How to say 114 beautiful geographical features on Earth in Italian

Mount Vesuvius in Naples. Historical canals in Venice. Tiber River in the Roman capital. These are just three examples of Italy’s rich geography.

In fact, Italy has a little bit of everything when it comes to landforms and bodies of water! There are beautiful sights to experience in every region, so it’s only natural to talk about all that the most beautiful peninsula has to offer.

Maybe you’re learning Italian as a hobby, or perhaps you’re planning a trip to Italy and want to brush up on some vocabulary and phrases. Whatever the reason, it’s important to be able to talk about different landforms in Italian. Geography is so ingrained in Italian history and way of life, and understanding it can only help you get better acclimated with the language and culture.

This boot is made for…

Just think about it: even the shape of the country itself is unique: a boot! This boot isn’t made for walking, though. It’s made for kicking! If you look at the map, you’ll notice that the mainland seems to be “kicking” one of its two separate islands: Sicily. Italy is a peninsula - or a piece of land almost surrounded entirely by water while remaining connected to a mainland. Although 116,350 square miles might not seem that big, the Italian peninsula contains a wide array of geographical features.

Before we journey into the different landforms, let’s take our first step by looking at some basic terms. Keep in mind that the Italian language takes masculine and feminine articles, which will be used throughout the article.

English	Italian	IPA	Pronunciation
Landform	Morfologia Terrestre	morfoloˈdʒia terˈrɛstre	mor-phoh-lo-gee-ah teh-res-tre
Bodies of Water	Massa d’acqua	'masːa di 'akːwa	mas - ah - dee - ahk - wa
Geography	Geografia	dʒeoɡra'fia	je - oh - gra - fee - ah

Features of Earthly geography in Italian

With some of the most beautiful geographical wonders at our fingertips, we need to start somewhere! First, let’s cover the most common landforms and bodies of water that you should know. Even if you’re not a geography buff, this list will prove useful whether you’re learning about Italy from home or actually touring around the peninsula.

English	Italian	IPA	Pronunciation
River	Il fiume	‘fjume	fee-ew-meh
Mountain	La montagna	mon'taɲa	mon-tan-ya
Forest	La foresta	fo'rɛsta	foh-res-ta
Ocean	L’oceano	o'tʃɛano	oh-sheh-ah-no
Valley	La valle	'valːe	vah-leh
Desert	Il deserto	de'zɛrto	de-ser-toe
Hill	La collina	ko'lːina	koh-lee-na
Island	L’isola	'izola	ee-so-la
Beach	La spiaggia	'spjadːʒa	spee-ya-jah
Volcano	Il vulcano	vul'kano	vul-cahn-oh

Going forward, keep in mind that there will likely be some overlap between words included in certain sections. Ready to go into more detail? Get your geology hats on - it’s time to adventure out into Italy’s beautiful landscapes!

Coastal and oceanic landforms in Italian

Coastal and oceanic landforms are all about where the land meets the sea. Italy is home to many rocky coasts as it looks out into the Mediterranean Sea, and boasts a coastline of almost 5,000 miles!

Whether you’re driving along the Amalfi coast or near the high point of the Adriatic Sea, the Italian coastal landforms are definitely worth noting. Here are a few words that pertain to coastal and oceanic landforms, along with some pronunciation tips.

English	Italian	IPA	Pronunciation
Archipelago	l’arcipelago	art∫i'pelaɡo	ar-key-pe-la-go
Atoll	l’atollo	a'tɔlːo	ah-toll-oh
Barrier Island	L’isola barriera	'izola ba'rːjɛra	ee-so-la bah-ree-eh-ra
Bay	La baia	'baja	bay-ah
Beach	La spiaggia	'spjadːʒa	spee-ya-jah
Bight/Bend	La ansa	'ansa	ahn-sa
Channel	Il condotto	kon'dotːo	cohn-dot-oh
Cape	Il capo	ˈkapo	cah-poh
Cliff	La scogliera	sko'ʎɛra	sko-lee-er-ah
Coast	La costa	'kɔsta	caw-sta
Continental Shelf	La piattaforma continentale	pjatːa'forma kontinen'tale	pee-at-ta-for-ma kon-ti-nen-tal-eh
Coral Reef	La barriera corallina	ba'rːjɛra koral’lina	bah-ree-eh-ra coh-rah-lee-na
Cove	L’insenatura	insena'tura	een-sen-a-two-ra
Dune	La duna	'duna	do-na
Estuary	Il estuario	estu'arjo	es-two-are-ee-oh
Forest	La foresta	fo'rɛsta	fo-res-ta
Gulf	Il golfo	'ɡolfo	gol-fo
Headland	Il promontorio	promon'tɔrjo	pro-mon-to-rio
Inlet	L’insenatura	insena'tura	een-sen-a-two-ra
Island	L’isola	'izola	ee-so-la
Islet	L’isolotto	izoˈlɔtto	ee-so-lot-toe
Isthmus	L’istmo	'istmo	eest-mo
Lagoon	La laguna	la'ɡuna	la-goo-na
Oceanic basin	Bacino oceanico	ba'tʃino otʃe'aniko	bah-cee-no oh-she-ah-nee-co
Peninsula	La penisola	pe'nizola	pe-neen-so-la
River Delta	Il delta del fiume	'dɛlta del fjume	del-ta del fee-ew-meh
Sea Cave	La grotta marina	'ɡrɔtːa ma'rina	grot-ta ma-ree-na
Seaport	Porto di mare	'pɔrto di mare	por-toe di ma-reh
Shoal	La secca	'sekːa	sek-kha
Shore	La costa	‘kɔsta	caw-sta
Strait	Lo stretto	'stretːo	stret-toe
Tide Pool	La pozza di marea	‘potːsa di ma'rɛa	poz-zah di ma-reh
Volcanic Arc	L’arco vulcanico	‘arco vul'kaniko	ar-ko vul-cahn-ee-ko

Erosion landforms in Italian

Erosion landforms are pretty rough and rugged thanks to natural damage from water or air, but they’re breath-taking all the same! This group contains some important examples, like canyons and caves.

English	Italian	IPA	Pronunciation
Badlands	I calanchi	ka’lanki	ka-lan-kee
Canyon	Il canalone	kana'lone	kan-ah-low-neh
Cave	La caverna	ka'vɛrna	ka-ver-nah
Cliff	La scogliera	sko'ʎɛra	sko-lee-er-ah
Fjord	Il fiordo	'fjɔrdo	fee-or-do
Gully	Il burrone	bu'rːone	bur-oh-neh
Hogback	Il dorsale	dor'sale	dor-sah-leh
Pediment	Il frontone	fron'tone	fron-toe-neh
Ridge	La cresta	'krɛsta	kres-ta
Ridge crossing	La traversata di cresta	traver'sata di 'krɛsta	tra-ver-sah-ta di kres-tah
Valley	La valle	'valːe	vah-leh

Fluvial landforms

A fluvial landform is shaped by various types of running water, including streams or rivers. They can range in size from small to large, as you’ll see in our examples below.

English	Italian	IPA	Pronunciation
Bayou	La palude	pa'lude	pah-loo-deh
Bench	La panchina	pan'kina	pan-kee-nah
Canyon	Il canalone	kana'lone	kan-ah-low-neh
Confluence	La confluenza	konflu'ɛntsa	kon-flu-en-za
Floodplain	La golena	ɡoˈlɛ.na	go-leh-na
Gorge	La gola	'ɡola	go-la
Gully	Il canalone	kana'lone	kan-ah-low-neh
Levee	L’argine	'ardʒine	are-gee-neh
Marsh	L’acquitrino	akːwi'trino	ak-wee-tree-no
Meander	Il meandro	me'andro	meh-an-dro
Rapids	Le rapide	'rapide	ra-pee-deh
River Island	L’isola fluviale	'izola flu'vjale	ee-so-la flu-vee-ah-leh
Spring	Fonte	‘fonte	phon-teh
Strait	Lo stretto	'stretːo	stret-toe
Stream	La corrente	ko'rːɛnte	core-en-toe
Towhead	Il banco di sabbia	'banko di 'sabːja	ban-ko di sab-bya
Waterfall	La cascata	kas'kata	kas-ka-ta
Watershed	Il spartiacque	sparti'akwe	spar-tee-akwe

Impact landforms in Italian

Have you ever heard of an “extraterrestrial impact”? It’s actually really cool to picture! You can think of these as landforms that were created by something “extraterrestrial” and have eroded over time.

English	Italian	IPA	Pronunciation
Crater	Il cratere	kra'tɛre	cra-teh-reh
Impact Crater	Il cratere da impatto	kra'tɛre da im'patːo	cra-teh-reh da eem-pat-toe
Pit Crater	Il cratere a pozzo	kra'tɛre a potːso	cra-teh-reh a pots-so

Mountains and glacial landforms in Italian

This section is particularly important for Italy! Whether you love hiking, skiing, or just hanging out in the ski cabin, you’ll never be bored in Italy. The Italian Apennine range extends more than 600 miles across the peninsula, and the famous Alps act as a beautiful border to France.

English	Italian	IPA	Pronunciation
Crevasse	Il crepaccio	kre'patːʃo	kre-pach-oh
Glacier	Il ghiacciaio	ɡja'tːʃajo	gyach-ay-oh
Glacier Cave	Grotta del ghiacciaio	'ɡrɔtːa del ɡja'tːʃajo	groht-ta del gyach-ay-oh
Highland	L’altopiano	alto'pjano	all-toe-pyan-oh
Hill	La collina	ko'lːina	koh-lee-na
Moraine	La morena	mo'rɛna	moh-reh-na
Mountain	La montagna	mon'taɲa	mon-tan-ya
Mountain Pass	Il passo di montagna	pasːo di mon'taɲa	pas-so di mon-tan-ya
Mountain Valley	La valle laterale	'valːe late'rale	vah-leh la-teh-rah-leh
Summit	La cima	'tʃima	chee-ma
Valley	La valle	'valːe	vah-leh

Volcanic landforms in Italian

Italy has some of the most active volcanoes on Earth, and if you’re familiar with Italian history, you’ve probably learned about Mount Vesuvius’ catastrophic result on Pompeii. Although its volcanoes could erupt at any time, Italians hold a deep respect for these volcanic landforms.

English	Italian	IPA	Pronunciation
Caldera	La caldera	kælˈdeə.rə	kal-der-ah
Fissure Vent	La fessura	fe'sːura	fess-oo-ra
Geyser	Il geyser	ˈɡaizər	gai-ser
Lava	La lava	'lava	lah-vah
Lava Lake	Il lago di lava	'laɡo di 'lava	lah-go di lah-vah
Pit Crater	Il cratere a pozzo	kra'tɛre a potːso	cra-teh-reh a pots-so
Volcano	Il vulcano	vul'kano	vul-cahn-oh
Volcanic Cone	Il cono vulcanico	'kɔno vul'kaniko	coh-no vul-cahn-ee-ko

Bodies of water in Italian

The Italian peninsula is not afraid of water, that’s for sure! The country has many large, freshwater lakes, like the famous Lake Garda and Lake Como. Plus, there are approximately 1,200 rivers all throughout the country!

English	Italian	IPA	Pronunciation
Canal	Il canale	ka’nale	ka-na-leh
Channel	Il condotto	kon'dotːo	kon-dot-toe
Creek	Il ruscello	ru'ʃɛlːo	ru-schel-low
Dam	La diga	'diɡa	dee-gah
Delta	Il delta	'dɛlta	del-ta
Hot Spring	Le terme	'tɛrme	ter-meh
Lagoon	La laguna	la'ɡuna	la-goo-na
Lake	Il lago	'laɡo	lah-go
Mangrove	La mangrovia	man'ɡrɔvja	mahn-grow-vee-ah
Moat	Il fossato	fo'sːato	foss-ah-toe
Ocean	L’oceano	o'tʃɛano	oh-sheh-ah-no
Pond	Lo stagno	'staɲo	sta-nyo
Puddle	La pozza	'potːsa	poz-zah
Reservoir	Il serbatoio	serba'tojo	sur-bah-toy-oh
River	Il fiume	'fjume	fee-ew-meh
Sea	Il mare	‘mare	ma-reh
Sinkhole	La dolina	do'lina	doe-lee-na
Source	Il fonte	'fonte	phon-teh
Swamp	Il pantano	pan'tano	pahn-tah-no
Wetland	La zona umida	'dzɔna 'umido	zo-na ew-mee-da

Phrases or idioms that contain landforms and geography in Italian

Incorporating geography in Italian via idioms and phrases into conversation is one of the best ways to master not only vocabulary but cultural elements, too! And as you’ll see in the table below, some common Italian idioms creatively use some of the words we’ve just learned. You might even notice that some of these idioms have an English equivalent!

English	Italian	IPA	Pronunciation	Meaning
The sea lies between saying and doing something	Tra il dire e il fare c’è di mezzo il mare.	tra il ‘dire e il ‘fare ˈtʃɛ di 'mɛdːzo il 'mare	tra il dee-reh ke dee metz-zo il ma-reh	There’s many a slip ‘twixt the cup and the lips. (Even if a good outcome seems certain, anything can happen)
Carry water to the sea	Portare acqua al mare.	por'tare 'akːwa al 'mare	poor-tah-re ak-wa al ma-re	Bringing coals to Newcastle. (a popular coal mining town) - Doing something redundant.
Stir the waters	Smuovere le acque.	'zmwɔvere le ˈak.kwe	smuo-veh-re le ak-qwe	To stir the pot and create trouble.
Sailing in bad waters	Navigare in cattive acque.	navi'ɡare in katˈti.ve ˈak.kwe	na-vee-gah-reh in cah-tee-veh ak-qwe	Going through a difficult time.
No man is an island	Nessun uomo è un’isola	nesˈsu.n wɔ.mo e un 'izola	ness-un uo-mo eh ee-so-la	No one is self-sufficient.
The island that doesn’t exist	Un’isola che non c’è.	un 'izola ke non ˈtʃɛ	un ee-so-la ke non che	Neverland - a place that doesn’t exist.
Moving oceans and mountains	Muovere mare e montagne	'mwɔvere 'mare e monˈtaɲ.ɲe	Muo-veh-reh ma-re eh mon-tan-ya	To move heaven and Earth to make something possible.
The mountain gave birth to a mouse	La montagna ha partorito un topolino.	la mon'taɲa ha parto'rito un to.poˈli.no	la mon-tan-ya ah par-tor-ee-toh un toe-poh-lee-no	It was all flash and no bang.
To come from the Soap Mountain	Venire dalla montagna del sapone	ve'nire dal.la mon'taɲa del sa'pone	veh-nee-reh da la mon-tan-ya del sa-poh-neh	To be wet behind the ears. Gullible
To go to Monte	Andare a monte	an'dare a 'monte	ahn-da-reh a mon-teh	When something goes awry or comes to nothing.
The last beach	L’ultima spiaggia.	l`ultima 'spjadːʒa	ul-tee-ma spee-yah-ja	The last resort.

Exploring all that Italy has to offer

If you find yourself traveling throughout Italy, eager to explore the stunning landforms it has to offer, make sure to do your research first. If you’re interested in lakes, the Spring (April to June) and Fall months (September to October) are perhaps the best time to go, offering travelers more enjoyable climates and fewer crowds.

Skiing, on the other hand, is best enjoyed during the Winter months (December to February) - just make sure you don’t mind sharing the slopes with visitors from all over the world.

No language learner is an island: Keep practicing!

As we know, “nessun uomo è un’isola” - and that goes for everyone studying the Italian language, too. Check out our other articles ranging from Italian vocabulary to pronunciation here, and keep practicing until you’re as fluent as le rapide, as confident as una montagna, and…well, you get the point!