Know about Italy

beknown — Wed, 21 May 2008 15:05:55 +0000

Italy facts

Land & people

Area: 301,230 sq km
Population (July 2007 est.): 58.147 million
Capital: Rome
Languages: Italian, German, French, Slovene and Ladino
Per capita GDP (2006 est.): $30,200

Located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea — Sicily and Sardinia — Italy shares its northern Alpine boundary with France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia. Its most prominent feature is its boot-like shape.

Mountains cover much of the country. The Dolomite Mountains, extending across northern Italy, are part of the Alps mountain range. The Apennine mountains cut down the centre of Italy, stretching from north to south, dividing the east and west coasts. Just south of the Dolomite Mountains, the Po Valley is the basin of the Po River and is a fertile farmland.

Geographical divisions (regions with main cities) of Italy include: Piedmont (Turin), Aosta Valley (Aosta), Lombardy (Milan), Trentino Alto Adige (Trento Bolzano), Veneto (Venice), Friuli-Venezia Giulia (Trieste), Liguria (Genoa), Emilia-Romagna (Bologna), Tuscany (Florence), Umbria (Perugia), Marches (Ancona), Latium (Rome), Abruzzo (L’Aquila), Molise (Campobasso), Campania (Naples), Apulia (Bari), Basilicata (Potenza), Calabria (Catanzaro), Sicily (Palermo), and Sardinia (Cagliari).

Passport/visa

Visitors need a valid passport and visa to enter the country. Citizens of European Union Member States can travel to Italy with only their identity card, issued by their country of origin. For further information on entry requirements, contact your nearest Italian embassy or consulate.

Credit cards/cash

Credit cards are widely accepted in the country and the exchange rate is usually better than for cash or travellers cheques. Many banks have bancomats or ATMs (automatic teller machines), enabling you to draw foreign currency.

Banks and post offices are the most reliable places to change traveller’s cheques and generally they provide the best rates. It is possible to cash your travellers cheques at main railway stations and airports.

When to go

The best months for travelling in Italy are from April to June and late September to October when the temperatures are usually mild and the crowds aren’t quite as intense. The summer rush really picks up by mid-June, and from July to mid-September the country abounds with visitors. Most attractions operate on shorter hours during winter or are closed for renovation from late October to Easter.

GETTING AROUND
Well connected
Getting to Italy is easy, thanks to frequent and safe connections with other countries worldwide. Italy has flight connections to the majority of European countries, the US, Canada, Australia and all continents. The main international airport in Italy is the Leonardo da Vinci Rome Fiumicino airport, but a large number of intercontinental flights also land at Milan Malpensa.

For European citizens, apart from flights, it is advisable to enter Italy by car, coach and train.

For non-European citizens, competition between different national airlines and low-cost airlines has made for extremely attractive ticket prices.

Ferries connect the country with Greece, Turkey, Tunisia, Malta, Albania, France, Slovenia, Croatia and Spain.

Rome, the country’s capital, is over 2,700 years old and steeped in history. The city, which is one of the most visited in the world, is home to numerous ancient monuments.

An artistic blend of history and industry

Italy has something to offer in just about every conceivable field, but its greatest strength is its industrious people.

From Milan to Rome, pasta to pizza, and Gucci to Prada, Italy is a country famous for many things, most notably its historic cities, delectable cuisine and sumptuous fashion labels. It is not by accident that the English poet Samuel Johnson once said: “A man who has not been to Italy is always conscious of an inferiority, from his not having seen what a man is supposed to see.”

Located on the Italian peninsula in Southern Europe, and on two of the largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia, Italy is an awe- inspiring country that is home to just under 60 million people.

Italy shares its northern Alpine boundary with France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia. The independent state of San Marino is enclaved within it, while Campione d’ Italia is an Italian enclave in Switzerland. Italy has the world’s seventh highest GDP and the 17th highest Human Development Index Rating.

Italy is a founding member of what is now the European Union and also the Central European Initiative. It was home to many cultures, such as the Romans and Etruscans, and was later the birthplace of the Renaissance. The capital, Rome, is the centre of the Catholic Church.

Lake country

Italy is a long peninsula, famously shaped like a boot. It is surrounded on the west by the Tyrrhenian Sea, and on the east by the Adriatic Sea. The Apennine Mountains form the peninsula backbone, and the Alps form its northern boundary. There are several active volcanoes in Italy; Etna is the largest active volcano in Europe, while Vesuvius is the only active volcano on mainland Europe.

There are many grand rivers and lakes in Italy. The largest of its Northern lakes is Garda. The Po, its principal river, flows from the Alps to Italy’s western border, and crosses the Padan plain to the Adriatic Sea.

Italy has a diverse climate which, depending on the location, is sometimes very far from the stereotypical Mediterranean climate.

Most inland Northern areas, such as Turin and Milan, share a continental climate, often classified as humid subtropical. Coastal areas of Liguria and most of the Peninsula south of Florence generally fit the Mediterranean stereotype. Coastal areas of the peninsula can be very different from the interior higher ground and valleys, particularly during the winter months when the higher altitudes tend to be cold and snowy. Coastal regions enjoy mild winters and dry summers.

Romantic allure

The country is divided into 20 regions. Five of them enjoy a special autonomous status that enables them to enact legislation on some of their specific local matters. Some of Italy’s largest cities are Rome, Milan, Naples, Turin, Florence, Bologna and Palerno.

Rome, the country’s capital, is over 2,700 years old and steeped in history. The city, which is one of the most visited in the world, is home to numerous ancient monuments. The most impressive and important sites to be seen are Vatican City, The Colosseum; and the ruins of the Circus Maximus.

Apart from the many museums, there are many art galleries displaying world famous paintings and sculptures from artists such as Raphael, Bottecelli, Pinturicchio and Belini. Vatican City is also located here; home to the Pope, it is the smallest independent state in the world. A major tourist attraction is the Sistine Chapel, which was painted by Michaelangelo in 1508.

Venice, the City of Water, is known as one of the world’s most romantic cities. It was founded more than 1,500 years ago on an archipelago of 117 islands and is famous for its canals. It has more than 400 bridges and numerous ancient pavements. The famous Venetian boat, the gondola, is the preferred mode of transport for tourists and is used during weddings and other special ceremonies. Most Venetians today travel by waterbuses.

Milan is one of Italy’s largest cities, with a population of around 1.3 million. Located on the plains of Lombardy, it is one of the world’s capitals of fashion and design. It is also one of the major artistic centres; chief landmarks include the Duomo, the second largest church in Italy, and the world’s third largest. Milan is one of the major finance and business centres in the world. The city is the seat of the Italian stock exchange. It is well known as the seat of motorcar company Alfa Romeo and also for its silk production.

Florence is the capital of Tuscany and one of the most important Renaissance architectural towns in Italy. The city is famous for its art and architecture; one of the best-known sites is the domed cathedral of the city, Santa Maria Del Fiore. Tourism is its most significant industry within the centre.

Italy has a strong and prosperous economy; according to GDP calculations, it was ranked as the seventh largest in the world, behind the US, Japan, Germany, China, United Kingdom and France. According to the WTO, in 2006, Italy was the world’s sixth largest exporter. This economy remains divided into a developed industrial north dominated by private companies, and a less developed, agricultural south.

Prosperous economy

Italy began to industrialise late in comparison to other European countries, and until Second World War was largely an agricultural country. After the war, however, industry was developed rapidly.

By the 1990s, industry contributed about 35 per cent of the annual GDP, and agriculture less than four per cent. Italy’s economy has gradually been diversifying, shifting from food and textiles to engineering, steel and other metal products.

Italy has large foreign trade, facilitated by its sizable commercial shipping fleet.

According to the publication Italy in Figures, in 2006 there were exports worth over 320 million euros. Its major exports are motor vehicles (Fiat, Aprilia), chemicals, petrochemicals, electrical goods, aerospace and defence technology and firearms.

Export oriented

Its more famous exports are in the fields of fashion (Armani, Gucci, Dolce & Gabbana, Prada), and luxury vehicles (Ferrari, Lamborghini, Pagani). Its principal farm products are fruits, sugar, beets, corn, tomatoes, potatoes, soybeans, grains, olives and olive oil and livestock (cattle, sheep and goats). Italy’s tourism industry is a driving force for the economy. It creates a turnover of $84 million (about Dh308.5 million), around 6.5 per cent of the GDP, and it employs about 2.7 million people.

According to the World Tourism Organisation, Italy is the fifth most visited country in the world. The Italian Government’s Statistical Agency reports that 57.2 million tourists a year enter Italy; this represents 4.4 per cent of the total travel market.

48 hours in Venice

With its winding alleys, flowing canals and quaint piazzas, the city is as pretty as a picture waiting to be framed at every corner.

You know you are in Venice when you see large crowds rushing about in every direction, cameras pointed, led by a harassed tour leader with a flag waving in the air.

It is the Venetian effect —with its winding alleys, flowing canals and quaint piazzas, the city is as pretty as a picture waiting to be framed at every corner.

Despite reports of its smelly water, slow sinking and declining population, Venice still draws millions of tourists to its shores each year.

Day 1

9am: Begin your day at St Mark’s Square. A certain celebratory atmosphere usually prevails in the square thanks to the makeshift stalls selling souvenirs and masks, cooing pigeons and cafes teeming with al fresco diners.

11am: Palazzo Ducale or Doge’s (duke’s) Palace was the seat of the government of Venice for centuries. The Palace is built in gothic style and is an imposing presence in St Mark’s Square.

Take your time walking through the enormous conference and reception rooms with their grand frieze of paintings, the Bridge of Sighs and the prison cells.

To book tickets in advance go to, www.tickitaly.com/tickets/doge-palace-tickets.php

1pm: The Rialto Bridge spans the spectacular Grand Canal and is the oldest and most famous bridge in the city.

It is worth taking a boat tour on the Grand Canal, as it is the best way for first-time visitors to see the old buildings, churches, bridges, gardens and warehouses that line the canal.

Log onto www.tours-italy.com/venice-city_tours-grand_canal.htm for details.

3.30pm: The Peggy Guggenheim Collection is the most important museum in Italy for European and American art of the first half of the 20th century. It is located in Peggy Guggenheim’s former home, Palazzo Venier dei Leoni, on the Grand Canal in Venice.

The museum was inaugurated in 1980 and houses Peggy Guggenheim’s personal collection of 20th century art, masterpieces from the Gianni Mattioli Collection, the Nasher Sculpture Garden, as well as temporary exhibitions.

7pm: Succumb to the oldest tourist trap in Venice — the gondola ride.

It usually works out as a better deal if it is a group of four or more people. Book online in advance (www.viator.com or www.isango.com), and you are likely to save about 10 euros (about Dh52.50) per adult.

The meeting point is at the Hotel Bauer gondola stop (next to Hotel Bauer, San Moisè square at the back of Piazza San Marco).

Day 2

10am: Reserve this day for a trip to explore the famous islands of Murano, Burano and Torcello, famous for their handicrafts and glass blowing.

In 1921, the glass-blowing industry in Venice was moved to the island due to fire hazards.

There is also a museum on the island displaying the world-famous Murano glass. If you don’t want to lug back a vase or a big piece of glass, you can get smaller glass key-chains and earrings.

Don’t forget to see the anglers’ houses painted in bright pastel colours on the island, and of course, the famous lace museum.

Torcello is a quiet oasis, located a mere 40-minute boat ride away from Venice.

The main attraction on the island is Cattedrale di Santa Maria Assunta, which was the first church in Venice, founded in the 7th century.

Next door, the octagonal church of Santa Fosca and the bell tower are also beautiful and most tourists climb up the tower for spectacular views.

It is worth buying a combination ticket that allows entry to all three attractions.

USEFUL ADDRESSES

Guggenheim
704 Dorsoduro, I-30123
Open daily from 10 am to 6 pm (closed Tuesdays and December 25). Tel: 39-0412405411; E-mail: info@guggenheim-venice.it

Palazzo Ducale
Piazzetta San Marco
Tel: 041-5209070

Trattoria Pizzeria Da Roberto
A reasonably priced restaurant in San Zaccaria, close to the heart of the city. Good seafood and pizzas. Tel: 041-5221506; web: www.trattoriadaroberto.com

TIPS
How to survive in Venice

- Most hotels in Venice are expensive including one and two star properties. Expect to pay anything from 200-350 euros (between Dh1,040 and Dh1,820) per night for a double room, especially during the high season.

An alternative is the town of Maestre, where you can find inexpensive hotels. It is located on the outskirts of Venice with frequent bus and water taxi or vaporetti connections to the heart of the city. A 48-hour pass costs about 25 euros (about Dh130) and gives you unlimited rides on the bus and vaporetti (water buses).

Vaporetti are unique to Venice and a great way to go around the city.

Always try to sit on the seats in front for spectacular views.

- Buy your bus tickets from a tabacchi (tobacco shop); it is a little more expensive to buy it on the bus.

- Don’t sit down at the first restaurant you find at Piazza San Marco — you can get better value for your money as you walk further in.

Despite what the servers tell you, portions in most restaurants are big enough to be shared, so don’t get bulldozed into ordering too much food.

Art is life

The contemporary Italian art market is booming.

The worlds of fashion and art have long overlapped: leading designers keep upping their art holdings while collectors don Fendi and Armani togs.

But there’s a new frisson to the pairing. Italy, home to many of those designers, commands a central position on the global art shopping circuit.

The latest sign of this is Christie’s launch of a new Italian headquarters in the fashion-central city of Milan, steps away from La Scala.

Heading the office is Clarice Pecori-Giraldi, 44, a dyed-in-the-wool, Prada-bag-toting fashionista.

Creative endeavour

Most recently, she was in charge of communications for Prada and Ferragamo, though she began her professional life as a modern art expert in Christie’s previous Milan office — where scrutinising works by De Chirico, Paladino and Fontana was a daily task.

“Fashion is a creative endeavour just like art,” she says.

But there are deeper links. “Approximately 40 per cent of the private buyers at the top are in the fashion world in some manner,” says Mariolina Bassetti, Christie’s director and head of modern and contemporary art in Italy, who is based in Rome.

So Fendi, Prada, Valentino and Etro family members — as well as those from the vast cotton, silk, wool and leather industries — are some of the names peppering their contacts books.

Shift to fashion

“It’s the new way to invest,” she says. “In the 1960s, collectors came from the world of cinema but now in Italy there’s been a shift to fashion.”

Both Bassetti and Pecori-Giraldi substantiate the importance of Milan for collectors by pointing to Christie’s sale last year of Arturo Martini’s 1941 marble sculpture, ‘Woman Swimming Under Water’, for a stupendous £1.6 million (about Dh11.93 million) — the most expensive work of modern art sold at auction in Italy.

The auction house has zeroed in on two floors of an arcaded 15th-century building that once served as a Medici family bank. Its new saleroom is in the Palazzo Clerici ballroom while exhibitions and receptions will take place in the Tiepolo Gallery that boasts allegorical frescoes by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo from 1740.

This kind of focus in Milan is not new. Sotheby’s staked out a presence in the city more than 30 years ago when it held its first regular sale at the Palazzo Broggi; Christie’s first sale was in 1993. But it is a sign that the contemporary Italian art market is booming.

Booming market

As London draws a more international crowd of buyers, the auction houses have been holding their big modern Italian art sales there. Last October, Sotheby’s London sales of Italian art generated £9.7 million, (about Dh72.37 million) nearly double the amount of five years ago.

A glance at the catalogues for Sotheby’s and Christie’s 20th-century Italian art sales in London on October 16 — cleverly coinciding with the Frieze Art Fair, when lots of European and American collectors are in town — shows works from Giorgio Morandi and Lucio Fontana, who are among the most collectable names. Another market shift has been taking place: it is no longer only Italians who are clamouring for Italian art.

Modern art

Olivier Camu, Christie’s international director and co-head of impressionist and modern art, London, who is leading the sale, says: “At our first modern Italian art sale in 2000, 55 per cent of the work went back to Italy.”

Last year, that figure slumped to 40 per cent, with Americans, British and Asians taking home the bulk of the lots.

Prices are driving many collectors to Italian painting. “Much of 20th-century Italian art is undervalued and a relative bargain compared with American modern masters,” says Camu.

For example, he says, you can pick up a major Alberto Burri for a fraction of the cost of a Robert Rauschenberg. The top price for Rauschenberg stands at $40 million (about Dh146.9 million) while a Burri can sell around the comparatively low $1 million (about Dh3.67 million) mark. The 1953 Burri that is on the block at Christie’s, composed of burlap sacks cobbled together with varnish and paint on canvas, is forecast to fetch £450,000-£650,000 (between Dh3.35 million and Dh4.84 million). Sotheby’s is headlining Fontana in its sale.

Demand on the rise

His 1961 Concetto Spaziale, Attese consists of four severe slashes on a white-painted canvas and carries an estimate of £350,000-£450,000 (Dh2.61-Dh3.35 million).

“Five years ago, this picture would have gone for, tops, £200,000 (about Dh1.49 million),” says Isabelle Paagman, Sotheby’s London-based specialist.

Even the market for Fontana’s terracottas, once considered marginal, has expanded. “Because of the jump in value for Fontana and other artists, we’re seeing more clients from the financial world demanding Italian paintings,” says Paagman.

She has seen the number of American buyers and under bidders jump twice in number within the past three years. Twentieth-century Italian art is also receiving a boost in the museum world.

Manhattan’s Guggenheim is hosting the first big exhibition devoted to Lucio Fontana in almost 30 years — Lucio Fontana: Venice/New York — after it debuted at the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice during the summer. And architect Zaha Hadid is turning her hand to the MAXXI: National Centre of Contemporary Arts, scheduled to open in Rome in 2008.

Timeless beauty, unsurpassed style

Italians are known to appreciate beauty more than most and this is reflected in everything they manufacture.

Italian craftsmanship in designing and manufacturing products ranging from furniture and marble to mechanical and electrical gadgets is renowned all over the world.

The UAE has been fortunate to have Italian companies marketing their exquisite products in the country for more than a decade. But it is in recent years that many Italian companies have established themselves as integral participants in the ongoing construction boom in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and the other emirates.

Interior designers of exclusive villas, apartments and commercial complexes already commissioned or coming up in the emirates are increasingly using high quality Italian furniture, fixtures and accessories that make their creations spectacular and comfortable at the same time.

Trendsetting designs

“I think the Italians are born into creativeness; it is all around them, from architecture to cooking. They are very family orientated people and therefore traditional skills are taught from generation to generation. It is bred into them to be team builders to create and get exactly what they want and need,” says Tanya Wakeham, Manager of Selva Middle East.

Selva is a trendsetter in furniture retail and an internationally recognised hotel furnisher of exclusive establishments — from designer hotels to lodgings in time-honoured castles.

From a small family company founded by Peppi Selva in Bolzano, Italy in 1968, Selva has now grown into an internationally recognised brand with branches in the US, UAE, and Russia. In recent years Selva has proved its expertise in the area of custom solutions and turnkey projects. From handmade furniture to complete project management, it offers complete solutions from a single source.

“We have been in this market for nearly two years and already have very loyal customers, which include large companies such as Asteco and Nakheel, through to high end interior designers and many private clients.

“Many people still don’t know us, but when they come to our showroom on Shaikh Zayed Road, near interchange four, both young and older customers fall in love with our hand crafted furniture as it covers a wide spectrum — from classical through to modern. We also have our own interior designer who can suggest free space planning layouts. We have over 1,200 furniture pieces to choose from; so there is something for everyone,” says Wakeham.

B&B Italia has been a leading company in the field of contemporary furnishings since 1966. The company’s ability to reflect contemporary culture, to sense and anticipate trends, to respond to changes in taste and living needs, has resulted in a collection of world-famous furnishings, which account for a crucial chapter in the history of Italian design. B&B Italia’s success is based on a matchless alchemy of reliability, innovation and industrial skills, aimed at producing products ‘lasting through time’.

In Dubai, B&B Italia partners with Baituti and has opened its first mono brand shop in the Mall of the Emirates. It showcases B&B Italia and Maxato Collections in their entirety and complies with the Arabian passion for the contemporary character of B&B Italia, a symbol of quality, innovation and research.

Form and function

Asteco, one of the oldest and largest property services company in Dubai, has a Design and Furnishing division working on the interior design of several high-end villas on the Palm Jumeirah and exclusive apartments in Dubai. When clients want to customise their properties, Asteco steps in to change the interiors to their liking. “We try to be innovative, sourcing quality products to suit all budgets for our kitchens and bathrooms.

Many of these products are made in Italy and have the harmonious combination of artistry, functionality, comfort and durability in them. I consider these products not only breathtakingly beautiful but also best for the use they are designed,” says Kerrin Matthey, Head of Design and Furnishing Solutions, Asteco.

Boffi kitchens from Italy were the first to succeed in creating ’style’ within kitchen furniture through a marriage of impeccable design and legendary quality.

Originality, in terms of constructive technology, shape and colour, is apparent in the entire Boffi award-winning kitchen design range and several of them have been installed in sophisticated homes around the country.

Supplying to the best

Al Otaiba Ferretti specialises in custom-designed kitchens and has a wide range of models, designed and produced at Ferretti’s factories in Capannoli. A spokesman for the company has stated in a press release, “To date, Ferretti is the only European manufacturer to maintain a full presence in the UAE and provide the same service in the UAE as in Italy and Europe in general.”

Over the past 26 years, Al Otaiba Ferretti has been a major supplier of kitchens, wardrobes and vanities to several residential and commercial projects in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

The company enjoys the confidence of some of the best-known names in the construction and contracting industry in the region and has installed a vast range of products in many of the exclusive homes in the Gulf, including palaces for the royal families across the Middle East.

Whether it is the marble sunken bath, the floor and wall tiles or the faucets and fixtures featured in baths, Italian craftsmen have created exquisite pieces to adorn bathrooms in the UAE. Many companies are involved in providing bathrooms that spell class and leisure to users as well as viewers and most of them use Italian products.

Lifeline Group, based in Sharjah has recently added a range of designer bath solutions to its portfolio of products and services. “I admire Italian craftsmanship in engineering products such as water pumps and in their bathroom fixtures.

“They are truly the pioneers in water pump technology and most of the popular brands available here are Italian made. Bagno designer bath solutions include several Italian designed products in their range,” says Sabeer Mohammad, Managing Director of Lifeline Group.

Cultural melting pot

As the land of greats such as Michelangelo, Raphael and Leonardo da Vinci, it is no wonder that Italians have made their mark in everything artistic in architecture, interiors, technology, and so much more.

As Wakeham points out, “Cultures are learning to mix constantly as the melting pot rapidly increases due to the amount of people moving to the UAE. It means we are constantly learning about each other’s cultures and adapting them to the way we live in this part of the world.