Italy - Facts for Kids

Basic Information

Italy’s full name is the Italian Republic, and it’s shaped just like a boot kicking a triangle (Sicily)!

Rome is Italy’s capital, and it was founded way back in 753 BC — making it more than 2,700 years old — older than most countries today!

Italy has about 59 million people, which is like having 600 huge soccer stadiums full of people!

Italy is in Southern Europe and is surrounded by four different seas, making it look like a boot dipping its toe in the water!

Italian is the official language of Italy, and many of its words are used in English too, like “pizza,” “pasta,” and “gelato”!

Italy uses the Euro for money, and it has beautiful pictures of famous Italian buildings on its coins!

Italy is a democratic republic, which means the people get to vote for their leaders, just like choosing a class president!

Italy’s flag has three vertical stripes — green, white, and red! Some people say they stand for hope, faith, and charity, but those meanings came later. The colors were first chosen during Italy’s fight for independence!

Italy has a Mediterranean climate, which means warm, sunny summers and mild winters — perfect for growing olives and grapes!

The Italian national anthem is called “Il Canto degli Italiani” (The Song of the Italians), and school children learn to sing it!

Italy is one of the founding members of the European Union, helping to create peace in Europe after World War II!

The President of Italy lives in a beautiful palace called the Quirinal Palace, which is 20 times bigger than the White House!

Italy’s leaders meet in a building called Palazzo Montecitorio, a big and old palace in Rome, where they talk about and make important laws!

The Italian constitution was written in 1947, making Italy one of Europe’s youngest republics!

Italy is divided into 20 regions, each with its own special traditions and foods!

San Marino, one of the world’s smallest countries, is completely surrounded by Italy!

Italy’s top court meets in a huge palace in Rome called the Palace of Justice. People in Rome call it “Palazzaccio,” which means “Awful Palace” — not because it’s mean, but because it’s so big and fancy that it seemed too much for many when it was built.

The Italian air force demonstration team paints the sky with the colors of the Italian flag during special celebrations!

Geography & Nature

The Italian Alps in northern Italy are so tall that some of their highest peaks stay covered in snow all year round!

Mount Vesuvius, near Naples, is the only volcano on mainland Europe that has erupted in modern times, and scientists watch it very carefully!

Italy has over 1,500 lakes, and the biggest one is Lake Garda, covering about 370 square kilometers. That’s like having around 300,000 swimming pools filled with water!

Italy has about 7,600 kilometers of coastline, where you can find beautiful beaches and crystal-clear water — that’s like walking the distance from Lagos to Nairobi and back again!

The Dolomites in northern Italy look like giant stone castles and change color at sunset, turning pink and orange!

Italy is home to many unique animals, including the Marsican brown bear, which only lives in the Italian Apennine mountains!

Italy has thousands of super‑old olive trees — some are over 1,000 to 4,000 years old! That means many of them were already giants when Columbus sailed off to America in 1492.

Italy is home to 25 national parks that help protect special places filled with rare orchids, golden eagles, wolves, and other amazing plants and animals!

Sicily, Italy’s largest island, has an active volcano called Mount Etna that sometimes puts on natural fireworks shows!

Italy has special protected areas called “marine reserves” where sea creatures like dolphins and sea turtles live safely!

The Mediterranean Sea around Italy sometimes sparkles at night with glowing blue plankton called “sea sparkle”! These tiny creatures light up when disturbed by waves or swimming dolphins.

Italy’s oldest tree is a wild olive in Sardinia called S’Ozzastru — it’s about 3,000 to 4,000 years old, making it as old as the Great Pyramid of Giza!

Italy’s Gran Paradiso National Park was created to protect the Alpine ibex, a mountain goat with huge curved horns!

Italy has underground caves called “grotte” that are filled with beautiful crystal formations!

The Strait of Messina between Italy and Sicily is so narrow that birds can easily fly across it!

Some Italian beaches have black sand because they’re made from ancient volcanic rocks!

Wild flamingos live in special salt lakes near Cagliari in Sardinia, Italy!

Italy’s mountain peaks are home to rare alpine flowers that grow way up high — sometimes above the clouds!

Culture & Traditions

During Venice’s Carnival, people wear beautiful masks and costumes that look like they’re from hundreds of years ago!

In Italy, children receive gifts from La Befana, a friendly witch who flies on a broomstick on the night of January 5th!

Soccer (called “calcio” in Italian) is so popular that almost every town has its own team and stadium!

The famous puppet show character Pinocchio was created by an Italian writer named Carlo Collodi in 1883!

Many Italian families get together for a big lunch every Sunday that can last for several hours!

In Italy, people often greet each other with two gentle kisses on the cheeks — even when they’ve just met!

The game of hopscotch was invented in ancient Rome, where soldiers used it for training exercises!

Italian families often make their own pasta by hand, using recipes and methods passed down from their great-grandparents!

At Rome’s magical Trevi Fountain, people toss in about €3,000 in coins every day — each coin making a wish and helping local charities in a big way!

Italian street musicians called “cantastorie” tell stories through songs and pictures!

In the Italian town of Ivrea, there’s a famous orange‑throwing festival every February called the “Battle of the Oranges”!

Many Italian towns have special summer festivals called “sagre” that celebrate local foods!

Italian children play a game called “campana” which is similar to hopscotch but with different rules!

In Venice, people wear special masks during Carnival that have different meanings based on their shapes!