The climate of Italy is highly diverse and can be far from the stereotypical Mediterranean climate, depending on location. Most of the inland northern regions of Italy, for example Piedmont, Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna, have a climate variously described as humid continental or temperate.

Italy's official language is Italian. Ethnologue has estimated that there are about 55 million speakers of the language in Italy and a further 6.7 million outside of the country. However, between 120 and 150 million people use Italian as a second or cultural language, worldwide.

 The currency in Italy is the Euro. The Italian Lira was replaced in 2002, and now the Euro is the official Italian currency. You can convert US dollars to Euros at any bank during your visit to Italy. The currency exchange currently is 1.42 US dollars to 1 Euro.

http://www.italy.visahq.com

The population of Italy in 2003 was estimated by the United Nations at 57,423,000, which placed it as number 22 in population among the 193 nations of the world. In that year approximately 19% of the population was over 65 years of age, with another 14% of the population under 15 years of age.

Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in 1,285.3 km2 (496.3 sq mi).