Last Updated: July 27, 2022
What is Italy Famous For? (Apart from Rome)
Italy is easily one of the world’s most popular destinations. Millions flock to Rome every year to revere the Vatican City. Milan is the headquarters for ancient art and modern fashions. The long Mediterranean coastline is dotted with exclusive resorts, and the canals of Venice have long been the inspiration for art and romance.
Clearly, it has impressed the world with its history and typically Italian culture for centuries, but what is Italy famous for? You can also thank the boot-shaped peninsula in the Mediterranean Sea for its contributions to worldwide culture like this list of 20 things Italy is famous for.
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Luxury Cars
Ferarri, Alfa Romero, Lamborghini, and Maserati are very famous car brands that are coveted by car enthusiasts around the world for outstanding performance and hot looks. For example, the Ferarri company began manufacturing race cars in 1939 and remains the gold standard for high-performance automobiles. Today, the price tag of a Ferarri is higher than the average home in many places.
Based in Sant’Agata, Lamborghini manufactures luxury sports cars of which the cheapest is around $200,000. Maserati began manufacturing vehicles in Balogna in 1914. Today’s prices start at $75,000. Alfa Romero was founded in Milan in 1910 by anonymous investors. You can get a “cheap” one for $39,000.
Pizza
Did you ever know anyone who didn’t like pizza? Probably not since the Neapolitan, a true Italian pizza is number two on the World’s 50 Most Favorite Foods list. Historians tend to credit Greeks rather than Italians with the invention of pizza. This is probably because of their habit of piling different ingredients atop flatbread.
The earliest Italian pizzas were either sweet or savory mixtures served on flatbread in 16th-century Naples. A poor man’s dish, this Italian food was sold in the streets long before it became a recipe.
By the 17th century, the flatbreads in early pizzas were covered with a red sauce that was later replaced with tomatoes and perhaps fish. By 1843 toppings were growing more and more diverse. In the late 18th century, the culinary art of adding tomatoes to yeast flatbread became commonplace in Naples.
Architecture
Of course, you knew already that Italy is famous for it’s architecture! Italy has had almost as much influence on the world of building as the world of art. Classical Roman, Baroque, Renaissance, and Neoclassical styles are timeless and have given rise to copycats around the world. And the concept of a basilica, or open court building, comes from ancient Rome. As one of Europe’s most visited countries, it is also home to many beautiful and unusual structures like the Colosseum in Rome, Piazza San Marco in Venice, and the Leaning Tower of Pisa.
And the Italian countryside is scattered with impressive cathedrals such as Duomo di Orvieto and elaborate castles such as Valle d’Aosta Fort Bard, the Ussel Castle, and the Verrès Castle. And even if you travel further afield, to somewhere like Sicily, you are still bound to find architectural gems like the Ancient Theatre of Taormina, Magna Graecia, Palermo Cathedral and many more.
Italy has such a rich culture and history that you will almost trip over spectacular architecture no matter where you go!
Pasta
Aside from Pizza, Italy is famous for pasta – obviously! It is another part of Italian cuisine we can all be thankful for. And each region has its own way of preparing it. For example, in the piedmont region, agnolotti pasta is square, filled with meat, and crimped. Farfalle is the signature pasta of the Lombardy region. You may know it as bowtie or butterfly pasta. It’s usually served with a concoction of tomato and basil.
Gigli is a type of pasta from Tuscany in Central Italy and dates all the way back to the Renaissance. It’s named after Florence’s Gigli lily (no wonder the food there is amazing). Eating pasta in Italy comes with rules. You don’t overcook it, eat it with chicken, or douse it with ketchup.
Vespas
New York City’s honking yellow cabs are iconic, and no one leaves London without a ride on a red double-decker bus. The motorized iconic equivalency in Italy is a Vespa. If you’ve read any romance novels set in Italy, you’ve heard of them.
The stylish little scooters have also been featured many times on the silver screen. Audry Hepburn, scarf flying in the wind, buzzed around with Gregory Peck on one in Roman Holiday. And Anita Ekberg toured Italy’s streets on a Vespa in La Dolce Vita.
Art
The list of Italy’s contributions to the world of art is seemingly infinite, so much so, the words art and Italy are practically synonymous. Italy’s Michelangelo, Leonardo Da Vinci, Caravaggio, Bernini, and Titian are among the most celebrated artists of all time. The reason? Possibly because during the Renaissance era, everyone was happy and loaded with cash after years of oppression.
The wealthy sought promising artists for commissioning to do nothing but paint. So paint they did. And today museums, churches, and other buildings in Italy are filled with their work.
Gelato
Gelato means ice cream in English, but don’t be fooled. This cold Italian treat is made in a different way. Italian Gelato is not quite as cold as ice cream straight from the freezer; it’s served 10 to 20 degrees warmer. Less air is introduced into the mixture while it’s freezing than ice cream. The result is a softer and silkier frozen desert with more flavor.
Gelato is also low in fat and doesn’t use egg yolk in the recipe. The main ingredients are 3.25 percent milk, sugar, and nut or fruit puree. Italian Gelato is available everywhere, but chances are, it won’t taste the same as the authentic version you’ll get at a gelato shop in Italy. Check out our list of the best gelato shops in Florence.
Catholicism
Italy was the center of the Roman Empire and is still the epicenter of Roman Catholicism. The Vatican City is the hub of the religion in Rome, and where the pope resides. Cardinals, priests, bishops, monsignors, and members of religious orders are omnipresent.
Perhaps one of Italy’s most famous museums, the Vatican museums hold ancient religious sculptures, and the Sistine Chapel houses Michelangelo’s famous ceiling with nine scenes from the Book of Genesis including the well-known Creation of Adam and the large fresco The Last Judgement.
Fashion
The Italians have a flair for style, and Italian designers of haute couture have a loyal following of fashionistas. Milan is known as the fashion capital of the world and the home of famous high-end Italian brands like Gucci, Valentino, Prada, Armani, Versace, and Dolce & Gabbana. Shopping in Milan is one of the highlights of visiting the capital of Lombardy.
Known around the world and attended by the rich and famous, the Milan Fashion Week is a glitzy annual event. Overall, fashion is Italy’s third-largest industry and contributes’s greatly to the nation’s economy.
Hand Gesturing
The Italian language is lyrical and romantic, but worldwide, it’s spoken much less than Spanish, French, or English. That’s okay. The Italians make up for ranking 20th for the most spoken language with their popularity for hand gesturing or talking with their hands. It’s a sort of stereotype that isn’t exaggerated in the movies. Italians are well-known for the habit and it’s considered quite charming.
Three Coins in a Fountain
People around the world have been familiar with “Three Coins in a Fountain” since the Academy Award-winning song was introduced in the movie of the same name in 1954. The romantic comedy centers around three American secretaries looking for romance while on holiday in Rome.
The theme of the movie refers to the tradition of tossing coins in Rome’s Trevi Fountain while making a wish. The wishes do come true but in a different way. An estimated 5,000 euros are collected from the fountain daily and given to charity.
Godfathers
Italy is a beautiful country, and the Italians are warm and friendly. However, the country has long been plagued with problems of corruption and political instability. Unfortunately, Italy is famous for its mafia. And they are behind much of the crime in the country. They include the Calabrian, Silician, and Apulian mafias.
Despite their infamous criminal lifestyles, Italian dons and godfathers have had a huge influence on worldwide culture. They were the inspiration behind a number of novels and movies such as The Sicilian, The Godfather, and the TV series The Sopranos.
Ballet
Twirling a pirouette on one foot and dancing on pointed toes is associated with France. It’s true, but ballet actually originated in Italy during the 15th and 16th center Italian Renaissance courts. Italian noblewoman Catherine de’Medici is credited with the spread of ballet to France. The French developed the art, added new moves, and gave them Frenchy names.
Opera
The art of opera was also born during the Italian Renaissance. The combination of drama with vocals, an orchestra, dance, and visual arts has been delighting spectators around the world for centuries.
It all began in Florence when a group of statesmen, musicians, and writers wanted to recreate Greek storytelling through music. Dafne, which many consider being the first opera, was written by Italian singer and composer Jacopo Peri in 1597.
Borsalino Hats
The Italian Borsalino family has been making jaunty fedoras and lovingly crafted hats since 1857. Even Al Capone was a loyal customer. The company was founded by Giuseppe Borsalino who earned the title “master hatter” while studying art in France.
He later brought his skill to Alessandria, a city in Piedmont Italy where he opened a hat shop. Borsalino served as a consultant for the movie Borsalino, a gangster movie that helped connect the family name to luxury fedoras.
Capri Pants
In 1948, European designer Sonja de Lennart invented capri pants, cropped pants also known as three quarter leg pants. U.S. beachgoers call them clamdiggers or high-water pants. Sonja was from Prussia, but her passion for the Isle of Capri was the inspiration for her invention, and by the 1960s, capris were wildly popular on the Italian isle.
Audrey Hepburn wore them while touring Rome on a Vespa in the movie A Roman Holiday. Mary Tyler Moore’s character as Dick Van Dicks wife, Laura Petri is credited for the capri’s popularity in the U.S. Their popularity died down between the 1970s and 1990s and resurged again in the mid-2000s.
Pastiglie Leone Candies
Prettily packaged Pastigle Leone Candies were first created in 1857 by Luigi Leone in Alba, Italy. The intense colors and flavors of the candies are the result of carefully chosen extracts, herbs, and essences.
The flavorful tablets are as tasty as they are pretty. The Spritz Italian Aperitif with its explosive orange flavor is a favorite among 40 other original flavors. Pastiglie Leone Candies are available worldwide and can be ordered on-line.
Lambrusco
Lambrusco is to Italy what Rioja is to Spain. It might not be the country’s best wine, but it’s certainly the most well-known. Lambrusco wine comes from Italy’s Emilia-Romagna region from red grapes of the same name. Lambrusco may be sweet, semi-sweet, or dry. The best way to enjoy Lambrusco is along with regional foods such as prosciutto cheese.
Chianti
As with many premium Italian wines, Chianti is a product of the Tuscany region. Like Lambrusco, it’s extremely popular in Italy. Unlike Lambrusco, Chianti is popular around the world. It’s a very versatile wine and compliments almost any cuisine. An outstanding feature of Chianti is the iconic straw baskets the squat bottle comes in.
However, today, Chianti is mostly packaged in standard bottles. The only drawback is Chianti is a wine that doesn’t age well. Don’t hang on to your Chianti. Drink it up.
Limoncello
The Italian liqueur Limoncello is second only to Campari in popularity. The liqueur is mostly produced in Southern Italy around the Amalfi Coast, the Gulf of Naples, and the islands of Ischia, Procida, and Capri.
It’s crafted from the zest (shaved peel) of Femminello St. Teresa lemons, a rectified spirit such as vodka or grappa, and sugar. Enjoy the smooth, sweet intense lemon flavor of Limoncello alone or as a cocktail mixer.
Of course, there are dozen more things we could mention like the fact that Christopher Columbus was born in Italy as well. But perhaps next to the artwork of Leonardo Da Vinci, that is not really important!
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About the Author Anna Timbrook
Anna is the co-owner of expert world travel and can't wait to share her travel experience with the world. With over 54 countries under her belt she has a lot to write about! Including those insane encounters with black bears in Canada.
