The country's flora is predominantly Mediterranean. Three broad classifications of evergreen tree dominate: ilex (or evergreen oak), cork and pine.

Ancient imports that are an inevitable part of much of the Italian countryside (especially from Tuscany south) are the olive and cyprus. The former comes in many shapes and sizes, among the most striking being the robust trees of Apulia.

Much of the country is covered by macchia (maquis), a broad term that covers all sorts of vegetation ranging from two metres to as much as six metres in height. Herbs such as lavender, rosemary and thyme are typical maquis plants, as are shrubs of the cistus family, gorse, juniper and heather. If the soil is acidic, there may also be broom. Orchids, gladioli and irises may flower beneath these shrubs, which are colourful in spring.

Where the action of humans and nature has been particularly harsh, or the soil is poor, the macchia becomes gariga , the very barest of scrub. This is dominated by aromatic herbs such as lavender, rosemary and thyme.

A couple of millennia of human occupation, coupled with the locals' love of hunting, has extinguished many animal species once endemic to Italy. You might spot a brown bear or a lynx if you're lucky, and the Alpine regions are still home to wolves, marmots, chamois and deer. Mouflon sheep and wild boars and cats can be found on Sardinia, while in the skies falcons, hawks and golden eagles dodge the hunters' birdshot.

Italy's climate varies from north to south and from lowland to mountain top. Winters are long and severe in the Alps, with snow falling as early as mid-September. The northern regions experience chilly winters and hot summers, while conditions become milder as you head south. The sirocco, the hot and humid African wind that affects regions south of Rome, produces at least a couple of stiflingly hot weeks in summer.

For administrative purposes, Italy is divided into 20 regioni (regions), which roughly correspond to the historical regions of the country. The regions are divided into province (provinces), themselves further divided into town comuni (councils). Five regions (Sicily, Sardinia, Trentino-Alto Adige, Friuli-Venezia Giulia and Valle d'Aosta) are semi-autonomous or autonomous, with special powers granted under the constitution. Their regional assemblies are similar to parliaments and they have a wide range of economic and administrative powers. Indeed, those remaining regions are the weakest element in the country's political hierarchy. Each is ruled by a giunta regionale (regional government) formed in elections (held every four years) to the consiglio regionale (regional assembly). These parliaments only came into being in 1970 and the regional governments, with no revenue-raising powers, remain little more than an administrative link between the central state and local government. They receive funds from the state and can legislate on a limited field of issues. These regions, so far with minimal results, are pushing for much wider-ranging powers and a more genuine autonomy from the central government. Devolution in some form is high on the new Berlusconi government's agenda