and diverse, both culturally and geographically. The physical features, climate, and unique features all help Italy be one of the most influential countries in Europe and U.S. All of this ties back into their climate, unique features, and structural influence, which all started from the raw beginning, geography. The physical features of Italy all helped it become one of the most diversified countries on earth. First of, Italy has many rivers, like: the Po, Tiber, Arno, Adige, Adda, Brenta, Ticino, just to name a few. These rivers have brought fresh water and the right resources to help civilization thrive and strive for many years. Many people settled around these rivers because they provided the water that was needed for agriculture. Additionally, like Como, Garda, Maggiore, and Orta were also used and are still used for transportation and fresh water uses. These lakes stretch all across Italy making it easier for boats to get around and trade with other people. The Mediterranean Sea is another source of transportation and commerce, because of its location and vast water channels. Italy has been home to two of the oldest civilizations, the Etruscan and the Roman Empire. Those two civilizations used their placement and resources to the fullest, in order to create two very powerful and complex civilizations. Additionally, they propelled the land and the people into becoming what Italy is today. Italy’s mountains have also played a big part in the building of this grand country, especially the Swiss Alps that tower to about 15,781ft, and its highest point called, Mont Blanc, which is located in the north of Italy (USA Today). These mountains brought the rain shadow effect, which provided shelter to many areas and people around those mountains. Also, these mountains created borders around Italy, making it hard to conquer and/or attack. Italy also has flat lands, grasslands, plateaus, and plains that cover the country. Some of them include the Karst Plateau, Po Valley, and other grasslands in south and north Italy. Surprisingly, Volcanoes are also on the beautiful lands of Italy, and they are, “Among the most famous active volcanoes on earth, with Vulcano, Stromboli, Etna and Vesuvius all threatening eruption at any time”(USA Today.) These volcanoes are known for erupting at one time or another in the past, destroying cities and hard work (USA Today.) Most volcanic activity is frequent on the western portion, clustered together forming the Seven Hills of Rome. (USA Today). With all these physical features tied together, this forces Italy to be one of the most diverse places on earth with rivers, lakes, mountains, and so much more, that affected the climate of the country and the overall demographic.
Climate changes in a accordance with the four seasons as time moves on. All year round certain parts of Italy portray different types of climate based on the time of year and the placement of the area. The north has a harsh type D climate, which has cold winters and very hot and humid summers (Italy Weather). This is mainly because of the Alps and Tuscan Mountains that border the north causing that area to be cold most of the time (Italy Weather). South Italy has a beautiful type C climate that has warm and tropical summers with cool winters, all because of the breeze from the Mediterranean Sea (Italy Weather). The west has a warm and a bit of a humid temperature, but all year around it keeps a steady temperature with some winds from the seas (Italy Weather). The east has a more oceanic and warm climate with a touch of humidity in the summers (Italy Weather). This shows that Italy’s weather and climate is as diverse as its geographic features.
One of the most eye catching features any country can have, its its unique features that form the country’s overall appearance to the world, and Italy is filled with these features.
One of the most interesting features its shape is like a boot, which most people recognize Italy by. The boot brings a sense of mystery to travels, because every one wants to know, why is it shaped like a boot? Well that’s an answer no one has, but Italy doesn’t stop there. It has volcanoes, mountains, beaches, and subalpine lakes all in one country, which brings so much more diversity and culture to the appeal. The Alps are a long chain that stretches across Europe to North Africa’s Atlas Mountains, to even the Himalayas, which are in Nepal (USA Today). This chain runs more that 600 miles long and its highest peak is higher than 15,00 feet which causes a lot of the rain shadow effect to take place (USA Today). The Subalpine lakes are between the, “Alpine borders and the Lombardy Plains to the south” (USA Today). This is one of the largest freshwater lakes in the country that supplies water to the citizens who live around the area. They are deep and filled with fertile soil, which helped farmers with their agriculture years ago (Italy Weather). With these features put together, it makes Italy interesting to tourists and
Italians.
The Coliseum, Vatican City, and The Leaning Tower of Pisa, all are structures that helped influence cultures and people for years. One of the most influential structures in Italy is the marvouliys Sistine Chapel, because it represents Catholcisim and the religion itself. Peter Greenway says, “The Sistine Chapel is an extraordinary work of education- it lays out all the early books of the bible.” People from all around the world come to see this chapel and pray, and experience the thrill of being in a beautiful and majestic piece of artwork.
Vatican City is known for being in Rome, which brings thousands of people every year to see it, making Italy the center of Catholicism and the Mecca for the Catholics. The Coliseum dates back all the way to the Roman Empire, because fights were held there and other cultural traditions. Now its one of the many reasons people come to Italy, to see the Coliseum in all its glory and to experience what it must have felt like to be living in that time. Lord Byrne says, “When falls the Coliseum, Rome shall fall; and when Rome falls the World.” Meaning that the Coliseum is a very important structure in our lives. The Leaning Tower of Pisa is another one of the influential structures because it brings people from all around the world to see it. An interesting feature about the tower, is that its leaning so on the less dominant side, the people of Pisa have put lead blocks to even the weight. With the Coliseum, The Sistine Chapel, and the Leaning Tower of Pisa, no wonder Italy is a hot bed for tourists. These magnificent structures attract people to the cities and country of Italy in so many ways, because it offers the tourists a walk through the pages of earth’s history, as well as, human kind.
In conclusion, Italy’s geography is not complete without its physical features, climate, unique features, and structural influence on everything. The physical and unique features show that Italy really does have everything ranging from rivers to lakes, and mountains to volcanoes. Even the climate differentiates based on the location with, warm and tropical south, or the cold and tundra stricken north (USA Today). The structures will continue to have a large and cultural impact on society based on its past history. As time goes on, the more we should appreciate the beauty that the cities and physical geography, the boot shaped country has to offer us, in so may different ways that even we as humans can’t count.