Before visiting Rome, consider Rome City Apartments to make the most of the Italian capital.

View of the Dolomites in north-eastern Italy.

By NISHA BASHIR

Nature has graced Italy with a natural beauty, from its majestic snowcapped mountains to its exquisite white sand beaches, lush rolling hills and plains, and stunning sea vistas. Steeped in history and culture, from antiquity through the Middle Ages and the Renaissance to modern times, Italy is a country that is rife with unparalleled art and architectural masterpieces. Italy boasts forty-four world heritage sites, more than any other country in the world, twenty-three national parks, nearly five hundred nature preserves and over seventy-six hundred miles of shoreline hugging the peninsula and the islands.

As you travel through Italy, you’ll discover that each region has its own unique beauty, charm and culture. In the country’s northern regions lie the awesome mountain peaks of the Alps and the Dolomites interspersed with alpine valleys dotted with ancient castles. In this part of the country you’ll find breathtaking glacial lakes including the jewel-like Lake Como, surrounded by elegant villas, terraced gardens and picturesque towns. The cities of Bologna, Milan, Turin, Verona and Venice are all located in the north, the county’s most populous area. Considered by many to be the most beautiful city in the world, the floating city of Venice sits on a collection of one hundred and seventeen tiny islands in the Venetian Lagoon; its buildings are architectural wonders amid a network of waterways.

In Central Italy lies the region of Tuscany. With its fertile land, craggy, winding paths and terraced vineyards, it is the birthplace of the Italian Renaissance. It gave the world such great talents as Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Botticelli, Puccini, Galileo, and Dante. Tuscany’s walled city, Lucca, is a bastion of medieval charm which dates back to the dark ages. In the middle of the country you’ll also find the cities of Florence, Siena, Pisa, Lucca and Italy’s capital, Rome. In this area lie the majestic remnants of the great Roman Empire, which ruled much of the world for hundreds of years. With more than twenty-five hundred years of history, Rome is a treasure trove of historical sites; the Coliseum, the Parthenon and the Via Appia, where you can stroll along the road where the Roman armies marched two millennia ago. There are frescoes, paintings and statues everywhere, not in the least of which is Michelangelo’s masterpiece that adorns the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City.

The Amalfi coast.

Southern Italy sports some of the country’s most beautiful beaches and the romantic Amalfi coast. Here you’ll find the Mt. Vesuvius, Italy’s active volcano along with the ruins of Pompeii, the city that lay buried under ash for fifteen centuries. The city of Naples, originally a Greek colony, has witnessed the rise and fall of many civilizations, evidence of which can be found in the city’s art and architecture. Off the coast, you’ll find many islands, the largest of which are Sardinia and Sicily.

Italy is a country of contrasts and spectacular beauty that charms all those lucky enough to visit and keeps them coming back time and time again.

Nisha Bashir works as the editor for Holiday365 and has been representing the business for the last two years now. Holiday365 offers some great deals in the UK, why not pay them a visit to see the latest deals, holiday365.co.uk.