Situated in Mediterranean Europe, Italy has land frontiers with France in the north-west, Switzerland and Austria in the north and Slovenia in the north-east.  Italian is the language of the majority of the population but there are minorities speaking German, French, Slovene and Latino.

All foreigners intending to enter Italy must provide the documentation required to justify the reasons and duration of their stay as well as, in some prescribed cases, the availability of adequate economic means and lodging.

To enter, stay in or transit through the whole of the Schengen area, aliens must be in possession of a passport or another travel document recognized as valid for the purposes of crossing the borders by all the Schengen States.
To enter, stay in or transit through Italy, aliens must be in possession of a passport or another travel document recognised as valid by the Italian government.

An alien wishing to enter Italian territory or the Schengen Area must have sufficient financial resources available to guarantee maintenance throughout the planned visit. The availability of means of subsistence is therefore an essential condition for the entry of an alien into the Schengen Area.