Italy as a geographical area was mentioned as far back as the age of the highly civilised Etruscan people, as is borne out by the manuscripts kept in some museums, especially in Tuscany and Lazio. These in fact are the regions where most Etruscan settlements are found, although Etruscans also populated Umbria, Campania and some zones of what is now Emilia Romagna and Lombardy.

From the 3rd century BC, the Romans unified the whole peninsula under their dominion and, indeed, most of Europe in general.

The word Italia appears on a coin dating back to the 1st century BC which was minted by the confederation of the Italic peoples who rose up against Rome. The coin was found in the Abruzzo region, in Corfinio, the ancient Corfinium, capital of the confederation with the name of Italica. The long Roman domination (3rd century BC to 5th century AD) has left an indelible mark on Italy with its roads, aqueducts, temples, monuments, towns and cities, bridges, theatres and so on - all relics and memories of a past that is remote and yet also very present, a past that can be seen in every part of the country.

After the fall of the Roman Empire, Italy was invaded and dominated for centuries by foreign populations, especially in the south and Sicily. Thanks to the success of independent city states in the centre and north such as Venice, Florence, Siena, Genoa, and Milan, Italy nevertheless became a flourishing and civilised country of trade and the arts. Later, however, the small independent states could not hold out against the invasions of the great states of Spain and Austria. Only the small kingdom of Piedmont remained independent and after the interlude of Napoleon's occupation it became the "driving force" behind  Risorgimento, the great movement that led to the unification of Italy in 1870 under the Royal House of Savoia.

After the Second World War, in 1946 a popular referendum abolished the monarchy and proclaimed Italy a Republic. 

There are 20 main territorial administrative divisions of the Italian state: Abruzzo, Basilicata, Calabria, Campania, Emilia-Romagna, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Lazio, Liguria, Lombardia, Marche, Molise, Piemonte, Puglia, Sardegna, Sicilia, Toscana, Trentino-Alto Adige, Umbria, Valle d' Aosta, and Veneto. Each has accumulated a historical, artistic and cultural heritage of extraordinary value over time that offers an attractive alternative to the great art cities.