C. Rome, the seat of the ancient Roman empire, is the country's largest and most populated municipality, with over 2.7 million residents in 496.3 square miles. It replaced Florence as the capital of a unified Italy in 1871 after Italian troops seized control of the city from the pope.

Q: Rome, like most of Italy, is on a . . .

A. Archipelago

B. Peninsula

C. Isthmus

D. Tombolo

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B. A peninsula is a piece of land surrounded by water but connected to the mainland. The Italian Peninsula is one of the three large peninsulas of southern Europe. The other two are the Iberian Peninsula and Balkan Peninsula.

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Q: South of Rome on the peninsula is the city of Naples, near the only active volcano on mainland Europe. What is the name of this volcano which is most famous for the destruction of the ancient cities of Pompeii and Herculanum?

A. Kilauea

B. La Palma

C. Tambora

D. Vesuvius

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D. When Vesuvius erupted in 79 A.D., it buried the towns and hundreds of people in burning ash. The layers of ash preserved the ruins and the bodies, providing an extraordinarily detailed insight into city life at the height of the Roman Empire.

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Q: Italy has two other active volcanoes, but they are located on islands. One of them, Mount Etna, is on the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. What is the name of the island?

A. Cyprus

B. Malta

C. Sardinia

D. Sicily

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D.Of all the regions of Italy, Sicily covers the largest land area at 9,926 square miles. It has just over five million inhabitants.

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