The minimum you must know

Italy is one of the most beautiful countries in Southern Europe and a very influential member of the European Union. The country has thousands of years of history, and consequently magnificent ancient coliseums and centuries old religious buildings and art. Italy is also known for exporting fashion to the rest of the world. Leading brands are headquartered there.

Italy’s current President Sergio Mattarella and Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni both prefer peace. Consequently, the government’s speeches at the United Nations usually emphasize it. Italy is traditionally a calming influence on NATO as well.

The Catholic Church is headquarter in Vatican City, which technically is a sovereign independent state located within the borders of Italy. But Catholicism is deeply ingrained in Italian culture. The Vatican is a significant part of thousands of years of Italian history and very important to Italian traditions today. Italians therefore think of the church as very much their own. Catholicism is the most believed religion on earth, followed by Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism and Judaism. Consequently Italian Presidents and Prime Ministers usually rely upon spiritual guidance from the Pope in Rome. Peace is very important to the current Pope Francis, who regularly patterns peace to audiences globally. See the Vatican City page for more details.