Italy has been a seminal place for many important artistic and intellectual movement that spread throughout Europe and beyond, including the Renaisaance and Baroque. Perhaps Italy's greatest cultural achievements lie in its long artistic heritage, which is often validated through the names of Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Donatello, etc. Beyond art, Italy's contributions to the realms of literature, science and music cannot be overlooked.

From folk music to calssical, music has always played an important role in Italian culture. Having given birth to Opera, for example, Italy provides many of the very foundations of the classical music tradition.

Italians are reowned for their love of sports. Their zeal for sports events is , indeed, no less than the legendary; from the Gladiator Games of Acient Rome, to the Stadio Olimpico of contemporary Rome, where football clubs compete regularly, the impact that sports has had on Italian culture is enduring the undeniable.