Italy is located in Southern Europe and has a population of roughly 58.2 million. It is the 5th most visited country in the world. Famous for its culture and traditions (food, art, literature, music and dance as well as its coastline activities, it attracts many people.!he "est #nown wor# of art, $ona %isa was painted "y an Italian artist, %eonardo da&inci. Literature is mainly "ased on historical events li#e the rise and fall of the 'oman Empire. Some of Sha#espeare(s plays have Italy as their setting, including )ulius *aesar. In Italy, music is heavily in+uenced "y "oth history and religion. Italy is the "irthplace of a well,#nown form of music, -pera. .allet was originated from Italy and later gained popularity in France. /nother common form of dance is the !arantella dance which is a fol# dance descri"ed "y 0uic# music and movements. 1i2erent regions in Italy have a di2erent style of cuisine. *entral Italy prefers cheese so stu2ed pasta is famous in this area. Southern Italy is "est #nown for the world(s 3rst opened pi44eria in 5aples. !his region(s cuisine involves tomato sauce. 'isotto and polenta dishes are most popular in 5orthern Italy. !he gelato ice cream was also invented in Italy. 5ames li#e *hristopher *olum"us, Ferrari, %am"orghini, 5utella and Ferrero 'ocher are associated with Italy. !he country is also famous for the amphitheater 6*olosseum( which was one of the wonders of the world.!he o7cial language is Italian and a"out 89 percent of the population spea#s Italianas the native language. :owever when tal#ing a"out "usiness culture, English is themost spo#en language especially when multinational companies are "ased there. !oma#e a good 3rst impression, it is advised that people learn a few "asic words of the Italian language to communicate with fellow "usiness associates and if necessary, they can also hire a translator.