Italy is a member state of the European Union. Its capital is Rome. The Italian peninsula is surrounded by seas Ligurian, Tyrrhenian, Ionian e Adriatic, and numerous islands. The States of Vatican City and of San Marino are enclaves of the Republic. It is the fifth most visited country in the world. The list of World Heritage Sites sees Italy in first place with a considerable 60 UNESCO. Italy possesses a rich heritage of museums and archaeological sites, in terms of both their number and their distribution across the territory. Tourism is therefore a sector of primary importance. Italy is also very rich in biodiversity and includes various Protected natural areas; among these are the 26 National Parks and Regional Parks. They were also established 32 marine protected areas, among these, the best known: the International Marine Mammal Sanctuary (in cooperation with France and the Principality of Monaco). Italy has on average over 70,000 ferry departures per year connecting the main Italian ports with Sardinia, Corsica, Sicily, Tunisia, Spain, Morocco, Malta, Greece, Croatia ed Albania. The main ports with tourist ferries are: Ancona, Civitavecchia, Genoa and Imperia, Livorno, Piombino, Palermo, Trapani and Messina, Porto Torres, Olbia, Golfo Aranci, Arbatax and Cagliari, Naples and Salerno, Bari and Brindisi, Venice and Trieste. Among the best-known seaside resorts are: the Cinque Terre, Viareggio, the Amalfi Coast, the Salento, Otranto, the locations of the Gargano, the Trabocchi Coast, Giulianova, San Benedetto del Tronto, Rimini, Riccione, Jesolo, Lignano and Grado. In Italy there are also the two largest islands, Sicily and Sardinia, and numerous smaller islands like the’Isle of Elba, the Islands Aeolian Islands, Pantelleria, Lampedusa, Aegadian Islands, the Island of Capri, Ischia, Procida and the Islands Tremiti Islands in the Adriatic.
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