<P> In the late 2000s, Italy was severely hit by the Great Recession . From 2008 to 2013, the country suffered 42 months of GDP recession . The economic crisis was one of the main problems that forced Berlusconi to resign in 2011 . The government of the conservative Prime Minister was replaced by the technocratic cabinet of Mario Monti . Following the 2013 general election, the Vice-Secretary of the Democratic Party Enrico Letta formed a new government at the head of a right - left Grand coalition . In 2014, challenged by the new Secretary of the PD Matteo Renzi, Letta resigned and was replaced by Renzi . The new government started important constitutional reforms such as the abolition of the Senate and a new electoral law . On 4 December the constitutional reform was rejected in a referendum and Renzi resigned after few days on 12 December; the Foreign Affairs Minister Paolo Gentiloni was appointed new Prime Minister . </P> <P> Italy was affected by the European migrant crisis in 2015 as it became the entry point and leading destination for most asylum seekers entering the EU . The country took in over half a million refugees, which caused great strain on the public purse and a surge in the support for far - right and euroskeptic political parties . </P> <P> Italy is located in Southern Europe, between latitudes 35 ° and 47 ° N, and longitudes 6 ° and 19 ° E. To the north, Italy borders France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia, and is roughly delimited by the Alpine watershed, enclosing the Po Valley and the Venetian Plain . To the south, it consists of the entirety of the Italian Peninsula and the two Mediterranean islands of Sicily and Sardinia, in addition to many smaller islands . The sovereign states of San Marino and the Vatican City are enclaves within Italy, while Campione d'Italia is an Italian exclave in Switzerland . </P> <P> The country's total area is 301,230 square kilometres (116,306 sq mi), of which 294,020 km (113,522 sq mi) is land and 7,210 km (2,784 sq mi) is water . Including the islands, Italy has a coastline and border of 7,600 kilometres (4,722 miles) on the Adriatic, Ionian, Tyrrhenian seas (740 km (460 mi)), and borders shared with France (488 km (303 mi)), Austria (430 km (267 mi)), Slovenia (232 km (144 mi)) and Switzerland (740 km (460 mi)). San Marino (39 km (24 mi)) and Vatican City (3.2 km (2.0 mi)), both enclaves, account for the remainder . </P>

What are all of italy's neighboring countries