Italiano — the article with geographical names
In Italian, countries, regions, rivers and mountains normally take the definite article (l'Italia, la Francia), while cities go without one (Roma). The preposition also matters: with feminine countries you say in Italia (no article), but with masculine or plural ones the article merges in, as in negli USA.
How it works
Give the definite article to countries, regions, rivers and mountains (l'Italia, la Toscana, il Po, le Alpi), but leave cities bare (Roma, Milano). After a preposition the article merges with it: la Francia becomes in Francia only because feminine singular countries drop the article after in, while masculine or plural ones keep it — negli USA, nel Regno Unito, nei Paesi Bassi.
Examples
| Type / example | Rule |
|---|---|
| l'Italia, la Francia, la Spagna | Feminine countries: definite article as subject/object |
| il Giappone, il Portogallo, il Brasile | Masculine countries also keep the article |
| gli Stati Uniti, i Paesi Bassi | Plural countries take a plural article |
| in Italia, in Francia, in Spagna | After 'in', feminine singular countries drop the article |
| negli USA, nel Regno Unito, nei Paesi Bassi | Masculine or plural countries keep the merged article |
| Roma, Milano, Firenze | Cities take no article (a Roma, a Milano) |
| il Po, il Tevere, le Alpi, il Vesuvio | Rivers and mountains always take the article |
Good to know
The rule that in drops the article applies only to feminine singular countries: say vado in Italia but vado negli Stati Uniti. When a country is modified, the article comes back even after in — l'Italia del Rinascimento, nell'Italia del Sud. A few large islands behave like cities and take no article after in (in Sicilia, in Sardegna).