From the alps in the north to the rocky shores of Sicily and all the magnicifient cities in between, there are so many different landscapes and cultures to explore in Italy. Not so long ago, you needed to catch overnight trains to cross the country. Don’t underestimate how long it will take to travel from north to south if you are straying from the major cities. Italy only became a unied country in 1871. Prior to that, the area we know as Italy today was made up of several kingdoms who each had their own identities, culture, food and language. These differences continue today, so much so that Italians from the north may not be able to understand southerners when they speak in their local dialect.