Background: Italy became a nation-state in 1861 when the city-states of the peninsula, along with Sardinia and Sicily, were united under King Victor EMMANUEL II. An era of parliamentary government came to a close in the early 1920s when Benito MUSSOLINI established a Fascist dictatorship. His disastrous alliance with Nazi Germany led to Italy's defeat in World War II. A democratic republic replaced the monarchy in 1946 and economic revival followed. Italy was a charter member of NATO and the European Economic Community (EEC). It has been at the forefront of European economic and political unification, joining the Economic and Monetary Union in 1999. Persistent problems include illegal immigration, organized crime, corruption, high unemployment, sluggish economic growth, and the low incomes and technical standards of southern Italy compared with the prosperous north.
June 12th 2008Europe » Italy » Marche » Ancona Made it to Ancona today, a short trip. It was pretty uneventful all the way. We found a hotel without much of a problem. Then we thought it might be a good plan to book the ferry to Patras so off w ... 1 photos[full story]
April 25th 2008Europe » Italy » Marche » Ancona Well I went round the port today, and it gave every appearance of being completely deserted. Probably because it's Italian Liberation Day I think; this Irish truck driver I ran into in an Indian resta ... [full story]
April 24th 2008Europe » Italy » Marche » Ancona So here I am in Ancona. Took the train after packing up, having a cappucco and pastry, and strolling around the area one more time. That last wasn't anything special; I didn't have time to go anywhere ... [full story]
March 18th 2008Europe » Italy » Marche » Ancona As you know, I left off last time right in the middle of what we in the trade call "a good bit".
Having seen a few Ferraris's in a museum, I was happy, but there was something missing. There was a la ... [full story]
February 27th 2008Europe » Italy » Marche Come nei ristoranti indiani, quando ancora stai mangiando e ti vogliono portare il conto, ti chiedono, finish?
Ma stavolta abbiamo finito davvero e siamo stati vittima dello sbalzo cromatico pił che ... 5 photos[full story]
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