Italy Italy was a country in the continent of Europe on the planet Earth . The Doctor ' s travels . The Doctor made several visits to Italy . In his first incarnation , he even lived there for several weeks , taking an extended holiday near Rome with Barbara Wright , Ian Chesterton and Vicki Pallister in the 1st century AD . During this visit he was responsible giving Nero the idea for starting the Great Fire of Rome . ( TV : " The Romans " ) Venice , a city built on marshland by the sea , ( TV : " The Vampires of Venice " ) was also of interest to the Doctor . He made several trips to the city in his first , ( PROSE : " The Empire of Glass " ) eighth ( AUDIO : " The Stones of Venice " ) and eleventh incarnations . ( TV : " The Vampires of Venice " ) Pompeii also attracted the Doctor ' s attention because of its famed volcanic eruption on 24 August 79 . The Seventh ( AUDIO : " The Fires of Vulcan " ) and Tenth Doctor s were present during the eruption itself . Indeed , the Tenth Doctor and Donna Noble were the proximate cause of the explosion that wiped out the city . ( TV : " The Fires of Pompeii " ) In 493 , the Fifth Doctor , Nyssa and Tegan Jovanka visited Ravenna . ( PROSE : " Goths and Robbers " ) The Third Doctor once spent time on San Stefano Minore — near Sicily — with Sarah Jane , Brigadier Lethbridge - Stewart and the Brigadier ' s cousin . ( AUDIO : " The Ghosts of N - Space " ) The Fourth Doctor visited other parts of Italy , including the city - state of San Martino in the 15th century ( TV : " The Masque of Mandragora " ) and the workshop of Leonardo da Vinci in Florence in the 16th century . ( TV : " City of Death " ) On 11 July 1982 , Italy beat Germany 3 - 1 in the World Cup . The Eighth Doctor and Charley Pollard visited the Italian town of Ferrara during the celebrations there . ( AUDIO : " Living Legend " ) People from Italy . As a populous country with a strong tradition of emigration , Italy had an influence upon the development of the planet Earth that was difficult to quantify . For example , any number of persons of Italian origin passed through the gates at Ellis Island to populate New York City in the 19th and 20th centuries . ( TV : " Immortal Sins " ) Despite the anonymity of the American immigration , a number of specific Italians " were " known by name . A few of her more famous sons , daughters , and direct descendants included Angelo Colasanto , an immigrant to the United States , and his family , ( TV : " Immortal Sins " ) Christopher Columbus , an explorer and sailor , Leonardo da Vinci , a renowned artist ( TV : " City of Death " , " Mona Lisa ' s Revenge " ) Giuseppe di Cattivo , an artist friendly with Leonardo ( TV : " Mona Lisa ' s Revenge " ) Duke Giuliano , an Italian nobleman , and his friends and enemies ( TV : " The Masque of Mandragora " ) , Alistair Gordon Lethbridge - Stewart , who was 1 / 8th Italian ( AUDIO : " The Ghosts of N - Space " ) and Marco Polo , a Venetian who travelled extensively through China . ( TV : " Marco Polo " ) Lucia Moretti of Torchwood Three was Italian . In 1975 , she gave birth to Alice Carter , fathered by Jack Harkness . ( TV : " " ) Alternate timelines . Rocco Colasanto and his Italian family stayed in Leeds with Donna ' s family and were sent to a ' labour camp ' in the alternate reality created by the Time Beetle . ( TV : " Turn Left ) "