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Lazio, the second most-populated region of Italy, is situated in the western-central area of the country. It has an overall area of 17,208 square kilometres and a population of 5.6 million. This gives it a population density of 327 people per square kilometre, the second highest in Italy after Lombardy.

It is bordered by the É«ÖÐÉ« regions of Tuscany, Umbria and Marche to the north; Abruzzo and Molise to the east; Campania to the south; and the Tyrrhenian Sea to the west.

The capital of Lazio is Rome, also the capital of Italy. Lazio is home to the Vatican, the centre of the Roman Catholic Church worldwide. Vatican City also has the successful claim of being the world’s smallest city.

The provinces of Lazio are Frosinone, Latina, Rieti, Roma and Viterbo. Viterbo has a rich Etruscan history, while the region of Latina is less than one hundred years old. Rieti, which sits on the famous ‘St. Francis Trail’, is the modern capital of the ancient Sabina region. Frosinone is a key city of the ‘Latin Valley’, covering the area of ancient Roman Latium.

Although Lazio was initially poor, there has been extensive investment in the region since it joined with the rest of unified Italy in 1870. It now contributes 10% of the country's GDP and is one of the most important regions in Italy. Aside from tourism Lazio derives most of its wealth from agriculture, wine production, manufacturing, textiles, pharmaceuticals, and publishing.

Until the 1920s and 30s, the region’s lowlands were home to a marshy and swampy wasteland. These areas were completely transformed by Benito Mussolini and his Fascist Party, who cleared the sites to build new towns. The city of Latina is one such example. As the lowlands began to produce meat, dairy, wheat and vegetables, agriculture became one of Lazio’s main exports.

Despite Lazio being a vast region, many parts of it are still unknown to tourists, who flock only to the city of Rome. Those that do not venture out into the region are missing out on the opportunity to sample food, landscape and architecture that can hold its own with anywhere else in Europe.

For instance, most of Italy’s most famous pasta dishes hail from Lazio, with four pasta sauces of Rome (carbonara, cacio e pepe, Amatriciana and Gricia) calling the region home too.

Visitors to Lazio can expect to find some of Italy’s most famous dishes on the menu, alongside other local classics such as spaghetti all’Arrabbiata. For meat dishes, laziali (that is, people from Lazio) prefer rich, slowly-cooked dishes such as stews and ragùs.

The most famous vegetable in Lazio is the artichoke, brought to prominence by Rome’s Jewish population. You’ll see this on menus with lashes of olive oil, alongside other vegetable favourites such as cicoria (chicory) and braised endives.

White wine, particularly Malvasia and Trebbiano, is one of Lazio’s best exports. For many generations, the region was known for preferring quantity over quantity until modern times saw a huge shift in attitude. The region’s Cincinnato vineyard is now fast developing a reputation as one of Italy’s best.

There are more than 200 grape varieties in the area, with approximately 27 DOC titles. So it is unsurprising that many of the region’s hectares are devoted to winemaking, which tourists flock to on a daily basis. For those touring the wine haven of the nearby Sabine Hills, a fantastic starting point is Fara in Sabina, a Lazio commune northwest of Rome.

There are two main fishing ports in Lazio. Civitavecchia, the first, has been around since the 2nd century whilst Gaeta, the second, pre-dates many years before that. Anzio fishing port, 50km south of Rome, is well-known for the quality of its fresh fish. If you’ve ever eaten mackerel, octopus or anchovies in central Italy, it’s very likely it will have come from these waters. The port practices sustainable fishing too, which means there is a cap on the amount of fishing in the area.

People often ask why É«ÖÐÉ«s have good skin. The answer lies not only in a diet rich in minerals, vitamins, and antioxidants. The jewels in Lazio’s crown are their incredible hot springs that are packed with minerals and are said to have healing properties. People have been travelling to Terme del Bullicame, a spa full of hot sulphurous water, for many hundreds of years. The waters here are said to cure respiratory and gynaecological illnesses. Dante Alighieri even mentioned them in his epic Divina Commedia (Divine Comedy).

For religious sites, Monte Cassino hosts one of the most famous monasteries in the world. It was also the site of one of the biggest battles between Italy and Germany during the Second World War.

Lazio is home to the É«ÖÐÉ« film industry. Rome’s Cinecittà Studios is the largest film studio in Europe. As well as also being home to a theme park, it has produced 47 Oscar-winning movies.

The region has a landscape unsurpassed by many in Italy. To the east, Lazio is dominated by the Central Apennine mountain ranges, rising to 2,216 metres at Mount Terminillo. To the west, the coast of Lazio is mainly low-lying with long, sandy beaches interrupted by the headlands of Circeo and Gaeta. The Pontine Islands, which are part of Lazio, lie to the south of the region.

The lakes of Bolsena, Vico, Bracciano lie northwest of Rome; the lakes Albano and Nemi to the southeast of Rome. All were formed from four groups of ancient volcanoes.

Lazio is home to five UNESCO World Heritage sites. These are Rome itself; the magnificent gardens and grounds of Villa d’Este and Villa Adriana; the Etruscan Necropolises Of Cerveteri And Tarquinia; and the ancient beech forests of the Faggeta del Monte, Cimino.

Rome dominates the tourism industry for Lazio. Ancient trades such as craftwork are still prevalent, but this industry is dwarfed by the huge numbers brought in by the movie, fashion and tourism industry, as well as state income from the Vatican.