Think style, think fashion, think art...

Think long sunny days sipping cappuccinos and people watching in a nation famed for its capacity to embrace life to the full. Think Italy...

Italy has long captured the imagination. Its three millennia of history, culture, fashion, and cuisine cannot fail to fascinate. This is the country that gave us the Roman empire - one of the largest and most successful empires the world has ever seen.

Shaped like a boot, Italy stretches from the snow-covered Alps in the North to the sun-kissed island of Sicily in the extreme South. Occupying an area of 301,250 sq km and home to 57.8 million people, Italy was a collection of independent states until 1860. Competitiveness between these states during the Renaissance resulted in the architectural and artistic magnificence of cities such as Rome, Florence and Venice.

Sensuous, glorious, elegant...

It is hard to imagine a country with more to offer the tourist. A ski enthusiast, an art-lover and a sun worshipper will all be equally at home in Italy. Sensuous, full of light, and basking in glorious Mediterranean sunshine, Italy will not fail to work its charm on you. Take a water taxi down the Grand Canal in Venice, experience the mosaics of Ravenna, stroll around ancient Rome, swim off the Amalfi Coast, try and catch the eye of a Milanese waiter in an elegant city café. This is all part of the unique Italian experience. The country's many different regional cucine have combined to form the unique cuisine for which Italy is universally famous. Your palate will be tantalized by the clear, true flavours of wine and food simply prepared, lovingly executed and elegantly served. Come to Italy and start a love affair that will last and last.