ITALY

Agriculture

Italy has an agricultural area of 16.4 million ha, of which 12.5 ha are used.

With its favourable climatic conditions and rich biodiversity, Italy is a leading producer of superior fruit and vegetables and world-class wines.

As regards plant crop production, Italy’s main agricultural products in terms of quantities produced are maize, tomatoes, durum wheat and wine grapes. In terms of value, main products include oil, tomatoes, citrus fruits and wine. Italy is the leading world wine producer for quality and output and the world’s second largest exporter with 74 DOCG varieties that comply with strict international guidelines.

Italy is the most sustainable country in the agricultural sector and first in the world for food quality certification with 315 PDO, PGI and TSG specialties and 526 wine denominations. The cultivation of genetically modified crops (GMOs) is banned in Italy and faces strong opposition in politics and society.

Livestock farming

In Italy, cattle and sheep breeding is an important resource that furnishes excellent meat and also milk, cheese and eggs. Italy is famous all over the world for the extraordinary quality of its cheeses and cured meats.

Animal husbandry is one of the main activities in the Po Valley (northern Italy) where cattle are raised according to modern criteria mainly for milk production. Poultry and pig farms, which supply qualified salami factories, are widespread throughout the territory. Buffalo farming is still limited.

Tourism

Italy is a beautiful country, steeped in history, famous for fashion, sports cars, food and its great geographical diversity. Many of these aspects of Italian culture also have a profound impact at international level making it one of the main destinations for international travel.

In addition to classic destinations such as Rome, Venice, Milan and Naples, foreign tourists now choose more complete experiences such as food and wine tours, trekking, packages that touch upon various aspects of Made in Italy, such as visits to local artisans, linked, for example, to the world of engines and above all “food” and the entire sector that revolves around catering and agri-food.

Today, tourism represents a fundamental sector for the country’s economy, generating around 7% of national GDP and with a contribution to employment of 7.1% (almost 1.7 million workers).
The pre-eminent role of this economic sector has been forged by Italy’s unequalled artistic and naturalistic heritage and also by accommodation facilities such as luxury and boutique hotels, beach resorts, ecotourism, food and wine experiences, outdoor sports, shopping, spa and thermal wellness.

Industry

Italy is also a country with a strong industrial vocation, with a decisive orientation towards tailor-made manufacturing.

It is one of the most technological and automated countries in the world, respected internationally for its top-quality production of machinery, components and robots.

It is above the European average in terms of the application of industrial robots in its industries…

Machinery is Italy’s top export industry, accounting for a sizeable 18% slice of international trade and making it the fifth largest machinery exporter in the world.

The Italian automotive sector is renowned for its manufacturing excellence and specialisation.

Advanced technologies in space exploration and security have secured the Italian aerospace industry a position amongst the world’s top ten. The industry furnishes equipment, components, observation satellites and sensors for ambitious international projects such as the NASA Artemis e Mars Sample Return missions. Italy was the second country in the world to put a civilian satellite into orbit and contributes for more than 40% to the budget of the International Space Station through the Italian Space Agency.

Italy also has a great tradition in the military industry. The Italian defence industry is one of country’s most important industrial sectors and amongst leading manufacturers of complex defence systems..

The Italian marine industry is a major international player, world leader in the production of super-yachts (45.7% of worldwide orders of superyachts) and unrivalled in the pleasure boating sector with revenues of just under two billion dollars.
Fincantieri, one of the world’s largest shipbuilding groups, designs and builds high-tech cruise, military and offshore vessels.

The wood industry, one of Italy’s lesser-known excellences, is second in the world for trade surplus and first among European countries for exports in this sector.

The success of the Italian wood furniture industry, ranked amongst the top three worldwide, has been forged by their Made in Italy design which has conquered the world for the creativity, excellent manufacture, quality and sustainability of its products.

Culture and Art

Italy boasts an incredibly rich cultural heritage with over 3,400 museums, around 6,000 archaeological areas and parks and 55 UNESCO sites.
Over the centuries, Italy has made a major contribution to world culture, in particular in the two periods in which Italy was the centre of the civilization of the time, i.e. during the Roman Empire and the Renaissance, playing a major role in the history of human knowledge. Italy is dotted with monuments ranging from Greek temples to medieval villages, from Roman baths to eighteenth-century villas.

Religion

As, in Italy, the principle of the secular state applies, there is no official religion.
Italian citizens are mostly Catholic Christians (87.8%). Italy hosts the Vatican, the seat of the Catholic Church and where the Pope resides. He is the head of the college of bishops from all over the world.
The Church plays an influential role in Italian society, taking a stand on religious, social and political issues. Minority religions include several other Christian denominations (in particular, Orthodox and Protestants), Jews, Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses. Immigration contributes to increasing some of the religious minorities present in the country, the most numerous of which are Orthodox Christians, Muslims, Buddhists and Hindus.