Visiting Italy may be very well be one of the most memorable experiences in your life. Choosing to go to Italy is a dilemma in itself. You must first have to do some research about the country to give yourself adequate information going into your trip. Some of the things you should consider and that this article will talk about are; climate, size of country, the population of each city, and the density.

You will also want to learn about the hotels and other accommodations that are offered throughout the country and all of the regions that inhabit Italy. The array of transportation that is offered, places of interest and travel trips. You will also get information on the traveling industry such tour operators from the United States and Canada.

Another factor that you will need to consider will be the language barrier. You must know some basic words in the Italian language and also having an Italian dictionary would be a good idea. Going to Italy should be a fairly simple task as long as you are sure to do your homework. Getting a passport should be the first thing you do. Even before scheduling your trip you should obtain your passport. The way security is now that is a number one priority. Being sure that you are prepared for anything that comes your way is very important when traveling abroad.

The first step would be obtaining your passport. You can do this by going in person to your local application facility. To find out where it is in your area simply search ‘passport location in’... After you get your passport you are set for your departure of the country you are currently in. The next part of this step would be preparing yourself for the trip. You must know the language. You don’t need to know a lot of words, but there are some necessities. Italians are adamant that tourists speak the native tongue therefore they don’t tend to speak a vast deal of other languages. Below are a few of the most commonly used phrases that will help you find your way through Italy.

• I am from: Vengo da, sono di
• It hurts: mettere il dito nella piaga
• I’m sorry: mi dispiace
• I am lost: mi sono perso
• Transportation: trasporto
• Police: Polizia

You must know how to count your money and how money is transferred from your country to theirs. One example is 100 Lira is .72 cents in American money. A great website to check the conversion rates is; http://coinmill.com/ITL_calculator.html This is very important as once you are there you are going to need to have your funds already in order to avoid any delay with your trip.

The next step will be gaining you knowledge of the country. There is nothing worse than a tourist in a country where they don’t know what they are looking for or where they need to go. The area of Italy is 116,303 square miles and is inhabited by 56,778,000 people. That is a densely populated area leaving about 487 people per square mile. If you are looking for serenity, this is not the place to go. The capital of Italy is Roma and it contains over 2.7 million of the total population. Below is a list of other important cities in Italy and their populations.

Other important cities:

• Milano (1,369,000)
• Firenze (403,000)
• Messina (231,000)
• Napoli (1,067,000)
• Bari (342,000)
• Trieste (231,000)
• Torino (963,000)
• Catania (333,000)
• Padova (215,000)
• Palermo (699,000)
• Venezia (309,000)
• Cagliari (204,000)
• Genova (679,000)
• Verona (256,000)
• Brescia (195,000)
• Bologna (404,000)
• Taranto (232,000)
• Perugia (153,000)http://www.italiantourism.com/geninfo.html

A big issue that you must know when traveling to another country is the regulations. Italy has no restrictions on exports except for antiques and art, which you will have to gain proof of authorization the Ministero dei Beni Culturali e Ambientali. Also make enough time for baggage claims as everything is checked entering and exiting Italy. For most countries there is a limit on goods that can be brought back. You will have to check with your own countries standards for that one. You may travel with you pet as well and as long as they you are accompanying the pet.

Some other important information is that to contact emergency authorities dial 118. Italy does not cover US or Canadian citizens therefore tourists are advised to take out an insurance policy prior to traveling.

The next thing to do would be to plan your accommodations. There are over 40,000 hotels. All of the hotels have a fixed rate that is set by the Provincial Tourist Board. Along with the said rate the hotel adds a 10% IVA, which is a tax. You can book your hotel in advance through your travel agency. There are 4 main types of stays in Italy, there are the private homes, the day hotels, the bed and breakfasts and the religious institutions. http://www.italiantourism.com/accomod.html It is also advised to take public transportation whenever possible due to the vast laws of the countries roadways.

Enjoy your trip!

A fun fact is that 2/3 of the world’s historical artistic heritage is in Italy. Below are the top fifteen major places throughout the country and where they are located.

1980, 1990 Historic Centre of Rome, the properties of the Holy See in that city enjoying extraterritorial rights, and San Paolo fuori le Mura (Latium)

1980 Church and Dominican Convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie with "The Last Supper" by Leonardo da Vinci - Milano (Lombardy)

1987 Piazza del Duomo - Pisa (Tuscany)

1995 Ferrara, City of the Renaissance and its Po Delta (Emilia-Romagna)

1996 Castel del Monte - Bari (Apulia)

1996 The Early Christian Monuments and Mosaics of Ravenna (Emilia-Romagna)

1997 The Cathedral, Torre Civica and Piazza Grande - Modena (Emilia-Romagna)

1997 The Amalfi Coast, Costiera Amalfitana - Salerno (Campania)

1998 Cilento and Vallo di Adriano National Park with the Archeological sites of Paestum and Velia, and the Certosa di Padula (Salerno, Campania)

1998 Archaeological Area and the Patriarchal Basilica of Aquileia (Udine, Friuli-Venezia Giulia

2000 City of Verona (Veneto)

2000 Isole Eolie (Aeolian Islands, Sicily)

2002 Late Baroque Towns of the Val di Noto (South-eastern Sicily)

2004 Etruscan Necropolises of Cerveteri and Tarquinia (Latium)

2005 Syracuse and the Rocky Necropolis of Pantalica (Sicily)

http://www.italiantourism.com/artcities.html