Italy

Bologna, Italy, occupies a strategic location in the middle of the country, with easy connections by road and rail to the industrial centers of Northern Italy and the cultural and political hubs of Florence and Rome. An economic power in its own right, Bologna has a population of about 387,000, making it Italy’s seventh-largest city. The broader Bologna metropolitan area is home to about 1 million people.

Milan is the commercial, financial and population center of Northern Italy. With its comparatively low unemployment, high incomes and savings, the region is Italy’s wealthiest. Greater Milan has a metropolitan population of about 7 million and represents about one-fifth of Italy's GDP.

Rome, the capital of Italy, is a bustling, densely-populated city with 2.9 million residents.

Rome’s diversified economy is driven by government, services, high-technology, construction and especially tourism. Rome ranks 14th among the world’s cities for attracting tourism, with 8.8 million visitors in 2015.