Italy always refers to deep history beauty, architecture, culture and old civilization. Located in south central Europe, Italy consists of a peninsula shaped like a high-heeled boot and several islands encompassing 116.300 square miles (301.200 square kilometers). The Mediterranean Sea is to the south, and the Alps to the north. A chain of mountains, the Apennines juts down the center of the peninsula.The fertile Po valley is in the north. It accounts for 21 percent of the total area; 40 percent of Italy's area, in contract, is hilly and 39 percent is mountainous.