Italy is located in Southern Europe, and consists of a large boot-shaped mainland peninsula jutting into the Mediterranean Sea, and a number of offshore islands including Sicily, Sardinia and Capri. To the north it has borders with France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia, across the Alps. Italy has a diverse landscape, which is predominantly mountainous and rugged. There are two major mountain chains: the Alps in the north and the Apennines down the centre of the peninsula. To the south of the Alps is the Po Valley plain, with beautiful vast lakes. Much of central Italy consists of rolling green hills. The south of the country has a number of active volcanoes.

Italy has an extremely rich historical, cultural and artistic past: its capital Rome was the hub of the Roman Empire, and over the centuries Italy has been the birthplace and home of many renowned artists and composers including Botticelli, Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Tintoretto, Caravaggio, Verdi and Puccini. A strongly Roman Catholic country, its capital Rome is home to the Vatican and the head of the Catholic Church, the Pope. Throughout the country there are museums, monuments and spectacular churches and cathedrals which celebrate and commemorate its religious, cultural and artistic traditions. Italy is also a very family-oriented society, and one which is famed for its cuisine. It remains a country of great cultural sophistication and is now a centre of the worldwide fashion industry.

The main cities of Italy include Rome, Milan, Venice, Florence, Naples and Genoa, all with their own characteristics and unique cultural and architectural identity. The bustling city of Rome is the seat of government, and houses many government buildings as well as numerous grand churches, historical buildings and many public squares, or 'piazzas'. Milan is the centre of the Italian banking industry, an important centre of the world fashion industry, and boasts many upmarket shops and boutiques. Florence is the picturesque capital of the scenic hilly region of Tuscany, and another important cultural centre. Venice is a fascinating 500-year old city, built on a lagoon, in which canals rather than streets form the main thoroughfares and you can hire a gondola to explore. It is a very popular tourist centre. Outside the main cities, Italy has very scenic countryside and coastal areas, with many medieval towns, traditional fishing villages and sandy beaches.

Italy has a very large expatriate community consisting of many different nationalities, mainly living in Rome and the other large cities. Many expats are employed by the United Nations or other international organizations. There are also substantial numbers of expatriates from western countries who decide to retire or relocate to rural Italy for a good quality of life at relatively low cost. Houses can be bought quite cheaply in rural Italy, especially older properties needing renovation. However, it can be very expensive to buy or rent property in the towns and cities.

In general, expats seems to enjoy living in Italy. Some of the positive aspects of life in Italy include the abundance of things to do and places to visit, the friendly locals, the relatively relaxed lifestyle and the excellent Italian food. However, expats often complain about the inefficiencies and slowness of service, the poor plumbing and the horrendous traffic congestion in the cities. It is also reported that there is a high rate of petty crime such as pick-pocketing and house burglaries, although the violent crime rate is low. Those considering a move to Italy may also want to consider that the country is quite unstable politically, with many changes of government in recent years, and that there is currently very low economic growth, rising inflation and high unemployment.