Italy forms a long peninsular with a mountainous spine, leading from the Alps down into the Mediterranean Sea. Hiring a car in Italy, you'll soon notice differences between north and south. In fact, Italy has only been one country for around 150 years and there are big cultural differences between, say, the colourful chaos of Naples in the South and the neat design of Milan in the North. The historic treasure trove that is the capital Rome sits somewhere in the middle but, wherever you go, Italy has a fabulous residue of history that includes the Roman Empire and the Renaissance.