Italy - Bella Italia, the Bel Paese - is a country of extremes, with something to offer every visitor: from snow-iced mountains to hot lazy Mediterranean beaches, from unspoilt hill villages to cities that have bustled for thousands of years.

Italy is a land of total, startling extremes. In geographical terms alone, it is one of Europe 's most disaster-prone countries. Italy 's Civil Protection service works in a constant state of readiness to cope with the country's active volcanoes, earthquakes, floods, avalanches, forest fires...

A large proportion of the country is hilly, and modern Italy is shaped by its natural geography as well as by millennia of turbulent history. Over the last three thousand years, Italy has had a consistently rich culture, producing fine buildings, works of art, and a mythologised history with timeless appeal.

From the jewels of the Italian Riviera to the high slopes of the Abruzzo, the more time you spend in Italy , the more faces you will discover. Italy , and the Italians, are at times cultured and barbaric, modern and surreally old-fashioned, lazy and vibrant, in thrall of the past, and neglectful of it.

This is a country where cities have been at war with each other for centuries. Now this masquerades as football rivalry or civic pride, but really it's a continuation of the peninsula's city-state culture. Italians all feel they 'belong' primarily to their town, secondly perhaps to Europe . ' Italy ' is a concept which is still being worked at, and Mameli's national anthem a tool which is wielded not for custom but for political ends.

Italy means something different to every tourist. Pizza, ruins, great works of art, hot beaches, handsome youths, good wine. The country is an obliging one, and few visitors leave disappointed. If you're looking for one aspect of Italy , you'll find it served on plate, even richer than you expected. And if you are open and receptive, the chances are you'll find much more than you dreamed of.

Italy is one of those countries about which you probably have quite a number of preconceptions before you have put one foot into the country. A country of olive oil and mafia, pasta, wine and sunshine, roman ruins and renaissance palaces, Italy has a lot to offer its visitors. Although some of these images are appealing, it would be a shame if that was the only thing you come away with. Italy is certainly much more complex and interesting than that.