From the heel to the toe, Italy has sandy and pebbly beaches along the Adriatic Sea. The heel and some coastal areas are fairly low, but the country is generally mountainous. The Italian Alps and the Dolomiti Mountains lie along the northern border and the Appennini form a spine down the peninsula. Sicily and Sardinia are also rocky or mountainous. Italy is divided into 20 regions, each having its unique history, culture and dialect, and each with a capital city.
Regions have a good measure of self-government under regional councils.
The regions of Aosta, Trentino Alto Adige, Sicily, and Sardinia enjoy complete administrative autonomy. The capital of Italy is Rome. The fertile Po river basin, to the north, holds some of Italy's richest farmland. Grapes have been harvested in Italy from time immemorial. Italy produces about a quarter of the world's wines, with Piedmont having the densest concentration of vineyards, especially in the provinces of Asti, Alessandria, and Cuneo.