Italy Quiz
Venice, Florence, the Po and the boot's heel: 15 questions on the cities, regions and history of Italy.
Which Italian city is famous for its canals, gondolas and St Mark's Square?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Venice
Venice is built across 118 small islands in a lagoon on the Adriatic coast, linked by about 400 bridges and 150 canals. For centuries the Republic of Venice was a maritime superpower, and St Mark's Basilica and the Doge's Palace show off its wealth.
Venice sits on millions of wooden piles driven into the mud, which have not rotted because the oxygen free water has turned them almost as hard as stone.
Which city is home to Italy's famous leaning bell tower?
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Pisa
The Leaning Tower is the bell tower of Pisa Cathedral, begun in 1173 on soft ground that started to give way before the third storey was finished. A stabilisation project completed in 2001 pulled it back by about 45 centimetres and reopened it to visitors.
The tower is only one part of the Piazza dei Miracoli, which also holds the cathedral, the circular baptistery and a monumental cemetery.
Which city, the capital of Lombardy, is Italy's fashion and financial centre?
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Milan
Milan is home to the Italian stock exchange, fashion houses such as Prada, Armani and Versace, and a gothic cathedral that took nearly six centuries to finish. Leonardo da Vinci's Last Supper is painted on a refectory wall in the city.
Milan's La Scala, opened in 1778, premiered operas by Verdi and Puccini and remains one of the most prestigious opera houses in the world.
Which Tuscan city was the cradle of the Renaissance and the seat of the Medici family?
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Florence
Florence produced or hosted Dante, Giotto, Brunelleschi, Botticelli, Leonardo and Michelangelo, and the Medici bankers paid for much of their work. Brunelleschi's dome on the cathedral, completed in 1436, is still the largest brick dome ever built.
Michelangelo's David stood outside the Palazzo Vecchio for more than 350 years before being moved indoors to the Accademia in 1873.
Which currency did Italy use before euro notes and coins replaced it in 2002?
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Lira
The Italian lira was the national currency from unification in 1861 until euro cash took over on 1 January 2002, after three years of running alongside the euro on paper. Its low value meant everyday prices ran into thousands of lire.
The name comes from the Latin libra, a pound weight, which is also why the British pound uses the symbol £.
Which river, the longest in Italy, flows across the northern plain from the Alps to the Adriatic?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Po
The Po runs about 652 kilometres (405 miles) from the Cottian Alps through Turin and past Piacenza, Cremona and Ferrara to a wide delta south of Venice. Its valley is Italy's agricultural and industrial heartland, producing rice, wheat and Parmesan.
The Tiber flows through Rome and the Arno through Florence and Pisa, while the Adige passes Verona and is Italy's second longest river.
Pizza Margherita, with its tomato, mozzarella and basil topping, is traditionally said to have been created in 1889 in which city?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Naples
Legend says the pizzaiolo Raffaele Esposito of Naples made the red, white and green pizza in honour of Queen Margherita of Savoy during her visit in 1889. Naples is the home of pizza, and its pizza making tradition joined UNESCO's heritage list in 2017.
True Neapolitan pizza rules call for a wood fired oven at around 485 degrees Celsius (905 Fahrenheit) and a baking time of only 60 to 90 seconds.
Which Italian navigator's first name was given to the continents of the Americas?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Amerigo Vespucci
The Florentine explorer Amerigo Vespucci argued that the lands Columbus had reached were a new continent rather than Asia. In 1507 the German mapmaker Martin Waldseemüller labelled the new landmass America in his honour, and the name stuck.
Columbus was from Genoa and Verrazzano from Tuscany, so three of the key early explorers of the Americas sailing for other crowns were Italians.
Which sea lies off the west coast of mainland Italy, between the peninsula and the islands of Sardinia and Sicily?
Got a hunch? Pick the answer that feels right.
Tyrrhenian Sea
The Tyrrhenian Sea washes the coasts of Tuscany, Lazio, Campania and Calabria and holds the Bay of Naples, the Amalfi Coast and the volcanic Aeolian Islands. It takes its name from the Tyrrhenians, the Greek name for the Etruscans.
The Ionian Sea lies under the sole of the boot, the Adriatic along the east coast and the Ligurian Sea around Genoa and the Cinque Terre.
Which Italian city hosted the 2006 Winter Olympics?
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Turin
Turin, the capital of Piedmont and home of Fiat, staged the 2006 Winter Games with Alpine events in nearby resorts such as Sestriere. It was Italy's second Winter Olympics after Cortina d'Ampezzo in 1956.
Italy returned as Winter Olympic host in 2026, when Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo shared the Games.
Which two independent countries are entirely surrounded by Italian territory?
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Vatican City and San Marino
Vatican City, the world's smallest state at about 44 hectares, sits inside Rome, and San Marino, a 61 square kilometre republic founded by tradition in AD 301, perches on Mount Titano in the Apennines. Both use the euro and both are enclaves within Italy.
Monaco borders France, not Italy, though the Italian frontier is only about 15 kilometres away along the Riviera.
In which year was the Kingdom of Italy proclaimed, uniting most of the peninsula under Victor Emmanuel II?
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1861
The Kingdom of Italy was proclaimed on 17 March 1861 after Garibaldi's conquest of the south and Cavour's diplomacy in the north. Venice joined in 1866 and Rome was taken from the Pope in 1870 and became the capital the next year.
Italy had three capitals in its first decade: Turin until 1865, then Florence, and finally Rome from 1871.
Which lake, the largest in Italy, lies between the regions of Lombardy, Veneto and Trentino?
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Lake Garda
Lake Garda covers about 370 square kilometres (143 square miles) and stretches 52 kilometres (32 miles) from the Alps down to the plain near Verona. Its mild climate supports olive and lemon groves, and the town of Sirmione sits on a narrow peninsula at its southern end.
Lake Como, famous for its celebrity villas, is deeper than Garda, with a maximum depth of more than 400 metres (1,300 feet).
Which region forms the heel of Italy's boot?
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Puglia
Puglia, also called Apulia, is the long heel of the peninsula, running from the Gargano promontory down to the tip of the Salento at Santa Maria di Leuca. It is known for its trulli stone huts at Alberobello, baroque Lecce and more olive oil than any other region.
Calabria is the toe of the boot, facing Sicily across the Strait of Messina, and Basilicata is the instep between them.
How many regions make up Italy?
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20
Italy is divided into 20 regions, from Aosta Valley in the northwest to Sicily in the south. Five of them have special autonomous status, and the regions are further divided into provinces and about 7,900 comuni.
The largest region by area is Sicily and the smallest is Aosta Valley, which is also the only region without any provinces.
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All Geography quizzes →About the Italy Quiz
Italy has more UNESCO World Heritage Sites than any other country, and it is easy to see why. Venice floats on more than 100 islands, Florence bankrolled the Renaissance, and two independent microstates sit entirely inside Italian borders. The modern country is younger than many people think: the Kingdom of Italy was only proclaimed in 1861, and the lira survived until euro notes arrived in 2002.
These 15 questions open with the cities everyone knows, then work through rivers, seas and lakes, the Winter Olympics, the explorer who named America and the twenty regions that make up the country. It suits holiday planners, food lovers and history fans who want an Italy round that goes beyond pasta and the Colosseum.
You will find 15 multiple choice questions here, each with four options. Difficulty: Medium. Most people finish in about 6 minutes, and every answer comes with a short explanation and one extra fact worth keeping.
How to play
Read the question and pick one of the four answers. The correct answer is revealed straight away with a short explanation, then press Next question to keep going. At the end you get your score out of 15 and a full review of your round. Play again any time and the questions arrive in a fresh order. There is no timer and no account.
Good to know before you play
How many regions does Italy have?
Twenty. Five of them, Sicily, Sardinia, Aosta Valley, Trentino-Alto Adige and Friuli-Venezia Giulia, have special autonomous status with extra powers over local affairs.
What is the longest river in Italy?
The Po, which flows about 652 kilometres (405 miles) from the Cottian Alps near the French border across the northern plain to its delta on the Adriatic Sea south of Venice.
Which countries are inside Italy?
Two: Vatican City, the smallest state in the world, within Rome, and San Marino, a mountaintop republic in the Apennines that claims to be the oldest republic still in existence.
Answer key: all 15 questions with explanations
- Which Italian city is famous for its canals, gondolas and St Mark's Square?
Venice Venice is built across 118 small islands in a lagoon on the Adriatic coast, linked by about 400 bridges and 150 canals. For centuries the Republic of Venice was a maritime superpower, and St Mark's Basilica and the Doge's Palace show off its wealth. Venice sits on millions of wooden piles driven into the mud, which have not rotted because the oxygen free water has turned them almost as hard as stone. - Which city is home to Italy's famous leaning bell tower?
Pisa The Leaning Tower is the bell tower of Pisa Cathedral, begun in 1173 on soft ground that started to give way before the third storey was finished. A stabilisation project completed in 2001 pulled it back by about 45 centimetres and reopened it to visitors. The tower is only one part of the Piazza dei Miracoli, which also holds the cathedral, the circular baptistery and a monumental cemetery. - Which city, the capital of Lombardy, is Italy's fashion and financial centre?
Milan Milan is home to the Italian stock exchange, fashion houses such as Prada, Armani and Versace, and a gothic cathedral that took nearly six centuries to finish. Leonardo da Vinci's Last Supper is painted on a refectory wall in the city. Milan's La Scala, opened in 1778, premiered operas by Verdi and Puccini and remains one of the most prestigious opera houses in the world. - Which Tuscan city was the cradle of the Renaissance and the seat of the Medici family?
Florence Florence produced or hosted Dante, Giotto, Brunelleschi, Botticelli, Leonardo and Michelangelo, and the Medici bankers paid for much of their work. Brunelleschi's dome on the cathedral, completed in 1436, is still the largest brick dome ever built. Michelangelo's David stood outside the Palazzo Vecchio for more than 350 years before being moved indoors to the Accademia in 1873. - Which currency did Italy use before euro notes and coins replaced it in 2002?
Lira The Italian lira was the national currency from unification in 1861 until euro cash took over on 1 January 2002, after three years of running alongside the euro on paper. Its low value meant everyday prices ran into thousands of lire. The name comes from the Latin libra, a pound weight, which is also why the British pound uses the symbol £. - Which river, the longest in Italy, flows across the northern plain from the Alps to the Adriatic?
Po The Po runs about 652 kilometres (405 miles) from the Cottian Alps through Turin and past Piacenza, Cremona and Ferrara to a wide delta south of Venice. Its valley is Italy's agricultural and industrial heartland, producing rice, wheat and Parmesan. The Tiber flows through Rome and the Arno through Florence and Pisa, while the Adige passes Verona and is Italy's second longest river. - Pizza Margherita, with its tomato, mozzarella and basil topping, is traditionally said to have been created in 1889 in which city?
Naples Legend says the pizzaiolo Raffaele Esposito of Naples made the red, white and green pizza in honour of Queen Margherita of Savoy during her visit in 1889. Naples is the home of pizza, and its pizza making tradition joined UNESCO's heritage list in 2017. True Neapolitan pizza rules call for a wood fired oven at around 485 degrees Celsius (905 Fahrenheit) and a baking time of only 60 to 90 seconds. - Which Italian navigator's first name was given to the continents of the Americas?
Amerigo Vespucci The Florentine explorer Amerigo Vespucci argued that the lands Columbus had reached were a new continent rather than Asia. In 1507 the German mapmaker Martin Waldseemüller labelled the new landmass America in his honour, and the name stuck. Columbus was from Genoa and Verrazzano from Tuscany, so three of the key early explorers of the Americas sailing for other crowns were Italians. - Which sea lies off the west coast of mainland Italy, between the peninsula and the islands of Sardinia and Sicily?
Tyrrhenian Sea The Tyrrhenian Sea washes the coasts of Tuscany, Lazio, Campania and Calabria and holds the Bay of Naples, the Amalfi Coast and the volcanic Aeolian Islands. It takes its name from the Tyrrhenians, the Greek name for the Etruscans. The Ionian Sea lies under the sole of the boot, the Adriatic along the east coast and the Ligurian Sea around Genoa and the Cinque Terre. - Which Italian city hosted the 2006 Winter Olympics?
Turin Turin, the capital of Piedmont and home of Fiat, staged the 2006 Winter Games with Alpine events in nearby resorts such as Sestriere. It was Italy's second Winter Olympics after Cortina d'Ampezzo in 1956. Italy returned as Winter Olympic host in 2026, when Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo shared the Games. - Which two independent countries are entirely surrounded by Italian territory?
Vatican City and San Marino Vatican City, the world's smallest state at about 44 hectares, sits inside Rome, and San Marino, a 61 square kilometre republic founded by tradition in AD 301, perches on Mount Titano in the Apennines. Both use the euro and both are enclaves within Italy. Monaco borders France, not Italy, though the Italian frontier is only about 15 kilometres away along the Riviera. - In which year was the Kingdom of Italy proclaimed, uniting most of the peninsula under Victor Emmanuel II?
1861 The Kingdom of Italy was proclaimed on 17 March 1861 after Garibaldi's conquest of the south and Cavour's diplomacy in the north. Venice joined in 1866 and Rome was taken from the Pope in 1870 and became the capital the next year. Italy had three capitals in its first decade: Turin until 1865, then Florence, and finally Rome from 1871. - Which lake, the largest in Italy, lies between the regions of Lombardy, Veneto and Trentino?
Lake Garda Lake Garda covers about 370 square kilometres (143 square miles) and stretches 52 kilometres (32 miles) from the Alps down to the plain near Verona. Its mild climate supports olive and lemon groves, and the town of Sirmione sits on a narrow peninsula at its southern end. Lake Como, famous for its celebrity villas, is deeper than Garda, with a maximum depth of more than 400 metres (1,300 feet). - Which region forms the heel of Italy's boot?
Puglia Puglia, also called Apulia, is the long heel of the peninsula, running from the Gargano promontory down to the tip of the Salento at Santa Maria di Leuca. It is known for its trulli stone huts at Alberobello, baroque Lecce and more olive oil than any other region. Calabria is the toe of the boot, facing Sicily across the Strait of Messina, and Basilicata is the instep between them. - How many regions make up Italy?
20 Italy is divided into 20 regions, from Aosta Valley in the northwest to Sicily in the south. Five of them have special autonomous status, and the regions are further divided into provinces and about 7,900 comuni. The largest region by area is Sicily and the smallest is Aosta Valley, which is also the only region without any provinces.
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