Channel 4 made a series of TV programmes about Italy and this website compliments them nicely www.channel4.com/learning/microsites/I/italia/

Great map and overview statistics in Italian – you can translate www.globalgeografia.com/europa/italia.htm

This has regional data and great maps and summary data of each region. Why not use the Italian version as a bit of fun and get pupils to translate it. www.globalgeografia.com/italia/regioni_italia.htm There is an English version too www.globalgeografia.com/italy_regions/italy_regions.htm

There are great panoramic photos of each region. A brilliant site.

www.istat.it/English/index.htm

Look for the Italy in figures for summary data. Which is the cycling capital of Italy?

5. Population change

Population issues need considering when studying Italy. It has one of the lowest birth rates in the world. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/3117379.stm 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3252794.stm

This link to the regions of Italy links to regional governments. Follow http://www.italia.gov.it/  

Just looking at the Regione di Calabria [the toe of Italy] I found some brilliant maps to download Centro Cartografico dello Calabria including coastal erosion etc.

With Umbria. I found population change statistics for towns

Geographical terms are fairly easy to translate – transporti, infrastrutture, economia, lavoro [work] territori, ambiente [environment], cartografia, interventi sociali, sanita [health], emigrazione e immigrazione let alone physical terms like erosione costiera

Don’t you just love Italian?

If it is pictures of life you want then look no further than http://www.lifeinitaly.com/photos/  There is no shortage of images of cities, landscapes are more difficult.

 http://www.photo.net/photo/pcd0795/ This to has some delightful images of people in towns and cities

And finally the geography of football/soccer in Italy http://www.geocities.com/amensoccer/soccer-geo/italy.html

Is there a correlation between the size of town and which division the team they are in? The current standings can be found http://www.lega-calcio.it/ and the population of cities is here http://www.citymayors.com/gratis/italian_cities.html

Pupils might map the teams in Italy and look at the origin of Italian club players http://www.wsoccer.com/mas/soccer2/italian_league.htm