Involuntarily, people begin to think about how the country's transport network is organized. This issue is especially of concern to Russians who are accustomed to road difficulties.

Roads and transport services in Italy are up to standard, as befits the status tourist country. Trains, buses, cars - movement around the country is organized, systematized and debugged. So, tourists, feel free to plan your travel routes in Italy.

Rail transport in Italy

Trains in Italy, as elsewhere, run on a strict schedule in accordance with established routes. Railway communication connects all major cities into a single transport network. Traveling in Italy by train is chosen by people who, slowly, in comfortable conditions, want to admire the picturesque beauties Italian provinces, its amazing landscapes.

The level of comfort during the journey depends on the desire and capabilities of the traveler.

Train tickets in Italy are validated on the platform, not in the train carriage. On the Italian railway, flexible tariffs, there are various discounts. Therefore, when buying a ticket, indicate the age of the children and present the student's. In general, perhaps the most convenient way to travel in Italy is the railway.

If you want to provide yourself with the most comfortable conditions, buy tickets for trains of the Eurostar Italia or TBiz class. Passengers on these trains can expect:
Exact compliance with the schedule, excluding delays in the arrival and departure of trains.
High movement speed.
Limited number of stops throughout the train route. Stops at intermediate stations are excluded. These trains have a green light on all lines.
Comfortable coupe. Restaurant car. High level of service. The cars even have electrical outlets.

Traveling with friends, with family? It will be more convenient for travelers to use the Intercity class train. These intercity trains are equipped with six-seater compartments. A pleasant pastime in the company of friends will make the trip interesting and stress-free.

When choosing trains of the “Regionale” and “Interregionale” class, be prepared for the fact that the speed of movement may seem slow to you, and these trains often stop at minor stations, stand for a long time on the railway lines of large cities. But on the other hand, the price of tickets for these trains is a pleasant surprise.

Do you have a long way to go? For example, it takes a long time to travel from Rome to Milan by train. So why not combine a trip with a night's sleep? Having bought a ticket for the Treni Notte class train, you can take the train at the Rome railway station in the evening, sit comfortably in a comfortable compartment and sleep all the way to the lulling sound of the wheels. In the morning, after resting and having a good night's sleep, you will be surprised to find that the train is already arriving in Milan. Many tourists, by the way, do just that.

In Italy (especially in tourist areas) buses may not stop at stops unless requested by the passenger. While at the bus stop, simply wave your hand to show the driver that you are about to board the bus. The interiors of buses are equipped with special buttons.

Attention! Rail transport in Italy has its own characteristics. When planning to use it, you need to remember a few important points.

1. It is better to book train tickets in advance. This can be done by phone or on the website of the Railway Company. If you decide to purchase a ticket immediately before the trip, at the box office, then come to the station in advance. There are sometimes a lot of travelers, the queues for tickets line up long and move at a snail's pace. It is possible that you may simply not get tickets for the planned flight.

2. When ordering a train ticket on the website of the carrier company, remember that only expensive tickets will be offered to you first. If you do not want to overpay for the road, click on the "other options" button - perhaps among them you will find cheaper trains and tickets. And one more thing: having paid for the purchase of a ticket remotely, do not forget to remember (write down) the code that will allow you to receive your ticket at the ticket machine at the station.

3. If you do not put a special stamp confirming the ticket on your ticket, then you, in fact, even though you have a ticket in your hands, will find yourself in the position of a "hare" - a free rider. When checking tickets in this case, you will have to pay a fine (more than 50 euros). Tickets are stamped in small machines installed in the station building. It is easy to recognize them: they are bright yellow and have the inscription "Convalida".

4. If you have a lot of trips ahead, then it makes sense to think about purchasing a ticket.

Do not argue with a traffic policeman in Italy, the penalty for violation of this can double. An attempt to "negotiate" can result in an arrest for the violator.

Knowing about all the features of traveling around Italy by train, the trip will seem convenient and enjoyable. The main advantage of railway transport is reliability and safety.

Road transport in Italy

Automobile transport- this is the choice of those travelers who independently plan their travel routes around the country. Italy's roads are unevenly distributed. The northern provinces are interconnected by an extensive network of highways, their quality meets European standards. But the southern cities and provinces, unfortunately, cannot boast of this. The length of motorways here is much less, and the quality of the road surface does not always please motorists.

The cost of renting a car starts from thirty euros per day. This amount includes unlimited mileage for the duration of use, car insurance, third party damage insurance, taxes. Do not forget to check the condition of the car before picking it up from the rental company. Theft insurance is not always included in the daily rate. Most gas stations in Italy are open until 19.00, with a siesta break. Most gas stations are closed on Sundays. Gas stations on the main highways still work around the clock.

When choosing a trip to the cities of Italy by car, you need to know:

The use of many freeways in the country involves a fee. You can pay for travel on the highway in special booths (they say “Viacard”). They are usually installed at the entrance to the freeway, in some cases - at the exit. Sometimes you have to pay for the passage of only a certain section, such as a bridge. You can pay for the road with credit cards, cash, or buy a special prepaid card.

Italian roads are pretty much crammed with modern traffic video surveillance devices. They record everything that happens on the monitored section of the road: who drove, at what speed he drove, what rules he violated. Fines for violations are sent to the postal address of the violator. If the rules are violated by a resident of another state, he, in addition to the fine itself, will be forced to pay the cost of the measures taken by the Italian police to search for him. And this is not a small amount! Therefore, when traveling on the roads of Italy by road, be extremely careful, careful and in no case violate the rules of the road. Needless to say, without knowing these rules, it is better not to drive at all!

Never get behind the wheel when you are drunk. Driving a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol (drugs) is punished very severely, up to and including imprisonment.

If you are taking a child with you on a trip, then remember that children under 10 years old should only be in the back seat and only in car seats!

Seat belts must be fastened!

And finally, one more piece of advice: buy a road map of Italy, or use a navigator. So you definitely will not get lost in an unfamiliar country.

Bus transport in Italy

Incorrectly parked cars with rental numbers are the first thing that attracts the attention of the police. Not a short time, you can usually park near the hotels. It is forbidden to park in parking lots, limited by the yellow line. Parkings limited by the white line - free, by the blue line - paid through the meter (disco orario, time limit - 30, 60 or 90 minutes).

Getting around Italy by bus is very popular among both locals and tourists. bus transport in Italy it is represented by quite numerous companies engaged in both urban and intercity transportation. The largest of them are united in a special alliance - "IBus". Services for the transport of goods and passengers provided by its member companies are systematically distributed and cover almost the entire territory of Italy. Also "IBus" provides an opportunity to use bus routes when leaving Italy for another country.

You can specify the routes, departure and arrival times of buses, as well as order tickets via the Internet, on the official website of the IBus alliance.

Water transport in Italy

In order to come to Italy, you can use water transport. Motor ships, ferries, pleasure boats, gondolas are quite serious competition for rail and road transport. Their popularity among tourists (and the Italians themselves, by the way, too) is due to the fact that Italy is washed by the seas from three sides at once, the country's territory is completely dotted with large and small rivers and canals. In addition, Italy includes island provinces: Sardinia, Sicily and others. ferry crossing- the most profitable and convenient way their communications with the mainland. Ferries run on predetermined routes periodically, sometimes making 4-5 trips a day, depending on the demand for this species transport. The ferry carries both passengers and ground transport: buses, cars; as well as cargo, including containers.

In domestic transport cargo and passengers the main role is played by road transport, in second place - by rail. In terms of railway electrification, the country occupies one of the first places in the world. A dense network of modern highways and railways links the cities of Northern Italy.

Due to the elongation of the country from north to south, its network of railways and roads developed mainly in the meridional direction. Latitudinal communications, with the exception of the Padana Plain, are not enough. Many automotive and railways Italy are laid on the steep slopes of the mountains and therefore have many bridges, tunnels, which increases the cost of their operation.

In Italy, the role of road transport is exceptionally great: it accounts for 3/4 of all land transport of goods. About half of the roads are in northern Italy, in the south of the country the density of the road network is much less.

Railways are inferior in importance to roads, but now more capital has been invested in railway construction than in road transport. Some main lines stand out sharply in technical equipment. As a result of such modernization, for example, on the Rome-Florence line, the train can reach speeds of up to 200 km/h.

Maritime transport plays a very important role both in internal and external transportation of the country. This is due to the position of Italy in the Mediterranean waterway, long length coastline, the presence of islands in the country. There are 144 ports on the coast of Italy.

Port cargo turnover is dominated by oil and other minerals. The largest Italian port of Genoa is one of the most important in the entire Mediterranean. Genoa serves as a gateway to the outside world for the entire Northwest of Italy, as well as for Switzerland. The main rival and rival of Genoa in the Adriatic is Trieste, the second in Italy in terms of cargo turnover and one of the most important oil ports in Europe. Through Trieste, northeast Italy is connected with other countries of the Mediterranean, the Near and Middle East, East Africa and East Asia.

The cargo turnover of the ports of Southern Italy (Augusta and Taranto) increased significantly, which is explained by the development of the oil refining and petrochemical industries.

One of the country's largest passenger ports, Naples is the center of communications between the Apennine Peninsula and Sicily, Sardinia and other islands.

River transport in Italy is underdeveloped due to lack of major rivers. Developing fairly quickly civil Aviation Italy. Air lines keep in touch largest cities Italy with many cities in Europe as well as other continents. The country's largest airports - Leonardo da Vinci near Rome, Malpensa and Linate near Milan - serve as important hubs for the international airline network.

For the economic development of Italy, foreign economic relations are vital. Almost 15% of all imports are oil. Italy also imports raw materials for the metallurgical and other branches of industry—machine tools, industrial equipment, timber, paper, and various types of foodstuffs. The main export items are engineering products, mainly vehicles, various equipment, typewriters and calculating machines, agricultural and food products, especially fruits, vegetables, canned tomatoes, cheeses, ready-made clothes, shoes, chemical and petrochemical products. Trade is especially active with France and Germany.

Italy is visited annually by 50 million tourists. foreign tourists, mainly from Germany, France, USA. In Italy, the material base for the reception of a large number tourists. In terms of the number of beds in hotels, it ranks first in foreign Europe.

In a country like Italy, elongated in its configuration, deeply jutting out into the Mediterranean Sea at its very center, located at the intersection of many international transport routes, being the southern outpost of the European Economic Community on trade routes through the Mediterranean Sea, transport, both inland and external plays a very important role. Italy has a well developed transport network. The network of railways and roads in Italy developed mainly in the meridional direction. Latitudinal communications are not enough, with the exception of the Padana Plain.

Many roads and railways are built on steep slopes, pass through tunnels or over numerous bridges and viaducts, so their construction and operation are very expensive. In international road and rail transport, roads laid in the Alps play an important role, especially through the passes of Simplon, Mont Cenis, Tarvisio, St. Gotthard, Brenner and others, under which tunnels are punched. In Italy, more than 90% of passengers and more than 80% of goods are transported by road. Of the 293 thousand km. about half of the highways are in Northern Italy. 1/4 of all European highways (about 6 thousand km) are concentrated in Italy, including the world's oldest Milan-Varese highway, built in 1924. The main transport artery of the country is the Freeway of the Sun, which runs through all of Italy, from Turin through Milan, Florence, Rome, Naples to Reggio di Calabria. Five international highways pass through the territory of Italy: London-Paris-Rome-Palermo, London-Lausanne-Milan-Brin-disi, Rome-Berlin-Oslo-Stjordan, Rome-Vienna-Warsaw, Amsterdam-Basel-Genoa. The Italian car park has over 20 million cars, including about 18 million passenger cars.

Rail transport could not stand the fight against such a powerful competitor and for a long time was in a state of crisis. Only in recent years, the state, which owns 82% of the railways, began to invest in their enhanced development. Some lines have been modernized, the Rome-Florence (“Direttissima”) high-speed railway has been built, on which trains can reach speeds of up to 200-260 km per hour, this route is part of the future high-speed highway connecting Milan with Florence, Rome, Naples. The total length of railways is 19.8 thousand km (including sidings), of which 10.2 thousand km are electrified.

Civil aviation is developing quite rapidly. She occupies a prominent place in Western Europe. Major airports (Fiumicino near Rome, Linate near Milan) serve as important hubs for the international network of airlines connecting Europe with other continents. In domestic traffic, the airports of Naples, Palermo, Venice, Genoa are important. Air Transport 75% of the country is controlled by the state through Alitalia.

Different values ​​of the share of maritime transport in import and export traffic in physical and value terms are due to large differences in the nature of the goods transported. Import traffic is mainly associated with the import of such bulk goods as oil, coal, ore, grain, timber and certain types of food, which, with a large physical volume, have a relatively lower cost. In contrast, export shipments are mainly associated with the export to foreign markets of a wide variety of industrial products, which, with a smaller physical volume, have a significantly higher value. For these reasons, the physical volume of imported goods is 5-6 times higher than the volume of exported goods. To carry out maritime transport, Italy has a wide network of large and small ports, the turnover and cargo turnover of which is increasing from year to year. In terms of port cargo turnover, Italy ranks 1st place among the Mediterranean countries.

River transport in Italy is poorly developed due to the lack of large rivers. Through the canals of Venice, its lagoon and on the Alpine lakes, small passenger ships of the “ river trams”, cargoes are transported in small quantities.

Italy has a fairly large merchant fleet in terms of the number of ships. It ranks eighth among the capitalist countries of the world (after Liberia, Japan, Great Britain, Norway, Greece, the USA and Germany). Among the countries of the EEC, Italy ranks 3rd in terms of the total gross tonnage of merchant fleet ships, second only to Great Britain and Germany. Along with ships that fly the Italian flag, Italian shipowners have a significant number of ships registered in other countries and used in foreign markets under flags of convenience. The total number of such vessels reaches 20-25% of the total tonnage of the Italian merchant fleet. These vessels are not included in official statistical publications on the Italian merchant fleet.

Vessels of the Italian merchant fleet are used for their foreign trade and cabotage traffic passing through the Italian transit ports of goods of neighboring countries, as well as for international traffic between foreign ports. Most of Italy's foreign trade cargo is transported by chartering foreign ships, for which foreign shipowners are annually paid significant amounts of currency. Italian ships still retain an increased role only in international passenger traffic, which is largely supported by annual subsidies.

When solving general issues in the field of maritime transport, serious complications arise due to the lack of a single body to manage the activities and development of seaports. Moreover, a number of large and important ports (Genoa, Trieste, etc.) have their own autonomous management administrations with varying degrees of administrative and financial independence. Some other ministries are also involved in considering and resolving issues that go beyond the functions and responsibilities of the Ministry of the Merchant Marine, including those related to ports.

Recently, in the system of maritime transport, there has been an increase in the activities of the ministry on issues of state participation. Its activities have extended to some shipping companies that benefit from subsidies from the State Industrial Development Institute. An important role in ensuring state influence on maritime transport is played by the policy of providing loans and various subsidies pursued by the Italian government. It provides for the provision of financial assistance primarily to companies that are controlled by state organizations.

Through seaports passes from 80 to 90% of the volume of import, 55-60% of export cargo and about one third of the total volume of domestic traffic in Italy. In addition, a number of ports (Trieste, Genoa, Venice) are widely used for transit transportation of foreign trade goods from neighboring countries.

There are a total of more than 144 ports on the coast of the mainland and the islands. However, most of them are small in size and are used mainly by cargo-passenger and local fishing vessels or pleasure and sports vessels.

Up to 90% of the total volume of shipping passes through 220-25 largest ports, each of which has an annual cargo turnover of more than 1 million tons. These ports are located in the areas of large industrial and economic centers or individual large oil refineries, chemical, metallurgical and machine-building plants with which the ports are closely connected and which they mainly serve.

During 1981-1992, the total turnover of Italian ports increased by 2.5 times and in 1992 amounted to 357.3 million tons, and had a tendency to further growth. More than 2/3 of the total cargo turnover of the ports is connected with servicing foreign trade transportations and about one third - with servicing domestic transportations.

Genoa is the largest Italian port. Located at the top of the Genoese Gulf of the Ligurian Sea. Total length its berths are 22.4 km, the depth in the port basins is from 7 to 10 m. The semicircular basin of Vecchia, to which the ancient city quarters descend like an amphitheater, is the oldest part of the port, where all its activities were concentrated at the beginning of the century. Now it is used mainly by passenger ships. The Genoese port began to develop in a westerly direction. The long breakwater formed a new artificial harbor, including a deep-water outport and several rectangular basins separated by piers. Large-capacity vessels use the eastern entrance to enter the port.

Immediately to the west of the port on an artificially reclaimed area is Italy's largest iron and steel plant, and further to the west is a major airport on an artificially created peninsula that encloses a new deep-water oil harbor. Genoa is the second most important (after Marseille) port on the Mediterranean Sea. during the Middle Ages, Genoa was the largest trade intermediary between the countries of the West and the East. After the construction of railways in the middle of the last century, the port became sea ​​gate for the densely populated and economically developed Po Valley, especially for the industrial triangle of Milan-Turin-Bologna. Genoa is the home port of the Italian merchant fleet.

Naples is the main port of the southern part of the country. Located on the shore of the bay of the same name Tyrrhenian Sea at the foot active volcano Vesuvius. Is one of oldest cities And tourist centers Europe. Every year, over 2 million passengers, tourists and emigrants pass through Naples maritime stations. The water area of ​​the port is protected by a breakwater, two breakwaters and consists of several basins separated by short breakwaters. The port is divided into three zones: passenger (western part), grain and general cargo (central part) and bulk and liquid cargo (eastern part). One of the piers in the central part has the status of a free zone. Situated approximately halfway between Gibraltar and Port Said, Naples serves as a convenient port of call for ships of the line. Raw materials for the oil refinery and metallurgical plants in the vicinity of Naples, as well as their products, are the main part of the cargo turnover of the port of Naples. The share of vegetables, fruits and canned food traditional for Naples in the modern cargo turnover is small. A severe crisis hit the Neapolitan port in the 1980s due to a sharp decline in international maritime passenger traffic (which was caused by a decrease in emigration). This forced Naples to give way to Brindisi as the country's first passenger port.

Venice is the main Italian port on the Adriatic Sea and one of the most distinctive cities in the world. Located in the shallow lagoon of the Gulf of Venice on 119 islands separated by 160 channels. The depth of the entrance to the lagoon, in the upper part of which the port is located, is: Lido - 10.6 m, at Alberoni - 9.14 m. A canal leads to Marghera, the new industrial port of Venice, accessible to ships with a draft of up to 9.45 m. Venice is second only to Naples and Genoa. The port is partly located in the western part of the city, partly on the coast of the mainland (Margera), 10 km from the city. The main part of the port's cargo turnover falls on its mainland, where three industrial zones are located on the territory reclaimed from the sea, including over 200 industrial enterprises.

Trieste is the largest free harbor in Europe. Proximity to continental countries that do not have their own access to the sea creates large area gravitation, including Austria, Czechoslovakia, Hungary and other countries, therefore transit cargoes prevail in Trieste's cargo turnover. The port consists of four harbors: new, old, customs and industrial. The length of the mooring front is about 20 km. Trieste is the deepest Italian port. After the construction of oil berths and their connection with the transalpine oil pipeline, the cargo turnover increased 5 times. The industrial zone of Trieste, like many other Italian ports, includes an oil refinery and a metallurgical plant.

Transport in Italy

Traveling without transport is impossible. Trains and planes, buses and sea connections are an integral part of the trip. If you would like to visit best places sunny Italy, it is better to get acquainted with the culture of the country, not only to travel, but also to get acquainted with all the dances of the local public transport and traffic.

How to get to Italy

After the ancient speech, the road begins with the road.

So pay attention to the level of comfort, compare prices and routes. Then, after careful consideration of the little things, the road will seem pleasant and not exhaustive.

airplane

Thanks to the largest Russian and Italian airlines, Transaero, S7 of Siberia, Aeroflot, Meridiana Fly and Alitalia, made daily direct regular flights from Moscow to Rome, Milan, Venice, Bologna and Turin. h.

Direct flights to Pisa, Rome and Milan are also available when leaving the northern capital.

You can travel to Italy (Rome, Trapani, Pisa, Milan) via Finland (from Lappeenranta) and Ukraine (Kyiv) with Wizz Air and Runair.

trains

Do you want to travel around Europe by train? Then, especially for you, the route from Moscow to Nice, which passes through Bolzano, Verona, Milan, San Remo, Bordighera and Genoa.

In a warehouse with patience and food, the journey lasts 57 hours.

bus

The smallest convenient and too long trip to Italy can also take buses with transfers in Germany. But the cost of the trip will be the same flight by plane, and the duration of the trip will be more than two days.

Ferries from Greece

If it so happens that you are going to Italy through Greece, then pay attention to the passenger ferry.

They leave Greek ports every day and leave for their destination within 10-35 hours. Some routes pass through Albania. Price from 40 to 300 euros per trip.

Long distance communication

All major cities in Italy, as well as areas associated with a road pause, including railways, through which thousands of passengers and residents of the country travel, are opening new ones in seemingly famous places.

Air Transport

Every major italian city has its own airport, which receives daily flights over long distances.

The ticket price is not far off (a system of discounts for students and pensioners).

Suburban and long-distance trains

Over the past decade, the entire railway system in the country has been moderately modernized. Thus, along with regular trains, high-speed trains are starting to run among the largest tourist and commercial centers, which can be covered for long distances for a long time.

Tickets for such high-speed trains are reserved for two months in advance, which helps to prevent unpleasant situations on the road and at the railway station.

IntercityTrains or simply intercity trains run between larger and smaller populated cities and stop at very small stations. These stops make the journey much longer than a bullet train.

Ticket bookings (comfort 1st and 2nd class) are also possible after two months and you will need an additional payment to reserve your seat.

On local trains, local trains whose schedule overlaps with the training plan, when buying seats for a ticket, do not only produce compost (on a special machine and indicate the date of the compost time after which the ticket becomes valid for travel), immediately before the trip.

Such trains are inconvenient, but the price of tickets is extremely low. local trains they walk short distances - to neighboring settlements, in such a way that they stop a lot.

buses

No less comfortable than high-speed train, you can travel all over the country with buses from the Italian company Cotral and other carriers.

Tickets must be purchased at the stations located in each city. Thus, the journey from Venice to Rome is 80-100 euros, and the duration of the trip is up to 10 hours. From Rome to Naples you arrive in 6 hours; ticket price is 60 euros.

If you bought your ticket in advance, it's not too late - the bus can leave a few minutes before the scheduled time.

Maritime communications

Since Italy is surrounded by the sea, every port has ferries that take passengers (as well as cars) to neighboring cities.

The ferry trip is pleasant, comfortable and quite profitable.

City traffic

If you find yourself in Italy, you will find metro (Rome and Milan), trams, buses, electric trains (in big cities) and taxis. In short, there will be no traffic problems.

Tickets for urban public transport are sold at kiosks (ATAS, tobacco or newspaper) on special machines (and do not change), in the subway, at the train station and at the main bus stops.

At night, you can buy a ticket from the driver (bus or tram), but it will cost 1 euro.

Public transport tickets

If you buy a single trip ticket (Biglietto semplica B.I.T.), it works 100 minutes after the first pass on any public transport.

Such a trip is one and a half euros. You can make unlimited downloads within the designated minutes in the same ticket.

For those who plan to get around the city in one day, it is more profitable to buy a ticket for 6 euros (Biglietto giornaliero B.I.G.), which is valid throughout the day (from the time of movement until midnight).

Together with them weekly and three-day travel tickets.

The cost is 24 and 16.5 euros. The name of the passenger is assigned on a seven-day contract.

Travel expenses for sightseeing bus: for adults - 13-16 euros, for children under 12 years old - 7 euros, for children under 5 years old - free of charge.

Buses and trams

At night (from 3 am to 5 pm in the morning), buses pass twenty routes that leave the stations every 30 minutes.

They also send experimental buses. Their work schedule is from 8:00 to 20:00. Night bus stops are marked with an owl. Similar work schedule and trams.

Urban Italian trains

Trains (both expressive and conventional) connect airports and railway stations large cities (Rome, Milan, Genoa, Bologna and others) to remote areas and suburbs.

The cost of transportation is 8-14 euros. Every half an hour there are trains.

Taxi

Caught a car on the street is not accepted. Taxis are easy to book at a hotel, restaurant, and even when paying. When calculating travel expenses, include, as long as the driver travels to the place of call, 4 euros for the first three kilometers of the route and 0.7 euros for the next.

At night, be prepared to pay 1.76 euros for each kilometer. Holiday and Sunday stamps are 0.59 euros.

Metro station

The metro is a very convenient way to quickly move around the city. Rome has two underground paths, Milan has four. Tickets are sold at all stations. The ingredients are changed every five minutes.

Rent

Renting a car, bikes (10 euros per day, from 30 euros per week) or moped (25-80 euros) makes sense when planning to visit nearby attractions.

You can rent cars for people over 20 with one year of driving experience with an international driving license and insurance. Traffic in Italy is correct and very dense. Not all drivers follow the rules of the road.

Be careful on the roads and do not be tempted to become violators, the fines will be very high.

Public transport in Venice

River trams, gondolas and river taxis run from 6 am to 11 pm. Ticket prices vary from 8 to 50 euros.

By choosing a mode of transport for yourself, you decide what is your priority: the speed of travel or a route that passes through places that allow you to admire the incredibly beautiful nature of Italy.

OmniWorld> Italy> Notes>

Climate in Italy

Italy is called sunny, but the weather is very cold.

The state is located on the Apennine Peninsula. Despite the small area, the terrain varies considerably between regions. For this reason, and also, to a large extent, from north to south, the climate in Italy has many features that cannot be ignored when planning a trip.

What to bring from Italy

When we hear "shopping in Italy" we often think of fashion boutiques and then we think of olive oil, pasta, cheese; Someone may have associations with Venetian glasses or carnival masks.

And then? Then - we offer you a list of popular, original and simply interesting souvenirs and other products that interest you, some of which will even be very useful.

Italian Cuisine

The first thing that comes to mind when talking about Italian cuisine is pizza, pasta and risotto.

In this form, Italian cuisine appears before us in any restaurant, but it is much more diverse in the country itself, and one of its characteristics is the difference between recipes for the same dishes in different regions of the country.

Characteristics of Italian cuisine

Cuisines in the northern regions are characterized by the consumption of meat and dairy products (from which only sauces from chopped meat are prepared, large dishes serve as the main dish), and for the southern regions - vegetables and seafood.

Characteristics of transport in Italy (modern).

Ground modes and air transport.

In a country like Italy, elongated in its configuration, deeply jutting out into the Mediterranean Sea at its very center, located at the intersection of many international transport routes, being the southern outpost of the European Economic Community on trade routes through the Mediterranean Sea, transport, both inland and external plays a very important role.

Italy has a well developed transport network. The network of railways and roads in Italy developed mainly in the meridional direction. Latitudinal communications are not enough, with the exception of the Padana Plain. Many roads and railways are built on steep slopes, pass through tunnels or over numerous bridges and viaducts, so their construction and operation are very expensive. In international road and rail transport, roads laid in the Alps play an important role, especially through the passes of Simplon, Mont Cenis, Tarvisio, St. Gotthard, Brenner and others, under which tunnels are punched.

In Italy, more than 90% of passengers and more than 80% of goods are transported by road. Of the 293 thousand km. about half of the highways are in Northern Italy. 1/4 of all European highways (about 6 thousand km) are concentrated in Italy, including the world's oldest Milan-Varese highway, built in 1924. The main transport artery of the country is the Freeway of the Sun, which runs through all of Italy, from Turin through Milan, Florence, Rome, Naples to Reggio di Calabria.

Five international highways pass through the territory of Italy: London-Paris-Rome-Palermo, London-Lausanne-Milan-Brin-disi, Rome-Berlin-Oslo-Stjordan, Rome-Vienna-Warsaw, Amsterdam-Basel-Genoa. The Italian car park has over 20 million cars, including about 18 million passenger cars.

Rail transport could not stand the fight against such a powerful competitor and for a long time was in a state of crisis. Only in recent years, the state, which owns 82% of the railways, began to invest in their enhanced development.

Some lines have been modernized, the Rome-Florence (“Direttissima”) high-speed railway has been built, on which trains can reach speeds of up to 200-260 km per hour, this route is part of the future high-speed highway connecting Milan with Florence, Rome, Naples. The total length of railways is 19.8 thousand km (including sidings), of which 10.2 thousand km are electrified.

With the development of the oil refining and petrochemical industries, the network of pipeline transport has grown. The total length of the main oil and gas pipelines exceeds 8 thousand km. Some of them are of international importance, such as the pipeline supplying Russian gas to northern Italy, the Trieste-Ingolstadt oil pipeline. An oil pipeline was laid from Genoa to Milan, Munich, and Switzerland.

Civil aviation is developing quite rapidly. It occupies a prominent place in Western Europe.

Major airports (Fiumicino near Rome, Linate near Milan) serve as important hubs for the international network of airlines connecting Europe with other continents. In domestic traffic, the airports of Naples, Palermo, Venice, Genoa are important. The country's air transport is 75% controlled by the state through the Alitalia company.

River and sea transport.

Different values ​​of the share of maritime transport in import and export traffic in physical and value terms are due to large differences in the nature of the goods transported.

Import traffic is mainly associated with the import of such bulk goods as oil, coal, ore, grain, timber and certain types of food, which, with a large physical volume, have a relatively lower cost. In contrast, export shipments are mainly associated with the export to foreign markets of a wide variety of industrial products, which, with a smaller physical volume, have a significantly higher value. For these reasons, the physical volume of imported goods is 5-6 times higher than the volume of exported goods.

To carry out maritime transport, Italy has a wide network of large and small ports, the turnover and cargo turnover of which is increasing from year to year.

In terms of port cargo turnover, Italy ranks first among the Mediterranean countries.

River transport in Italy is poorly developed due to the lack of large rivers.

On the canals of Venice, its lagoon and on the Alpine lakes, small passenger ships such as “river trams” ply, and cargo is transported in small quantities.

Italy has a fairly large merchant fleet in terms of the number of ships. It ranks eighth among the capitalist countries of the world (after Liberia, Japan, Great Britain, Norway, Greece, the USA and Germany).

Among the countries of the EEC, Italy ranks 3rd in terms of the total gross tonnage of merchant fleet ships, second only to Great Britain and Germany. Along with ships that fly the Italian flag, Italian shipowners have a significant number of ships registered in other countries and used in foreign markets under flags of convenience. The total number of such vessels reaches 20-25% of the total tonnage of the Italian merchant fleet.

These vessels are not included in official statistical publications on the Italian merchant fleet.

Vessels of the Italian merchant fleet are used for their foreign trade and cabotage traffic passing through the Italian transit ports of goods of neighboring countries, as well as for international traffic between foreign ports.

Most of Italy's foreign trade cargo is transported by chartering foreign ships, for which foreign shipowners are annually paid significant amounts of currency. Italian ships still retain an increased role only in international passenger traffic, which is largely supported by annual subsidies.

Along with foreign trade transport, maritime transport plays an important role in ensuring the internal transport of Italy. It accounts for about one third of the country's total domestic traffic. These transports are usually carried out on ships flying the Italian flag.

Organizational structure of the merchant fleet.

The Italian merchant fleet is notable for its sophisticated organizational structure. In addition to the presence of the Ministry of the Merchant Marine and several large shipping companies controlled by state organizations, such as the Finmare group, the SNAM joint-stock company and Sidemar, Italy has a number of other large shipping companies and several hundred private shipping and shipping companies of different composition and nature of activity. .

Most of the private ship-owning companies are members of the so-called national federation of independent ship owners - Confitarma. The Ministry of the Merchant Marine has limited functions, which are more often manifested in solving such issues as the distribution of appropriations for the fleet, the preparation of bills on certain issues of the merchant fleet and shipping, general issues of material support and insurance of sailors, and other issues.

Transport system of Italy

Italy is one of the most economically prosperous countries in Europe. And this can be seen not only in the level of well-being of its inhabitants, but also in the quality transport communication within the country, which is a necessary factor for the development of business and tourism.

The road network in Italy is well developed. and evenly distributed throughout the country, although there is some predominance of roads in the north of Italy compared to the south. However, this does not affect the quality in any way. road transport. Due to the dense network of roads, 80% of freight and 90% of passenger traffic is carried out by cars.

If speak about external transportation, then maritime transport prevails here.

There are more than a thousand ships in Italy and they perfectly cope with the largest cargoes and long distances.

Great demand for rail transportation. A dense network of railways connects large and small cities in Italy. Like automobiles, many railways were laid right on the slopes of the mountains. This explains the large number of bridges and tunnels that are on any road in all parts of the country.

Today, the Italian authorities pay special attention to railway transport, modernizing it and investing heavily in the repair of existing trains. Not only the technical equipment of railways is undergoing changes and improvements, but their total number is also increasing. This already today makes it possible to quickly and easily get to any city in Italy.

Sea transport also plays a large role in the country's external and internal transportation.

This is due to the considerable length of the coastline, general position Italy on the sea route, as well as the presence of the islands that make up the country. 144 ports - so many of them are on the shores of Italy. The largest is the port of Genoa, which is known throughout the world. This port is the "sea gate" for the ships of the North-West of Italy and Switzerland.

Trieste is the second port in terms of cargo turnover after Genoa.

He sends ships to the countries of the Middle East, East Asia and Africa. Thanks to the development in recent years of the petrochemical and oil refining industry in Italy, the turnover of two more major ports of the country, Taranto and Augusta, has also increased significantly. The largest passenger port in Italy is Naples, which is the center of communications with Sardinia, Sicily and other islands.

Due to the lack of large rivers in Italy river transport is underdeveloped here.

This cannot be said about civil aviation. There are many daily flights from Italy to the most different countries peace. by the most major airports countries are the Roman "Leonardo da Vinci", the Milanese "Linate" and "Malpens".

It is very important for Italy that all trade routes constantly function and be in the best condition, since the country's foreign economic relations largely depend on this. What does Italy import? First of all, products of machine-building industries, agricultural goods, shoes, clothing, industrial equipment and raw materials for various industries.

Italy has the most active foreign trade with Germany and France. The hotel business of this country serves more than 50 million tourists from all over the world per year, the entire infrastructure of Italy is ready to work for guests, so it ranks first in Western Europe in terms of the number of places in hotels.

The main role in the external relations of the state is in maritime transport.

Ports - Genoa, Venice, Trieste, etc. They provide export-import deliveries not only in Italy, but also in Germany, Switzerland, Austria and the country of the Danube. The Italian fleet has 1500 ships and occupies a tenth of the world in terms of tonnage.

Internal transport is by rail. Length railway tracks is 30.5 thousand km.

The main railway is Milan. The railway lines have a meridian meridian along the eastern and western coasts of the Apennine Peninsula. The main railway line is Milan-Bologna-Florence-Rome. Parallel to the first-class "Sun" Freeway ". In terms of the number of motorways, Italy is only for Germany in Western Europe. More than 90% of passengers and 80% of cargo vehicles. There are 25 million cars in the Italian park. Pipeline transport has played an important role in the last decade.

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Due to the elongation of the country from north to south, its network of railways and roads developed mainly in the meridional direction. Latitudinal communications, with the exception of the Padana Plain, are not enough.

Many roads and railways in Italy are laid on the steep slopes of mountains and therefore have many bridges and tunnels, which increases the cost of their operation.

In Italy, the role of road transport is exceptionally large: it accounts for 75% of all land transport of goods.

About half of the roads are in northern Italy, in the south of the country the density of the road network is much less.

Railways are inferior in importance to roads, but now more capital has been invested in railway construction than in road transport.

Some main lines stand out sharply in terms of technical equipment. As a result of such modernization, for example, on the Rome-Florence line, the train can reach speeds of up to 200 km/h.

Maritime transport plays a very important role both in internal and external transportation of the country. This is due to the position of Italy on the Mediterranean waterway, the long coastline, the presence of islands in the country. There are 144 ports on the coast of Italy.

Port cargo turnover is dominated by oil and other minerals. The largest Italian port of Genoa is one of the most important in the entire Mediterranean. Genoa serves as a gateway to the outside world for the entire Northwest of Italy, as well as for Switzerland.

The main rival and rival of Genoa in the Adriatic is Trieste, the second in Italy in terms of cargo turnover and one of the most important oil ports in Europe. Through Trieste, Northeast Italy is connected with other countries of the Mediterranean, the Near and Middle East, East Africa and East Asia.

The cargo turnover of the ports of Southern Italy (Augusta and Taranto) increased significantly, which is explained by the development of the oil refining and petrochemical industries.

One of the country's largest passenger ports, Naples is the center of communications between the Apennine Peninsula and Sicily, Sardinia and other islands of Italy.

River transport in Italy is poorly developed due to the lack of large rivers. Italy's civil aviation is developing quite rapidly. Air lines support the connection of the largest cities in Italy with many cities in Europe, as well as other continents.

The largest airports in the country - Leonardo da Vinci near Rome, Malpensa and Linate near Milan - serve as important centers for the international airline network.

For the economic development of Italy, foreign economic relations are vital.

Almost 15% of all imports are oil. Italy also imports raw materials for the metallurgical and other branches of industry—machine tools, industrial equipment, timber, paper, and various types of foodstuffs. The main export items are engineering products, mainly vehicles, various equipment, typewriters and calculating machines, agricultural and food products, especially fruits, vegetables, canned tomatoes, cheeses, ready-made clothes, shoes, chemicals and petrochemicals.

Trade is especially active with France and Germany. Italy is visited annually by 50 million foreign tourists, mainly from Germany, France, and the USA. In Italy, the material base for receiving a large number of tourists has long been established. In terms of the number of beds in hotels, it ranks first in foreign Europe.

By bus, train or ferry you can get to almost anywhere in Italy. For longer distances, it is more convenient to fly by plane.

Own car gives you more freedom, but remember that petrol and motorways are very expensive in Italy. The best solution is to travel by public transport between big cities and drive a personal car only outside the city.

Water transport

Navi - large ferries of Sicily and Sardinia, traghetti - small ferries and aliscafi run between small islands. The main pick-up points for passengers in Sardinia are, Livorno, Civitavecchia and; in Sicily - and Villa San Giovanni in Calabria. Arrival points in Sardinia are Cagliari, Arabatax, Olbia and Porto Torres; in Sicily - and Messina.

Detailed information about all ferry services in Italy can be found here The site lists all routes, there are also links to companies where you can book trips and buy tickets.

Tirrenia Navigazioni (0810 171 998; www.tirrenia.it) serves almost all Italian ports. There are also companies such as Grandi Navi Veloci, Superfast, Ventouris and Montenegro Lines.

Many ferry trips take place at night. You can choose a seat in a 2/3/4 seat cabin or even a separate Poltrona seat. The Deck class implies that one can sit or sleep on the deck or in common areas. Almost all ferries carry cars.

Hitchhiking in Italy

In Italy, this is quite rare. Public transport quite reliable, and most Italians prefer to use it rather than cars. Riding a ride is not safe, especially for women.

Buses and trams are popular public transport in Italy

Bus services in Italy are represented by many companies. They cover both local routes and long-distance connections. Traveling by bus is not always cheaper than by train, but in terms of moving to a small town, a bus is a very advantageous option.

Route schedules can be found at local tourist offices. IN major cities most bus companies have ticket offices or offices. In some villages, bus tickets are sold on the buses themselves or in bars. Please note that buses always leave on time.

It is not necessary to book tickets. This is relevant only during the peak tourist season and for long trips.

Subway and bus tickets

You should buy a ticket before boarding the bus and give it for verification. For violations, a fine is given on the spot (about 50 euros).

Metros operate in Rome, Milan, Naples and Turin. The situation with tickets here is the same as on buses.

Every city, large or small, has an efficient urban and intercity bus network reaching even the most remote villages. Tickets can be bought at tobacconists, newsstands, ticket offices and vending machines at bus stations. One ticket costs about 1 euro. Also, almost everywhere there are promotions for one-day tourist tickets.

Cars and motorcycles

Italy has a motorway network that can be recognized by the white road sign A on a green background. Del Sole connects north and south - this route stretches from Milan to Reggio di Calabria (A1 from Milan to, A2 from Rome to and A3 from Naples to Reggio di Calabria).

Tolls apply on most motorways. You can pay in cash or credit card. To avoid queues, buy a prepaid card (Viacard). They are sold at banks and ACI offices. Denomination - 25, 50 and 75 euros. You can use this card throughout Italy. For getting detailed information for tolls, call 800 26 92 69 or go to www.autostrade.it

Strade statal - such roads are represented on the maps by signs S or CC. It's a two-, or four-lane highway that doesn't move fast, especially in mountainous areas. Strade provinciali - rural roads connecting small villages. Strade locali - local roads which may not yet be laid.

Trains are the fastest and most convenient mode of transport in Italy

Trains in Italy are relatively inexpensive compared to other countries. European countries. It is a fast and convenient mode of transport.

The railways are almost entirely state-owned, operated by the partially privatized Trenitalia (800 89 20 21 in Italian; www.trenitalia.com). And there are also private railway lines.

There are several types of trains in Italy. Some of them stop at all stations, such as regional or interregional trains, while faster trains - Intercity (IC) or faster Eurostar Italia (ES) - stop only in major cities.

Almost every station has either left-luggage offices or lockers. The cells guarded by guards are usually open either from 6:00 to 00:00, or around the clock. The cost is 3 euros per seat.

Classes and fares on trains

Seats on most Italian trains are divided into first and second class. A 1st class ticket costs a little less than two 2nd class tickets.

For a trip to the intercity or on Eurostar trains, a surcharge of 3 to 16 euros is charged, determined by the length of the distance. The cost of a Eurostar ticket includes a surcharge for booking. Current prices for routes can be found on the Trenitalia website.

To the cost of night crossings, you should add a surcharge for sleeping area– about 20 euros.

Booking tickets is not so necessary, but it is desirable, as tickets for popular routes are sold out quickly. Pre-order will cost you 3 euros. Tickets for Eurostar trains should always be booked.

You can book a train ticket at most travel agencies on the Internet. You can also buy a ticket by arriving at the station in advance. For the sale of tickets for Eurostar trains, special ticket offices are allocated at some stations.

Carta Verde can be bought at all major stations. This card costs 40 euros and is valid for a year. It entitles you to a 10% discount on domestic flights within Germany and 25% on long-distance flights. Carta d'Argento costs 30 euros and offers a 15% discount on domestic and 25% on long-distance flights.

Public transport within the city

All major cities have well-developed bus and metro transport systems. However, in Venice, for example, the only way to get around is by vaporetto (small passenger ferries) or on foot.

Taxi

Taxi ranks are available at railway and bus stations. Voting” is illegal on the roads. If you called a taxi by phone, then keep in mind that the meter started working when you called, and not when you got into the car. The minimum price for taxi services is from 2.33 to 4.91 euros depending on the time of day, plus 0.78 euros per kilometer (in Rome this price is 1.29 euros), and as a result, the shortest trips around the city will cost from 10 to 15 euros. No more than 4-5 people can ride in one taxi.

Air Transport

Major local airlines are Air One (phone: 199 207 080; Alitalia (phone: 06 22 22; www.flyairone.it); and Meridiana (phone: 89 29 28; www.flyairone.it); Ryanair (phone: 899 678 910; www.flyairone.it); also has domestic flights within Italy.

The country's main airports are located in Rome, Pisa, Milan, Bologna, Genoa, Naples, Venice, Catania, and Cagliari.

Bicycles

The whole country rides bicycles. There are no special rules, but helmets and headlights are recommended. Bicycles are not allowed on motorways. If you plan to take your bike on holiday to Italy, please check with the airline for additional costs. For transportation, the bike should be disassembled and packed. Don't forget to bring spare parts and repair tools with you as well.

If the train has a bicycle icon, it means that it can carry "two-wheeled friends". The cheapest way is to buy a separate ticket for a bicycle, it costs from 3.5 to 12 euros for intercity, Eurostar and Euronight trains. This ticket is valid for 24 hours, which is quite economical. Dismantled and packed bicycles can be accepted free of charge on night trains, and they can always be carried on ferries without additional fees.

CONTENT:

1. The place of Italy and its transport in the modern world economy.

2. Natural conditions and natural resources of the country.

3. Development of transport.

4. General characteristics of the economy, characteristics of industry, characteristics of agriculture

5. Economic relations of Italy, carried out through

river and sea ports

6. Characteristics of transport (modern):

Ground modes and air transport.

River and sea.

Port characteristics.

7. Prospects for the development of transport in Italy and its ports.

8. Schematic maps

Physical and geographical conditions

Transport network and industry

9. List of used literature.

The place of Italy and its transport in the modern world economy.

Italy is a developed capitalist country, located in the center of the Mediterranean, in the south of Western Europe and focusing not only on many typical features of nature, economic, political, cultural life but also the most important problems of both regions. In terms of economic development, it is one of the most developed countries. Modern Italy, although not one of the great powers that have a decisive influence on the course of world events, is still one of the seven largest capitalist states in the world in terms of the scale of economic activity.

Italy occupies the Apennine Peninsula deeply protruding into the sea, the part of the mainland adjacent to it from the north - the Padan Plain, bordered by a powerful arc of the Alps, as well as the large islands of Sicily and Sardinia and a number of small archipelagos and islets. In terms of area (301 thousand sq. km), Italy belongs to the category of medium-sized countries, ranking third in Western Europe (after France and Spain). In administrative terms, Italy is divided into 20 historically established and constitutionally fixed regions, which are divided into 94 provinces, and those in turn consist of communes with a total number of over 8 thousand. The capital of Italy is Rome.

A land border about 1900 km long, approximately coinciding with the main watershed of the Alps, separates Italy from France, Switzerland, Austria, Yugoslavia. It runs almost entirely through high mountain ranges. Among the mountains, however, there are depressions through which railways and trackless roads pass, connecting Italy with neighboring countries. Maritime boundaries separate the territorial waters of Italy and the territorial waters of France, Spain, Algeria, Tunisia, Malta, Libya, Greece, Albania and Yugoslavia. Two independent miniature states are interspersed in the territory of Italy - the Vatican and San Marino.

An important role in the life of Italy is played by the Mediterranean Sea washing it and its separate parts: the Tyrrhenian, Adriatic and Ionian Seas. ITS coastline stretches for 7500 km. The sea coast of Italy is the most densely populated; there are many industrial and port cities, resorts, the most important roads and railways stretch along the coasts, coastal shipping is developed, regular sea voyages connect Italy with the countries of Europe and other continents.

Italy's position in the center mediterranean sea, at the crossroads of trade routes between West and East, has always been extremely important for the country - both in ancient times, and in the Middle Ages, and in the Renaissance, and in later times. The significance of Italy's current economic and geographical position is determined primarily by the fact that it is the first of the developed capitalist countries of Western Europe to meet the flow of Middle Eastern oil that feeds Western European industry. In Italy, many of the most important air routes intersect, connecting the countries of Europe, America, Africa and Asia.

Italy's key strategic position in the Mediterranean basin is attracting the close attention of NATO leaders, who consider this country the central link of their military system in southern Europe and the entire Mediterranean. Italy is an active member of NATO. Dozens of major US bases and a number of airfields, training grounds and other US and NATO military facilities are located on its territory. especially importance attached to the island of Sicily.

Closely connected economically with many European countries, Italy is included in most of the economic and political organizations that emerged after the Second World War in the process of capitalist integration of Europe. In particular, it is a member of the European Economic Community and Euratom.

The geographical position of Italy is in many respects favorable for its economic development. The Mediterranean Sea provides Italy with a convenient connection with the countries of Europe and North Africa, and after the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869, Italy found itself on trade routes leading to the countries of South and East Asia, East Africa, and Australia. Thus, the geographical position of Italy allows her to make extensive use of maritime transport for overseas and coastal traffic and at the same time develop ties with her neighbors on land.

Natural conditions and natural resources.

Italy is located in the temperate and - for the most part - subtropical zones. This explains the wealth and diversity. Its northernmost point - Betta d'Italia - is located in the mountains of Tyrol at 47 N; the southernmost is Cape Isola delle Correnti at 36.5 N. (O. Sicily) not counting the small islands.

In physical and geographical terms, the territory of Italy is divided into three parts: the mainland, which is the Padana lowland, bordered by a system of alpine ridges and peaks, occupying about 120 thousand km. Apennine peninsula, elongated in the form of a boot for 900 km. V central part Mediterranean Sea with a width of 125 to 230 km. with an area of ​​130 thousand km; the islands of Sicily, Sardinia and a number of smaller ones with an area of ​​about 59 thousand km2.

Separate parts of the peninsular and island territory of the country are characterized by a significant indentation of the coastline, the presence of bays, bays and convenient harbors. There are especially many of them on the western coast of the peninsula, washed by the Tyrrhenian Sea. These are the gulfs of Genoa, La Spezia, Gaeta, Neapolitan, Salerno and others, the bays of Savona, Livorno, Civitavecchia. There are large seaports here. The coast, washed by the Adriatic Sea, is less indented. Its northern section from state border as far as Rimini, it abounds in lagoons and wetlands, to the south, up to the Gargano peninsula, the high and steep shores of the Adriatic are devoid of any convenient natural harbors and bays; only south coast The Adriatic Sea has separate convenient natural bays, the main of which are Bari and Brindisi.

Italy is a predominantly mountainous country. About 4/5 of its surface is occupied by folded mountains of Alpine age, their foothills and hills. The lowland part is represented by the Padana lowland along the Po River, which occupies more than 1/7 of the country's territory, and small areas in the coastal strip of the peninsula. The relief of Italy, which is the result of complex geophysical processes, on the one hand, determines the diversity of natural conditions that contribute to the development of agriculture, and on the other hand, narrows the area of ​​land cultivated by man, and also makes it difficult and expensive to develop transport links between individual parts of the country.

In the north, Italy is separated from the rest of the continent by the highest in Europe powerful arch of the Alps, which stretches from west to east for 1200 km, arching to the northwest. The Alps are a very complex system, consisting of many mountain ranges and ridges separated by longitudinal and transverse valleys. Most high peaks- Mont Blanc (4807 m above sea level), Monte Rosa (4634 m), Cervino (4478 m) - are concentrated in the western, most ancient part of the Alps. The Alps are a powerful barrier against the action of air masses from the north. In this powerful belt of mountains, however, there are convenient passages that have long been used for economic ties. So, for example, in the Lepontine Alps, the railway passes through the Ticino river valley, then heading through the Saint Gotthard tunnel (15 km) to Switzerland and the Simplon tunnel (20 km) to France. Railway communication with Austria is carried out through the Brenner Passage in the Venetian Alps along the valley of the Isorco River, a tributary of the Adige. The Alps are actively involved in the economic life of the country; large reserves of river energy are used here, construction materials, metal ores and other minerals are mined, herds graze on mountain meadows. In recent decades, the construction of high-mountain hydroelectric power stations, roads, and the rapid development of mountain tourism have increased the risk of avalanches.

The Maritime Alps pass into the Apennine mountains, bordering the Ligurian Gulf and stretching further through the entire Apennine Peninsula. The Apennines are longer than the Alps (more than 1500 km), but cannot be compared with it in height. Their highest point - Monte Corno in the Gran Sasso d'Italia massif reaches only 2914 m above sea level. seas. relief and geological structure The Apennines are complex and varied. The mountains are either located in wings with valleys closed between them (in Tuscany), then they stretch in long chains from northwest to southeast (in the Central Apennines), then they break up into separate massifs (in Campania, Basilicata), then they pass into the high plateaus of Calabria . The Apennines are composed mainly of conglomerates, sandstones, limestones, shale, marbles, separate massifs and plateaus of southern Italy - ancient igneous and metamorphic rocks, also characteristic of the mountains of Sicily and Sardinia.

And in the Alps. and in the Apennines, limestones are widespread and, in connection with this, the most diverse manifestations of karst: funnels, wells, fields, grottoes, caves, rivers disappearing underground. The caves attract many tourists; some have constant air humidity, salt and therapeutic mud and are used for medicinal purposes. At the same time, karst causes great damage to the economy, drying up and impoverishing the soil, preventing the construction of buildings and roads, causing collapses and landslides.

In Italy, both ancient and modern volcanic rocks of all types (basalts, liparites, tuffs) are widespread, especially characteristic of Tuscany, Lazio, Campania, Sicily, and Sardinia. In Italy, there are volcanoes of different types and in different stages of development: extinct (Euganean hills, Alban mountains), and active (Etna, Vesuvius, Stromboli). Nowadays, the highest (3296 m above sea level) and powerful of the Italian volcanoes - Etna. It erupts regularly every three to five years and even more often. To the southwest of Sicily, underwater eruptions occur from time to time, small islands appear, which are soon washed away by the sea. In a vast area from southern Tuscany to the coast of the Gulf of Naples, one can observe other natural phenomena associated with volcanism - emissions of water vapor under high pressure (Ischia Island), carbon dioxide (Dog Grotto in the Phlegraean fields, near Naples), hot mineral springs in Tuscany, mud volcanoes in the Emilian Apennines.

The only vast lowland in Italy is the Padan Plain, which occupies most of the Po basin. It gradually decreases from 400-500 m in the west to sea level in the east. As it decreases, not only landscapes change, but also the nature of the agricultural use of the territory: from orchards and vineyards in the west to livestock, grain and beet growing areas of the lower reaches of the Po River in the east. The Padana Plain is not only the main granary of Italy, but also the most urbanized and economically developed region of the country.

With a fairly large variety of minerals, Italy is very insufficiently and unevenly provided with raw materials and energy resources. Deposits of many minerals are small in terms of reserves, dispersed throughout the country, and often lie inconveniently for development. So far, the subsurface has not yet been sufficiently studied. At the same time, some deposits have been developed since such ancient times that they are now being depleted or have already been exhausted and abandoned. So, in 1982, the extraction of iron ore was completely stopped in the country, including on the island of Elba, where the Etruscans still mined iron.

Italy is much richer in lead-zinc ores with an admixture of silver and other metals. These deposits are associated with the crystalline and metamorphic massif of Sardinia and with the Triassic limestones of the Eastern Alps. The region of Tuscany is rich in reserves of pyrites and mercury ore - cinnabar, in terms of which Italy ranks second in the world; antimony ores occur in the Devonian limestones of Sardinia. Sulfur deposits, known since ancient Rome, are concentrated mainly in the area of ​​Caltanissetta on the island of Sicily. The bowels of Italy are rich in various building and finishing materials (marble, granite, tuff, etc.). Marble is quarried in a number of places, but especially in the Carrara area. In terms of reserves of other types of raw materials, the territory of Italy is poor. Anthracite is found in small quantities in the Valle d'Aosta region, colloidal lignites in Tuscany, peat and peaty lignites. There are small deposits of manganese in Central Italy and Liguria. Bauxites, long mined from the karst depressions of Puglia, are now almost exhausted. On the island of Sicily there are reserves of potash and rock salt, asphalt, bitumen.

In the postwar years, quite significant (for Italy) oil resources were discovered - in the Padana lowland, in the Alpine foothills, and also on the island of Sicily. These are complemented by bituminous shales, on the island of Sicily in the Ragusa region, near San Valentino in the Abruzzo e Molise region, and also in the Frosinone region (Lazio). In Sardinia, in Tuscany, Umbria there are small deposits of brown and low-quality coal. Italy's own energy resources meet the needs of Italy by no more than 15%. Under these conditions, deposits of natural gas of methane, usually dissolved in water, which are impregnated with loose tertiary and quaternary deposits of the Padana lowland in the lower reaches of the Po River and its underwater continuation - the continental shelf of the Adriatic Sea, are very important for the economy of the country. The gas was also found in sandstones, marls, shales of the Northern, Central and Southern Apennines, in Sicily and off its coasts and on the shelf ionian sea. The general lack of energy resources used in thermal power plants is compensated to some extent by the presence in the country of sufficiently rich hydropower reserves.

Development of transport (highlighting maritime).

Transport.

The most important branch of the sphere of circulation. The transportation of goods and labor is that part of the sphere of circulation, which is a continuation of the production process in the sphere of circulation.

In Italy, transport is developing along the same lines as in other European countries - in particular, the share of road transport is increasing, mainly due to the decrease in the share of rail transport. This is due to the fact that road transport is more mobile, requires less support services and minimizes transshipment operations, since it delivers the goods directly to the destination (capabilities that sea and rail transport lack).

The difference between Italy is that here and in the domestic transport of goods, road transport has acquired an exceptionally high share, while the share of all other modes of transport has fallen to an extremely low level.

Such a deeply specific position in the transport of Italy is due to the special impact exerted on this branch by industry. The fact is that such sectors of Italian industry as the automotive, rubber, oil refining and building materials industries are developing most rapidly, developing most rapidly. Industries producing railway rolling stock are slowly developing their production. Therefore, the first group of industries and the monopolies operating in it managed without much difficulty to give the road direction to the development of Italian transport.

The development of maritime transport in Italy.

In Italy, whose borders are washed by the seas by more than 90% and in which most of the territory is coastal areas, the coastal fleet is also important in the internal transportation of passengers and especially cargo. Among the branches of Italian transport, the navy is of great interest, which is the largest international carrier and is essential for the development of Italian foreign trade. 90% of goods entering Italy for imports and 55-60% for exports pass through seaports. The Italian merchant fleet performs the most important economic functions. This is main reason that it is in its overwhelming part under the control of the state.

In the 70s, the importance of maritime transport and shipping for the Italian economy and, first of all, for its foreign trade increased due to changes in the country's energy balance (more than 86% of total energy needs are met by the import of oil and gas). Shifts , which have taken place in recent years in the structure of industry and foreign trade, have caused in the Italian fleet changes in the ratio between different types of ships. The rapid development of the oil refining industry caused the rapid growth of the tank fleet. The decline in the importance of coal in the energy sector caused a decline in the share of the dry cargo fleet. In addition, the American coal used in Italy is delivered, as a rule, on American ships.

Merchant Navy of Italy.

The Italian merchant fleet in the post-war years has undergone significant quantitative and general structural changes. On the one hand, they were caused by the decommissioning of obsolete and heavily worn ships, and on the other hand, by the replenishment of the fleet with new, larger and more modern ships. Changes in the composition and structure of the Italian merchant fleet for the period 1874 to 1983 are characterized by the following data.

years
total number
total capacity.
V
volume
number
e

thousand reg. tons
tankers
bulk carriers
ore
other su ships
hogr

shaft.together reg.ton
%
%
shaft.together reg.ton
%

1974
1421,00
5708,00
1982,00
34,8
1027
17,6
2699
47,6

1975
1413,00
5701,00
1989,00
34,9
1091
19,3
2621
45,8

1976
1403,00
5851,00
2113,00
37
1191
20,4
2492
42,6

1977
1445,00
6219,00
2140,00
34,5
1506
24,2
2573
44,3

1978
1490,00
6624,00
2414,00
36,5
1674
25,3
2536
38,2

1979
1552,00
7038,00
2573,00
36,5
1900
27
2565
36,5

1980
1639,00
7448,00
2721,00
36,5
2089
28,1
2638
35,4

1981
1690,00
8139,00
3027,00
37,2
2455
30,1
2657
32,7

1982
1684,00
8187,00
3119,00
38
2510
30,7
2558
31,3

1983
1726,00
8867,00
3437,00
37,7
2866
32,4
2564
29,9

It follows from the given data that over the past 10 years, the specific value of the tonnage of bulk carriers and ore carriers has increased especially sharply, while the share of all other dry cargo ships has decreased.

As of July 1, 1983, tankers, bulk carriers, ore carriers and combination carriers accounted for 70.1% of the total gross tonnage of all seagoing vessels available in Italy. Despite the above-mentioned replenishment of the merchant fleet with new larger vessels, small and medium-sized vessels continue to predominate in its total composition.

As of July 1, 1983, more than half (57.9%) of all seagoing vessels had a gross tonnage of up to 1,000 reg. tons, and they accounted for only 4.45% of the total gross tonnage of the fleet. Many of these vessels have long service lives and are subject to gradual replacement by newer vessels. On the same date, there were only 23 ships in the merchant fleet with a gross tonnage of more than 50 thousand reg. tons with a service life of less than 4 years.

Most of the Italian ships had diesel and diesel-electric installations as main engines. Vessels from steam engines make up 14.5% of the total number of ships.

Brief information on the characteristics of the main groups of transport vessels.

Available in Italy sea ​​vessels as of July 1, 1983, according to the main types and purpose, they were distributed as follows.

ship types
number of ships
total gross tonnage, reg. tons
specific value RHV, %

1. Tankers for transportation of oil and oil products
344
3449184
2,98

2. Gas carriers
26
133027
2,01

3. Tankers for liquid chemicals
17
21070
3,23

4. Combined vessels
21
1145231
5,86

5. Bulk carriers and ore carriers
93
1721040
3,24

6.Dry cargo ships for translation. gene. cargo
663
1289842
1,84

7. Container ships and ro-ro
6
69661
1,9

8. Passenger ships
25
533288
17,77

9. Ferries, etc.
157
334784
7,99

10.Fishing
225
90847
1,3

11. Tugs
213
47199
4,34

12.Other vessels
33
30760
-

Total
1726
8867205
2,86

tanker fleet. For the transportation of oil and oil products, there are a total of 320 tankers with a total gross tonnage of 3,437,391 reg. t (total deadweight 5,901,231 t). For coastal shipping and bunkering operations, there were 24 small vessels with a total gross tonnage of 11,793 tons. More than half of the capacity of the tanker fleet is represented by vessels less than nine years old, incl. 11 tankers with a gross tonnage of 40-50 thousand reg. tons each and 10 tankers with a gross tonnage of 50-140 thousand reg. tons each less than 4 years old.

Gas carriers and vessels for the transport of liquid chemicals. For the transport of liquefied gas, there were 26 small vessels with a total gross tonnage of 133,027 reg. tons. Some of these vessels are used for transportation from Algeria to the southern ports of Europe. For the transport of liquid chemicals, there are 17 small vessels with a total gross tonnage of 21,070 tonnage. tons.

Combined ships, bulk carriers and ore carriers. This is the second largest and most important group of cargo ships. There are 114 ships with a total gross tonnage of 2,866,271 reg. tons (total deadweight 4,859,207 tons). This group includes: 21 combination ships with a total gross tonnage of 1,145,231 reg. tons and 93 ore carriers, bulk carriers and bulk carrier-ore carrier sum. gross tonnage 1 721 040 reg. tons.

The group of dry-cargo ships (including cargo-passenger ships) is the most numerous, in which there are 663 ships of various types and purposes with a total gross tonnage of 10876 reg. tons. Most of this group is represented by small vessels with a gross tonnage of up to 2000 reg. tons each. The replenishment of this group with new vessels is carried out on a limited scale and mainly by multi-purpose dry-cargo vessels, including those adapted for partial transportation of containers.

Container ships and container trailers (ro-ro). On July 1, 1083, this group included 6 ships with a total gross tonnage of 69,661 reg. tons. This group has been replenished with container ships, which are used for transportation on the Far East and Australian lines.

Passenger, ferry and other cargo-passenger ships. In the merchant fleet of Italy, there are 25 large passenger ships with a total gross tonnage of 533.3 thousand reg. tons. This group includes 157 ferry and other cargo-passenger ships with a total gross tonnage of 337.8 thousand reg. tons, which are mainly used to serve domestic traffic, and only a small part of them work on short-range international lines in the Mediterranean Sea.

The merchant fleet of Italy was replenished with new ships of predominantly Italian construction. Placement of orders abroad is allowed only for individual large-capacity vessels, for the construction of which in Italy there is not enough equipment, experience and for other reasons. As of March 1983, Italy ranked 5th in terms of the tonnage of ships under construction for its national fleet (after Great Britain, Liberia, Japan and Norway).

Economy of Italy.

Italy entered the path of capitalist development later than Great Britain and France - in late XIX century, after political unification ended in 1870. However economic development country, hampered by the strong remnants of feudalism, the poverty of the peasantry, the weakness of the fuel and raw material base, progressed slowly.

On the eve of the First World War, Italy remained a backward agrarian country. Only northern Italy stood out more high level economic development: a developed industry developed here, agriculture was more intensive.

Despite the economic weakness, the Italian bourgeoisie took an active part in the struggle for the redivision of the world. The arms race policy gave impetus to the development of heavy industry. New industries - automotive, aviation, electrical engineering, chemical (in particular, the production of rayon) - have received great development. The Second World War caused great damage to the Italian economy. Nevertheless, in the post-war period, Italian industry developed at a fairly high pace. The growth of industrial production is largely due to the influx of foreign capital.

Italy, in its economic position, occupies an intermediate position between the most economically developed capitalist countries, led by the USA and the FRG, and countries with an average level of development of productive forces. In terms of its share in the capitalist industrial production of the world (5% in 1985), it is in fifth place after the USA, Japan, the FRG and France. But in terms of national income per inhabitant, Italy is inferior not only to these countries, but also to many others, surpassing only Greece, Spain and Ireland in Western Europe.

As in other highly developed countries, in Italy industry is the leading sector of the economy, although it employs a smaller part of the economically active population than in the rapidly and disproportionately growing service sector. The value of industrial output is four times the value of agricultural output, in which 5.5 times less capital is annually invested than in industry. Industrial products dramatically dominate Italian exports.

A significant part of the national wealth of Italy is in the hands of monopolies, 11 of them are among the largest concerns in the world. They dominate the chemical and electrical industries (Montedison), the automotive industry (FIAT), and the rubber industry (Pirelli).

At the same time, there are a great many medium, small and tiny firms in the country, mainly in the light and food industries, as well as in the production of household electrical equipment, equipment for processing synthetic materials, and in some sub-sectors of machine tool building. Since the 1970s, there has been a noticeable trend towards the reduction of large and the increase in the role of small and medium-sized firms and enterprises.

The Italian state actively and in various forms interferes in the country's economy: its specialized bodies participate in joint-stock companies as holders of a controlling stake, industrial enterprises are created in accordance with various state programs. The state became the largest entrepreneur in the country. Its positions are especially strong in power engineering, metallurgy, and shipbuilding. He owns many light industry enterprises. The largest banks were also nationalized. The pace of development of the public sector surpasses the development of the Italian economy as a whole. In modern conditions, state intervention in the economy is not limited to helping individual monopoly associations develop the least profitable or those requiring especially large investments. The main goal of state intervention is to ensure the continuity of the reproduction process, to preserve and strengthen the capitalist system in the country.

A new important feature of the development of state-monopoly capitalism in Italy was the nationwide long-term programming of the economy, reflecting the increased degree of concentration and centralization of production and capital, the strengthening of monopolization and nationalization of the economy. Some sectors (transport, communications, public Works etc.) are financed mainly on the basis of economic programs. Italy's largest and most permanent program since 1950 is aimed at developing the economy of the South.

The Italian government encourages the inflow of foreign capital, which plays an important role in the country's economy. Most of the investments are directed to mechanical engineering, chemistry and energy, a significant share is invested in the service sector. The capital from the USA, France, Germany, Great Britain, Switzerland, Liechtenstein prevails.

Many aspects of the economic life of Italy are determined by its participation in the EEC. The specialization of production formed within the EEC forced the Italian economy to adapt to new market conditions and accelerated its structural transformations. In the common market system, Italy acts as an importing country of industrial products (mainly machinery and equipment) and secondary foodstuffs (fruits, vegetables, wine), and at the same time as an importing country of basic foodstuffs and main types of mineral and agricultural raw materials for its industry.

As in other countries, in Italy the economy develops spontaneously and unevenly. The “economic miracle” of the 1960s, when Italy was second only to Japan in terms of industrial development, turned out to be short-lived. It was followed by a recession and then the most severe energy and general economic crisis of 1973-1975. In 1982, the country's economy again entered a period of crisis: the gross national product was declining (-1.2% in 1983), inflation was increasing, the volume of foreign trade and the level of personal consumption of the population were decreasing, unemployment was growing, and the cost of living. In 1983, industrial capacity utilization was the lowest for the entire post-war period - 71%.

Since the crisis of the 70s, a new phenomenon has spread in Italy - the so-called hidden economy: in many industries, bypassing collective agreements, tax laws, etc. companies that are not registered anywhere. they employ the unemployed, women interested in part-time work or home work, students and retirees who need additional income. The age-old problem of the disproportionate development of individual parts of the country, the contrast between the level of economic and social development of Northern and Southern Italy, retains all its acuteness.

General characteristics of the industry.

The general condition, pace and nature of the development of the Italian economy are determined by its most important area - industry, which accounts for about 2/5 of those employed in the economy and the same share of national income. Italy stands out for its extremely low share of mining and high share of manufacturing in the number of employees, fixed capital, and especially in the total value of industrial output. This is explained by the absence of any significant reserves of the most important minerals in the country.

The Italian manufacturing industry works mainly on imported raw materials. Heavy industry dominates, in which the main role belongs to mechanical engineering. The electric power industry, metallurgy, chemistry and petrochemistry also developed significantly.

As a result of the radical restructuring of the energy base that has taken place in recent decades, the leading role in it has shifted from hydropower and imported coal to oil, which provides more than 60% of all energy consumed. It is followed by natural gas (15.5%), hard coal and lignite (8.5%), hydropower (7.6%) and nuclear power (0.3%). At the same time, Italy is forced to import almost all of the oil it consumes, 80% of solid fuels and 44% of natural gas.

The most powerful oil refining industry in Western Europe has grown on the oil imported by sea. Italy is one of the largest exporters of petroleum products in Western Europe. The energy crisis forced us to look for ways to save energy resources in general and oil in particular. In the 80s, the total capacity of the Italian oil refining industry decreased from 206 million tons. crude oil per year in 1980 to 150 million tons. in 1983, several factories were closed.

The electric power industry plays a vital role in the country's economy. The installed capacity of power plants in total is 49.4 million kW, of which 64.4% are thermal power plants, 32% are hydroelectric power plants and pumped storage power plants, 2.6% are nuclear and 1% are geothermal. Annually, the country produces 180-190 billion kWh of electricity. Most of the electricity is received at thermal power plants, operating mainly on fuel oil, the first place was given to hydroelectric power stations, since water resources are almost completely exhausted. In recent years, in Italy, they prefer to build pumped storage stations. Italy was a pioneer in the construction of a pumped storage power plant (1908). Almost simultaneously, the world's first geothermal power plants appeared (1905). In the 60s, Italy was one of the first to start building large nuclear power plants. There are 4 nuclear power plants in the country with a total capacity of 1.4 million kW.

The dependence on imported fuel and raw materials is very significant in the iron and steel industry. In 1986, 10.3 million tons were smelted in the country. pig iron and about 22 million tons. become. Italy ranks 5th in steel production. Metallurgical plants are located either near ports, or gravitate towards sales markets - large centers of mechanical engineering. It is in the port centers that the four largest full-cycle plants in the country, owned by the Finsider state association, are located (Genoa-Cornigliano, Piombino, Naples-Bagnoli and Taranto. Most of the steelmaking and steel-rolling plants are concentrated in the old industrial cities of the North-West. In the foothills of the Alps and the Alpine valleys are located electrometallurgical enterprises.The Italian iron and steel industry enters the world market mainly with thin cold-rolled steel and steel pipes.Italy occupies the 4th place in the production of pipes in the world.In recent years, the Italian iron and steel industry has experienced significant difficulties in its development due to the fact that the “Common Market”, under pressure from the United States, decided to limit steelmaking in the “ten” countries.

In the production of non-ferrous and light metals, those branches stand out that are better supplied with local ore reserves - the smelting of aluminum, lead, zinc and mercury. During the crisis years, aluminum smelting dropped from 274,000 tons in 1986 to 194,000 tons in 1988. Most aluminum smelters are located in the Northeast, which is rich in electricity.

The lead-zinc industry processes imported polymetallic ores and local ones. Energy-intensive zinc smelting is located near large power plants (in the cities of Porto Marghere, Monteponi, Porto Vesme, Crotone). Lead smelters are grouped mainly in Sardinia, close to deposits of polymetallic ores.

In recent years, Italy has lost the world championship in mercury production to Spain. This ancient production was rebuilt in accordance with environmental requirements and today it produces about 2 thousand tons. in year.

Using the rich deposits of dolomites, Italy has become one of the first places in the world in the production of magnesium. In 1986, 85 thousand tons of magnesium ores were mined and 7.8 thousand tons were smelted. magnesium.

The leading branch of Italian industry is mechanical engineering. It employs 2.2 million people, it provides 1/4 of all manufacturing products and 2/5 of Italian exports. Italy is one of the largest suppliers of cars to the world market. It ranks 5th in terms of production. Mechanical engineering is distinguished by a high concentration of production and capital and is in the hands of a few large associations that produce complex and varied products. Export engineering is the most developed (production of automobiles, electric locomotives, wagons, shipbuilding). Most of the automobile production was monopolized by the FIAT concern, the most powerful private firm in Italy and one of the largest monopolies in the world. The concern's factories are scattered throughout the country and produce small and small cars, trucks, buses, various engines, aircraft, ships, locomotives, tractors, equipment for the subway, power plants, airports.

FIAT left little space in the automotive industry to other companies - Ferrari, Maserati, Lancia, the state company Alfa Romeo. Almost all factories are located in the industrial centers of the North. Several factories produce motorcycles and scooters. One of the first places in the world is Italy in the production of bicycles and mopeds.

In the mists of time, the origins of Italian shipbuilding are lost. The development of this traditional industry is due to historical reasons and geographical conditions. Orders for tankers have fallen sharply in recent years, and more container ships, mixed-type vessels, specialized vessels for underwater drilling and underwater research are needed.

About 85% of all shipbuilding capacities belong to the Fincantieri state group. The largest shipyards in the country are located in Monfalcone on the Adriatic Sea, as well as in Trieste, Venice, Ancona. The oldest area of ​​Italian shipbuilding is the Ligurian coast (Genoa, Livorno, La Spezia). In the South, the main shipbuilding centers are Naples, Taranto, Messina, Palermo, Castellammare di Stabia.

Etc.................