ITALY PROFILE
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ACCOMMODATION |
GEOGRAPICHAL PROFILE
THERE IS A GREAT DEAL OF VARIETY in the landscape in Italy, although it
is characterized predominantly by two mountain chains: the Alps and the
Apennines. The former extends over 600 miles from east to west. It
consists of great massifs in the western sector, with peaks rising to
over 14,000 feet, including Monte Bianco (Monte Blanc), Monte Rosa and
Cervino (the Matterhorn). The chain is lower in the eastern sector,
although the mountains, the Dolomites, are still of extraordinary
beauty. At the foot of the Alpine arc stretches the vast Po Valley
plain, cut down the middle by the course of the river Po, the longest in
Italy (390 miles), which has its source in the Pian de Re (Monviso) and
flows into the Adriatic through a magnificent delta. The Alpine
foothills are characterized by large lakes: Lake Maggiore and the lakes
of Como, Iseo and Garda. The Apennines form the backbone of the
peninsula, stretching in a wide concave arc to the Tyrrhenian Sea. A
large part of central Italy is characterized by green hilly landscapes,
through which the rivers Arno and Tevere (Tiber) run. The southern
section of the chain pushes out to the east forming the Gargano
promontory and, sloping down further south, the Salentine peninsula. It
proceeds to the west with the Calabrian and Peloritano massif stretching
across the Strait of Messina into Sicily. The principal islands are
Sicily, rising up to the great volcanic cone of Etna (10,860 feet) and
Sardegna. The main Archipelago, the Pontine Islands, the Aeolian Islands
and the Egadi Islands in the Tyrrhenian Sea off the coast of Sicily.
CLIMATE
THE MODERATING INFLUENCE OF THE SEA and the protection given by the
alpine barrier from the cold north winds join to bless Italy with a
temperate climate. Nevertheless, the weather varies considerably
according to how far one is from the sea or the mountains. The winter is
very cold in the Alps, cold and foggy in the Po Plain and the central
Apennines; mild and even warm on the Ligurian coast, the Neapolitan
coast and in Sicily. The summer is hot and dry, but the temperature is
mitigated on the coast by sea breezes and in the Apennines and Alps it
is pleasantly cool. In mountain areas, winter is ideal for skiing, and
summer for excursions, hiking, etc. Seaside and lake resorts, with their
excellent hotel facilities, have an intense tourist season during the
summer, while the cities that are rich in art treasures, like Siena, are
ideal in spring and autumn.
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