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7

C H APT E R

Choose Health in

Food Vending

Machines

Obesity Prevention and

Healthy Lifestyle Promotion

in Italy

Giuseppe Fattori, Paola Artoni, and Marcello Tedeschi

ITA LY: A C O U NTRY O V E R V I E W

General Information
Italy is a state in southern Europe. It is a peninsula in the central Mediterranean
Sea, bordering France to the west, Switzerland and Austria to the north, and
Slovenia to the east. Other neighboring countries are the Vatican City and the
Republic of San Marino. On the whole, it covers an area of 30,133,601 hectares
(301,336 square kilometers) with more than 59 million inhabitants (Istituto
Nazionale di Statistica [ISTAT], 2007).
Since 1946, it has been a democratic republic, with Rome as its capital. The
constitution, the fundamental law that runs the republic, has been in force since
1948. Italy is a member of the European Union and of the North Atlantic Treaty
Organization (NATO). It is known worldwide for its natural beauties, its history,
and its art.