Italy and the surrounding region, satellite image. North is at top. Italy is a long peninsular country on the Mediterranean Sea. To the east is the Adriatic Sea. The island off of the southwest tip of Italy is Sicily, an autonomous region of Italy. The islands in the Mediterranean to the west are Corsica (north, French) and Sardinia (south, Italian). Italy's capital city, Rome (grey area, is situated half way along the country's southwest coast. The mountains in the northwest of Italy are the Alps. Italy is bordered to the north by France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia.