Italy is known as one of the cultural centres of the world, with museums and monuments and architecture that dates back to Roman times. With one of the longest histories known today, Italy certainly packs enough of a punch to capture the attention of any individual, but there are a few things that Italians (the name for the nationality and the official language) value above everything else – the three F’s – food, family and football! Football is most definitely the passion of the country. With a population of almost 60 million, Italy is one of the most densely populated countries in the world, with the majority of people residing in the major cities like Rome (the capital), Milan and Naples. The Euro is the official currency, and many Euros are spent on football matches every year in order to feed the passion that lies beneath the country’s national sport!

The Italian national side is ranked third in the world in the FIFA rankings at the moment, but had previously made it to first in November 1993, February 2007 and then again between April and June 2007. The lowest the national side has ever been is number 16 in April 1998.

The Italian public do not accept anything but the best so being head coach is a tough task, but some have lived up to it! Italy has made 16 appearances in the World Cup for example, with 4 wins including the first year in which they took part, 1934. The other three came in 1938, 1982 and 2006. Similarly, they also won the first European Cup they ever played in too, in 1968, but have not won it in the six appearances since. In terms of the Olympics, Italy also picked up the gold medal in 1936. Italy is therefore certainly one of the best teams in Europe, if not in the world!

Serie A is the world-renowned top league in Italy. It is commonly viewed as one of the best leagues in the world and was unchallenged as the best for many years before the founding of England’s Premier League and the emergence of La Liga in Spain. Founded in 1898, Serie A adopted its current form in 1929 after incorporating several regional competitions previously. It runs from August to May and there are currently 20 teams playing in Serie A following its 2004 expansion from 18 teams. As in most other European countries, there is a cup competition that is played every year. The Coppa Italia is played over the course of a season between the 42 Serie A and B teams before the final is played over two legs in May. However, it is considerably less popular than other similar cup competitions elsewhere in Europe.

The top teams in Italy are Juventus, AC Milan, Inter Milan and Roma. There are other large teams that have played a prominent part in the history of Italian football, including Lazio, Fiorentina, Sampdoria, Napoli and Torino. Juventus is the most successful by far, with 27 Serie A titles under their belts. AC Milan and Inter Milan chase them with 17 and 15 titles respectively thus demonstrating just how dominating the top teams actually are.