Italy

American  

[it-l-ee] / ˈɪt l i /

noun

1. a republic in southern Europe, comprising a peninsula south of the Alps, and Sicily, Sardinia, Elba, and other smaller islands: a kingdom 1870–1946. 116,294 sq. mi. (301,200 sq. km). Rome.

---

Italy British  

/ ˈɪtəlɪ /

noun

1. Italian name: Italia. a republic in S Europe, occupying a peninsula in the Mediterranean between the Tyrrhenian and the Adriatic Seas, with the islands of Sardinia and Sicily to the west: first united under the Romans but became fragmented into numerous political units in the Middle Ages; united kingdom proclaimed in 1861; under the dictatorship of Mussolini (1922–43); became a republic in 1946; a member of the European Union. It is generally mountainous, with the Alps in the north and the Apennines running the length of the peninsula. Official language: Italian. Religion: Roman Catholic majority. Currency: euro. Capital: Rome. Pop: 61 482 297 (2013 est) Area: 301 247 sq km (116 312 sq miles)

---

Italy Cultural  

1. Republic in southern Europe, jutting into the Mediterranean Sea as a boot-shaped peninsula, surrounded on the east, south, and west by arms of the Mediterranean, and bordered to the northwest by France, to the north by Switzerland and Austria, and to the northeast by Yugoslavia. The country includes the large islands of Sicily and Sardinia, as well as many smaller islands, such as Capri. Its capital and largest city is Rome.

---

Discover More

Italian cooking, featuring pasta, has become a staple of the American diet.

Italy was the core of the Roman Republic and Roman Empire from the fourth century b.c. to the fifth century a.d.

Beginning in the fourteenth century, the Italian Renaissance brought Europe out of the Middle Ages with its outstanding contributions to the arts. To this day, Italy continues to be associated with great artistic achievement and is home to countless masterpieces.

Under the fascist leadership of Benito Mussolini (see fascism), Italy began colonization in Africa and entered a military alliance with Germany and Japan. These countries were known as the Axis powers in World War II.

Italy has been a member of NATO since 1949.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Italy

From 2022 through 2025, state-funded security accompanied Paxton on 19 foreign trips to countries including Greece, Italy, South Africa and Mexico, according to records, more than either the governor or lieutenant governor during that time.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026

Outside the United States, access to the drug will be handled through a licensing agreement between Ionis Pharmaceuticals and Recordati, a major pharmaceutical company headquartered in Italy.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 13, 2026

She wanted to take an $8,000 trip to Italy for our 30th anniversary, and I said no.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 13, 2026

Four hundred years after monks transformed a patch of marshlands in northwest Italy into rice fields, farmer Alice Cerutti has restored a third to their natural state, prioritising biodiversity over crop yield.

From Barron's ● Oct. 12, 2026

The writer—he signed the letter Leonard—complained that the Louvre was filled with loot Napoleon had taken from Italy.

From "The Mona Lisa Vanishes" by Nicholas Day