreign control led to a period of revolutionary political upheaval known as the Risorgimento , which sought the formation of a unified nation-state .. Italian. Italians. Italian nationalism. Italian nationalism. Risorgimento. Risorgimento. After various unsuccessful attempts , the Italian Wars of Independence and the Expedition of the Thousand resulted in the eventual unification of the country in 1861 , now a great power after centuries of foreign domination and political division .. Italian. Italians. Italian Wars. Italian Wars. Italian Wars of Independence. Italian Wars of Independence. Expedition of the Thousand. Expedition of the Thousand. unification. Italian unification. great power. great power. From the late 19th century to the early 20th century , the new Kingdom of Italy rapidly industrialised , although mainly in the north , and acquired a colonial empire , while the south remained largely impoverished and excluded from industrialisation , fuelling a large and influential diaspora .. Kingdom of Italy. Kingdom of Italy. industrialised. industrialized. the north. Northern Italy. colonial empire. Italian Empire. the south. southern Italy. excluded from industrialisation. Economy of Italy#North–South divide. diaspora. Italian diaspora. Despite being one of the main victors in World War I , Italy entered a period of economic crisis and social turmoil , leading the way to the rise of a fascist dictatorship in 1922 .. main victors. The Big Four ( World War I ). World War I. World War I. fascist. Italian Fascism. leading. EU big four. The subsequent participation in World War II on the Axis side ended in military defeat , economic destruction and an Italian civil war .. Italian. Italians. World War II. World War II. Axis. Axis Powers. Italian civil war. Italian civil war. Following the liberation of Italy and the rise of the resistance , the country abolished the monarchy , reinstated democracy , enjoyed a prolonged economic boom and , despite periods of sociopolitical turmoil -LRB- e.g. Anni di piombo , Mani pulite , the Second Mafia War , the Maxi Trial and subsequent assassinations of anti-mafia officials -RRB- , became a major developed country .. liberation of Italy. Italian Campaign ( World War II ). resistance. Italian resistance movement. monarchy. monarchy of Italy. economic boom. Italian economic miracle. Anni di piombo. Years of Lead ( Italy ). Mani pulite. Mani pulite. Second Mafia War. Second Mafia War. Maxi Trial. Maxi Trial. anti-mafia. anti-mafia. developed country. developed country. Today , Italy has the third largest economy in the Eurozone and the eighth largest in the world .. Eurozone. Eurozone. eighth largest. List of countries by GDP ( nominal ). It has a very high level of human development and is ranked sixth in the world for life expectancy .. human development. human development index. life expectancy. List of countries by life expectancy. The country plays a prominent role in regional and global economic , military , cultural and diplomatic affairs , and it is both a regional power and a great power .. great power. great power. regional power. regional power. Italy is a founding and leading member of the European Union and the member of numerous international institutions , including the UN , NATO , the OECD , the OSCE , the WTO , the G7 / G8 , G20 , the Union for the Mediterranean , the Council of Europe , Uniting for Consensus and many more .. European Union. European Union. founding. Inner six. leading. EU big four. NATO. NATO. OECD. OECD. OSCE. OSCE. WTO. WTO. G20. G20. Union for the Mediterranean. Union for the Mediterranean. Council of Europe. Council of Europe. Uniting for Consensus. Uniting for Consensus. many more. Foreign relations of Italy#International institutions. As a reflection of its cultural wealth , Italy is home to 51 World Heritage Sites , the most in the world , and is the fifth most visited country .. World Heritage Sites. World Heritage Sites. most visited country. World Tourism rankings