Of all the nationalities, surely the Italians have it all .... a rich history and culture, a wonderful climate, a highly-developed sense of style and design, delicious food, fine wines, a beautiful language.

There is a strong sense of regional identity, as the country was not unified until 1871 when Rome became the capital. The countryside is dotted with castles, fortresses and walled villages, reminders of a turbulent past when regions fought each other for control of territory.

There are 20 regions, each of which has its own capital.

For more information about the geography of each region we can recommend a useful Italian site (in English!). Click on www.mediasoft.it/italy.

Each region is then divided into a number of provinces which take their names from the main towns. The provinces themselves are then further divided into smaller administrative bodies called comune, which are a kind of local council.

As Italian car numberplates show the province in which they were registered, this can form the basis of a useful game for bored children when travelling! For example:

Cars registered in Rome show the full word ROMA.

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