Italian Peninsula

The Italian Peninsula extends from the southern Alps in the north to the central Mediterranean Sea in the south, forming the backbone of Italy along with the microstates of San Marino and Vatican City. It is bordered by the Ligurian, Tyrrhenian, Ionian and Adriatic seas, covers 131,275 square kilometers, and is nicknamed lo Stivale, the Boot, for its shape, with the smaller peninsulas of Calabria, Salento and Gargano forming the toe, heel and spur. Because the Apennine Mountains run its length, it is also called the Apennine Peninsula.