Rome

301,230 km²
(7.2x the Netherlands)

UTC +1

Italian, German, French, Slovenian

Mont Blanc de Courmayeur - 4,765 m
(2nd summit Mont Blanc mountains)

The first time a green, white, and red flag was used was by the Cispadane Republic in 1796. The Cispadane Republic in northern Italy was founded in 1796 by Napoleon Bonaparte. Green, white and red are traditional Milanese colors. Red and white come from the Milanese coat of arms which is a red cross on a white background. Green was the color of the uniform of the Milanese civic guard.

The euro was introduced simultaneously in 12 European countries, as well as in Monaco, San Marino and Vatican City on 1 January 2002. This was the largest monetary exchange operation of all time. On the front of the note is a gate or window and a bridge on the back. These are all fictional. The euro replaces the Lire, introduced in 1861, which was known as the least valuable currency in Western Europe.

Trentino - Alto Adige: Since the early 8th century the area was part of the Duchy of Bavaria and in 1363 these areas became Habsburgs. After World War I, Trentino and the southern part of Tyrol were annexed by Italy as a reward for the Italian choice for the allied camp during the war.

Madonna di Campiglio (Sankt Maria im Pein) is a ski resort and fraction of the commune Pinzolo, 30 km north of Lake Garda. It has about 1000 inhabitants and is located at an altitude of 1,522 meters in the Rendena valley. The village has 57 ski lifts and 150 km of ski slopes. In the summer it's a hiking paradise with countless hiking trails in the Adamello / Presanella alps and the Dolomiti di Brenta. The Dolomiti di Brenta are famous for the Via Ferrata, an impressive path under the imposing peaks of the Brenta from the Grosté towards Rifugio 12 apostoli. Not suitable for people with a fear of heights. After crossing the Brenta group by the Englishman John Ball in 1864, the first tourists also came. The village is also known for the visit of Empress Elizabeth (Sissi) and her husband, Emperor Franz Joseph. Examples include the Piazza Sissi and La stube di Franz Joseph. For hiking you can use the 'dolomeetcard'. With this pass you can use the lifts and the shuttle bus. It is a lot cheaper when you buy the card at the hotel where you are staying. The card is seasonal in terms of price.

Pinzolo is home to the Chiesa (church) di San Vigilio, which dates from 1515. The church has many frescoes from different periods. The 'Danza Macabre' is a fresco of 21 meters long, painted by Simone Baschenis in 1539. It contains 40 people in full size. It states the power of death for and its inevitability.

In the Valsinella you can see some impressive waterfalls. There's a path from the village of Madonna di Campiglio or hike down from rifugio Graffer. There are waterfalls on three levels: Cascata Alto, Cascata di Mezzo and Cascata di Sotto. The most beautiful hike in the Dolomiti di brenta is from rifugio Stoppani over the moon landscape under the Cima Grosté to rifugio Tuckett and the hike from rifugio Doss del Sabion at Pinzolo to rifugio 12 apostoli (This is a tough walk with some very steep climbs). Another highly recommended hike is on the other side of Madonna di Campiglio. The hike of the five lakes in the Adamello: via lago Nambino, lago Nero, lago Serodoli, lago Lambin and lago Ritort.

The Brenta group, the Brenta Dolomites, are the only dolomites west of the river Adige and therefore not always considered part of the dolomites. The limestone massif is clearly different from the granite of the Adamello / Presanella on the other side of the valley in which Madonna di Campiglio is located. The limestone in the Brenta contains much more alpine flowers. The mountain peaks are formed by hard and compact Dolomite while the subgroups contain more lime and sandstone. The dolomite was formed under the bottom of the Tethys Sea about 200 million years ago. In the Triassic, the Tethys was a shallow sea were mainly lime and sand were deposited. Specific to the Dolomites were the coral reefs which grew in a sea shallower than 1.5 meters. This took place in the early Jura. Due to a continuous tectonic drop in the seabed, the relative sea ??level kept rising, allowing the coral to grow so that thick layers of rock were formed. Volcanic activity created a layer of lava over the coral lime. This hardened the coral lime and resulted in layers with a maximum of 400 meters thick. The namesake of the dolomites is the French geologist Déodat de Dolomieu, who discovered this mineral in the 18th century.