Geography & Culture · country guide

Italy facts for kids: ancient Rome, food and famous cities

Italy is a boot-shaped country in southern Europe with about 59 million people.[1] It was the center of the ancient Roman Empire, the birthplace of the Renaissance and the home of pizza. This guide covers the five topics students ask about most, with a source for every fact.

Ancient Rome

According to legend, Rome was founded in 753 BCE by the twin brothers Romulus and Remus, on the banks of the river Tiber.[2] Rome grew from a small city into the seat of the Roman Republic and then the heart of the Roman Empire, which ruled lands all around the Mediterranean Sea.[2]

Many buildings from those times still stand in the historic center of Rome. The Colosseum, where crowds watched games and shows, the Forums, where people met to do business and politics, and the Pantheon, with its huge dome, are among the most famous.[2] By the 4th century, Rome had also become a center of the Christian world.[2]

The historic center of Rome is a UNESCO World Heritage site.[2] The Romans left a big mark on the world: roads, aqueducts, laws and the Latin language, which grew into Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, French and other languages.

Pompeii and Mount Vesuvius

On August 24 in the year 79, the volcano Vesuvius erupted near the Bay of Naples.[3] It buried the Roman towns of Pompeii and Herculaneum and many villas nearby.[3] Pompeii was covered by a thick layer of volcanic ash and small stones, while Herculaneum was destroyed by fast-moving clouds of hot gas and rock.[3]

Because the towns were buried so quickly, they were preserved for more than 1,600 years. Excavations began in the middle of the 1700s.[3] The excavated part of Pompeii covers about 44 hectares and gives a complete picture of a Roman city, with houses, shops, streets and wall paintings.[3]

At Herculaneum, about 300 skeletons were found along the ancient shoreline, and a villa there held more than 1,800 papyrus scrolls.[3] Today these sites are a UNESCO World Heritage site and receive more than 2.5 million visitors a year.[3]

Venice and Florence

Venice is a city built on water. It was founded in the 5th century and spreads across 118 small islands in a lagoon.[4] Instead of streets, many people travel along canals, such as the Grand Canal and a network of small canals called rii.[4] By the 10th century Venice had become a major sea power that traded across the Mediterranean.[4]

Florence is famous as the home of the Renaissance, a time when art, science and new ideas flourished in Europe. UNESCO explains that the Renaissance took shape in Florence in the early 1400s.[5] The city reached its peak under the Medici family in the 1400s and 1500s.[5]

Florence’s cathedral, Santa Maria del Fiore, the Palazzo Vecchio and the Uffizi museum are among its best-known buildings.[5] Both Venice and Florence are UNESCO World Heritage sites.[4][5]

Italian food: pizza and the Mediterranean diet

Pizza comes from Naples, in southern Italy. The art of the Neapolitan pizza maker, called the pizzaiuolo, is on UNESCO’s list of intangible cultural heritage.[6] About 3,000 pizzaiuoli live and work in Naples.[6] They prepare the dough with a special rotating motion and bake the pizza in a wood-fired oven.[6] Young bakers learn by watching masters in their workshops.[6]

Italy also shares the Mediterranean diet with Spain, Portugal, Greece, Cyprus, Croatia and Morocco.[7] UNESCO describes it as a set of skills, knowledge and traditions about crops, fishing, cooking and especially sharing food.[7] Eating together is at the center of the culture of these communities.[7]

Many students know pasta, olive oil, tomatoes and gelato as Italian favorites. Each Italian region has its own dishes, from the mountains in the north to the islands of Sicily and Sardinia in the south.

Festivals and traditions

Italy has many religious festivals that bring whole towns together. In Nola, Palmi, Sassari and Viterbo, people carry giant structures on their shoulders through the streets in Catholic processions.[8] In Nola, eight tall towers made of wood and papier-mâché honor Saint Paulinus, and in Viterbo the tall Tower of Santa Rosa honors the town’s patron saint.[8] These celebrations joined UNESCO’s intangible heritage list in 2013.[8]

Italy has more UNESCO World Heritage sites than most countries, from ancient ruins to Renaissance cities and natural landscapes.[9] The Alps rise in the north, the Apennine Mountains run down the middle of the peninsula, and the Mediterranean surrounds most of the country.

Rome is the capital of Italy.[2] Inside Rome is Vatican City, a separate tiny state. Students can explore Italy’s neighbors on our Europe page.

Free printable: map of Europe (PDF)

Questions people ask

What is Italy famous for?

Italy is famous for ancient Rome and the Colosseum, Pompeii, Venice, Florence and the Renaissance, and for pizza from Naples.[2][3][4][5][6]

When was Rome founded?

According to legend, Romulus and Remus founded Rome in 753 BCE.[2]

What happened to Pompeii?

On August 24 in the year 79, Mount Vesuvius erupted and buried Pompeii under a thick layer of ash and small stones.[3]

Where was pizza invented?

Pizza comes from Naples, where about 3,000 pizza makers keep the tradition of the Neapolitan pizzaiuolo alive.[6]

How many islands is Venice built on?

Venice spreads across 118 small islands in a lagoon.[4]

Sources

  1. World Bank Open Data: Italy · data.worldbank.org/country/italy (accessed 2026-10-30)
  2. UNESCO World Heritage Centre: Historic Centre of Rome · whc.unesco.org/en/list/91 (accessed 2026-10-30)
  3. UNESCO World Heritage Centre: Archaeological Areas of Pompei, Herculaneum and Torre Annunziata · whc.unesco.org/en/list/829 (accessed 2026-10-30)
  4. UNESCO World Heritage Centre: Venice and its Lagoon · whc.unesco.org/en/list/394 (accessed 2026-10-30)
  5. UNESCO World Heritage Centre: Historic Centre of Florence · whc.unesco.org/en/list/174 (accessed 2026-10-30)
  6. UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage: Art of Neapolitan 'Pizzaiuolo' · ich.unesco.org/en/RL/art-of-neapolitan-pizzaiuolo-00722 (accessed 2026-10-30)
  7. UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage: Mediterranean diet · ich.unesco.org/en/RL/mediterranean-diet-00884 (accessed 2026-10-30)
  8. UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage: Celebrations of big shoulder-borne processional structures · ich.unesco.org/en/RL/celebrations-of-big-shoulder-borne-processional-structures-00721 (accessed 2026-10-30)
  9. UNESCO World Heritage Centre: Italy (State Party page) · whc.unesco.org/en/statesparties/it (accessed 2026-10-30)

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