Editing Soft power (section)

=== Italy ===
The elements of Italian soft culture are its [[Italian art|art]], [[Music of Italy|music]], [[Italian fashion|fashion]], [[Italian design|design]], and [[Italian cuisine|food]]. Italy was the birthplace of [[opera]],<ref>Kimbell, David R. B. [https://books.google.com/books?id=C37Gq2GagZIC&pg=PA1 ''Italian Opera.''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221011234953/https://books.google.com/books?id=C37Gq2GagZIC&pg=PA1&dq= |date=2022-10-11 }} Cambridge University Press, 1994. p. 1. Web. 22 Jul. 2012.</ref> and for generations the language of opera was [[Italian language|Italian]]. Popular tastes in drama in Italy have long favored comedy; the improvisational style known as the ''[[Commedia dell'arte]]'' began in Italy in the mid-16th century<ref>{{cite web |language=it |url=http://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/commedia-dell-arte/ |title=Commedia dell'arte |work=Treccani, il portale del sapere |access-date=24 Jul 2012 |archive-date=4 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211104120129/https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/commedia-dell-arte/ |url-status=live }}</ref> and is still performed today. Before being exported to France and Russia, [[Ballet]] also originated in Italy.
The country boasts several world-famous cities: [[Rome]] was the ancient capital of the [[Roman Empire]] and seat of the [[Pope]] of the [[Catholic Church]]. Rome is generally considered one of the "cradles of [[Western culture|Western civilization]] and [[Christian culture]]".<ref>{{cite book |title=Understanding China Today: An Exploration of Politics, Economics, Society, and International Relations |first=Silvio |last=Beretta |year=2017 |isbn=9783319296258 |page=320 |publisher=Springer |quote=}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=Christianity: Religions of the World |first=Ann Marie B. |last=Bahr |year=2009 |isbn=9781438106397 |page=139 |publisher=[[Infobase Publishing]] |quote=}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=Rome in America: Transnational Catholic Ideology from the Risorgimento to Fascism |first=Peter R. |last=D'Agostino |year=2005 |isbn=9780807863411 |page= |publisher=[[University of North Carolina Press]]}}</ref> [[Florence]] was the heart of the [[Renaissance]], a period of great achievements in [[the arts]]<ref>Zirpolo, Lilian H. [https://books.google.com/books?id=QPqWxHwdMNAC&pg=PA154 ''The A to Z of Renaissance Art.''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221011235002/https://books.google.com/books?id=QPqWxHwdMNAC&pg=PA154&dq= |date=2022-10-11 }} Scarecrow Press, 2009. pp. 154-156. Web. 16 Jul. 2012.</ref> which marked the transition from the [[Middle Ages]] to [[modernity]]. Other important cities include [[Turin]], one of the world's great centers of [[Automotive industry of Italy|automobile engineering]]. [[Milan]] is one of the "Big Four" [[fashion capital]]s. [[Venice]], with its intricate canal system and history of seafaring, attracts tourists from all over the world especially during the [[Venetian Carnival]] and the [[Venice Biennale]].
Italy is home to the greatest number of [[UNESCO]] [[World Heritage Site]]s (59) to date.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Centre |first=UNESCO World Heritage |title=Italy - UNESCO World Heritage Convention |url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/statesparties/it |access-date=2023-09-21 |website=UNESCO World Heritage Centre |language=en}}</ref> In 2019, Italy had the ninth largest diplomatic network in the world.<ref name=":0" /> Italy is the fifth most visited country in the World.