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What our clients say

Paul Gerolstein

"Me and my family have just returned from our marvelous cruise in the Mediterranean. We booked all our tours and transfers with SPB Mediterranean. We used them in the Baltic before and were delighted. They are a first class outfit. They also have a 5 star rating on TripAdvisor. That is why we decided to book them again for our shore excursions in Barcelona, Livorno and Rome. We could not be happier with all their services, simply perfect in everything."
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Facts

-Italy is the is the 5th most populous country in Europe, covering an area of 301,338 square kilometers.

-Population: Italy 60,782,668, Rome 2,863,322

- The capital, Rome, has for centuries been the leading political and religious centre of Western civilization, serving as the capital of both the Roman Empire and Christianity. After the Roman Empire broke down in 395AD, there were many separate kingdoms and city states. However, Italy became one nation only in 1861 and since then includes the islands of Sicily and Sardegna. It was a kingdom until 1946 after the second World War. Italy is founding member of the European Union (EU) and the NATO.

-Climate: Italy has a largely temperate climate. In most of the inland northern and central regions, the climate ranges from humid subtropical to humid continental and oceanic.

-Currency: The currency in Italy is the Euro.

-The best places to access or exchange money are ATMs, Banks, and Bureaux de change. Using street vendors is ill-advised and illegal.

-Voltage: The electric current in Italy is 220V and the cycle is 50Hz.  Voltage may vary though, so check the local voltage with the hotel before using appliances.  Plugs have prongs that are round, not flat, so an adapter plug may be necessary.

-Time zoneGMT + 2: (Central Europe Daylight/Summer time)

- Health and safety: We recommend that all visitors take the same precautions against crime in Italy as they would in any major city. Violent crime against travelers is rare however, pickpockets are unfortunately a problem in popular tourist destinations such as Rome and it pays to be vigilant. Pickpockets often work in professional groups and use tricks to disorient, distract and confuse their victims. Keep your valuables close to you at all times and especially watch your belongings at bars, cafes or any other place where you set your things down.

 

History

The history of Italy has been said to be the history of the modern world. So many pivotal moments in our collective past have taken place in Italy that it can be considered Europe’s historical keystone. The city-states which preceeded modern Italy made a rich and lasting contribution to Western civilization in many different areas.
 

The country has been host to important human activities in prehistoric times, and thusly archaeological sites of note can be found in many regions: Latium and Tuscany, Umbria and Basilicata.
After Magna Graecia, the Etruscan civilisation and especially the Roman Empire that came to dominate this part of the world for many centuries, came the medieval Humanism and the Renaissance that further helped to shape European philosophy and art.

The Italy of modern time became a nation-state belatedly - on March 17, 1861 when the states of the peninsula and the two Sicilies were united under king Victor Emmanuel II of the Savoy dynasty, hitherto ruler of Piedmont and kings of Sardinia.

Rome itself remained for a decade under the Papacy, and became part of the Kingdom of Italy only on September 20, 1870, the final date of Italian unification.The Vatican is now an independent enclave surrounded by Italy, as is San Marino.

The Fascist dictatorship of Benito Mussolini that took over in 1922 led to a disastrous alliance with Nazi Germany and Japan, and ultimately Italy's defeat in World War II. On June 2, 1946 a referendum on the monarchy resulted in the establishment of the Italian republic, which led to the adoption of a new constitution on January 1, 1948. Members of the royal family were sent into exile because of their association with the fascist regime.

Italy was a charter member of NATO and the European Union, and hence joined the growing political and economic unification of Western Europe, including the introduction of the Euro in 1999.