Among Italy's manifold tourist attractions are the artistic and architectural treasures of Rome and Florence; the thousands of historic churches and galleries in smaller cities; the canals and palaces of Venice; the ruins of ancient Pompeii; the Shroud of Turin, reputed to be the burial cloth of Jesus; and the delicacies of northern Italian cooking, as well as the heartier fare of the south. Tourists are also lured by Italy's many beaches and by excellent Alpine skiing. Italians enjoy a wide variety of sports, including football (soccer), bowling, tennis, track, and swimming. Italy won the World Cup in soccer three times, in 1934 (as host), 1938, and 1982. Cortina d'Ampezzo, in the Dolomites, was the site of the 1956 Winter Olympics, and Rome hosted the Summer Olympics in 1960.
Citizens of the US and of many other countries need only a valid passport for short trips in Italy; for longer sojourns, a permit is necessary. No passport is required of nationals of EC member countries.
Tourism is a major industry in Italy, which ranked as Europe's third most popular tourist destination in 1998, when 58,499,000 visitors from abroad arrived in the country. In 2000, revenues from the tourist industry reached $27.5 billion with 62,702,228 visitor arrivals. That year there were 1,854,100 beds available in hotels and other accommodations.
In 2002, the US government estimated the cost of staying in Milan at $353 per day. Daily expenses were estimated at $366 in Rome, $238 in Venice, and $249 in Florence.