-
Settled early (850k years ago), home to Italic peoples and Etruscans. Greek colonies (Magna Graecia) settled the South.
-
Grew from a small settlement to a Republic and then the massive Empire that dominated the Mediterranean and established Western civilization's foundation.
-
Fragmented after the Empire's fall. Powerful city-states (for example, Venice, Florence) led the Renaissance (14th–16th centuries), a European golden age of art and culture.
-
Unified as the Kingdom of Italy in 1861 after the Risorgimento movement.
-
Saw the rise and fall of Fascism under Mussolini and participation in WWII. Became the Italian Republic in 1946 via a referendum.
-
Experienced a post-war "economic miracle," became a founding member of the European Union, and today is a major world economy.