17 places on the atlas covering people, history, architecture, language, culture, festivals, folklore and crafts. Highlights include Leonardo da Vinci, Pompeii, Colosseum and Italian.
See Italy on the map Etiquette guide
| President | Sergio Mattarella |
|---|---|
| Prime Minister | Giorgia Meloni |
Office-holders as of July 2026. Governments change, so check Italy’s official government website for the latest. Full list of heads of state and government.
A short, well-known selection rather than a ranking. People pinned on the map appear in the cards below.
Born near the Tuscan town of Vinci, he painted the Mona Lisa and The Last Supper and filled thousands of notebook pages with studies of anatomy, water and flying machines.
He used an improved telescope to observe the moons of Jupiter and the phases of Venus, and supported the idea that the Earth moves around the Sun.
Named after her birthplace, she improved hospital hygiene during the Crimean War and founded a school for nurses in London.
A Venetian who travelled across Asia and spent years in the court of Kublai Khan. An account of his journeys introduced many Europeans to Asia.
She rose from a modest background in Naples to Hollywood fame, and in 1962 became the first performer to win an Oscar for a non-English-language role.
His dreamlike films such as La Dolce Vita and 8½ made him one of the most influential directors in the history of cinema.
One of the best-known opera singers ever, he brought opera to huge audiences, including through The Three Tenors concerts.
A Roman town buried by ash from the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 CE, preserving streets, homes and wall paintings.
A vast oval amphitheatre that held tens of thousands of spectators, with stacked arches and carefully planned entrances and exits.
The bell tower began to tilt during construction because of soft ground. Engineers stabilised it in the 1990s and 2000s.
Modern standard Italian grew largely out of the Tuscan dialect used by Dante, Petrarch and Boccaccio.
The language of ancient Rome and the ancestor of Italian, French, Spanish, Portuguese and Romanian. It remained the language of scholarship in Europe for many centuries.
Bologna is known for tagliatelle with ragù and for hand-rolled fresh pasta made with eggs and flour.
Naples is the birthplace of pizza. The art of the Neapolitan pizzaiolo, including tossing and baking in a wood-fired oven, is on UNESCO's intangible heritage list.
Costumed visitors wear elaborate masks and gowns in Venice's squares in the weeks before Lent.
A fast, whirling southern Italian dance associated with Apulia, where the Pizzica tradition continues at summer festivals.
Glassmakers were moved to the island of Murano in the 13th century, and their coloured and clear glassware became famous worldwide.
This page brings together the people who lead Italy today, a short selection of well-known people from Italy, and the 17 places pinned for Italy on the atlas. Use the buttons at the top to see Italy on the map, where you can filter by theme, read a short summary of each pin and follow the link to Wikipedia for the full article. To browse the same themes across the whole world, see the people page, history page, architecture page, language page, culture page, festivals page, folklore page and crafts page.
As of July 2026: President: Sergio Mattarella; Prime Minister: Giorgia Meloni. Office-holders change, so check the official government site for the latest.
Well-known people connected with Italy include Leonardo da Vinci (painter and inventor), Michelangelo (sculptor and painter), Dante Alighieri (poet), Galileo Galilei (astronomer) and Giuseppe Verdi (composer).
People pinned for Italy include Leonardo da Vinci, Galileo Galilei, Florence Nightingale, Marco Polo, Sophia Loren and Federico Fellini. Open the map to read a short summary of each.
Festivals on the atlas for Italy include Carnevale di Venezia. Open the map for photos and links to read more.
Notable buildings and sites in Italy on the atlas include Colosseum and Leaning Tower of Pisa. Open the map for photos and links to read more.
Historical places in Italy on the atlas include Pompeii. Open the map for photos and links to read more.
Language entries for Italy on the atlas include Italian and Latin. Open the map for photos and links to read more.
Traditional crafts from Italy on the atlas include Murano glass. Open the map for photos and links to read more.
Food and customs from Italy on the atlas include Pasta traditions and Neapolitan pizza. Open the map for photos and links to read more.
Folklore and music from Italy on the atlas include Tarantella. Open the map for photos and links to read more.
Choose See Italy on the map above, or search for Italy on the atlas. You can filter by theme, drag the Time travel slider to see who was alive and what was standing in different centuries, and open any pin for a short summary and a link to the full Wikipedia article.
Greeting: A handshake or two cheek kisses among friends. Say 'Buongiorno' on entering shops. Dining: Cappuccino is a morning drink. Meals are leisurely, and the bill is not brought until you ask. These are general customs, not legal advice.