Why is Italy called Italy?

"Italy," from L. Italia, probably from a Gk. alteration of Oscan Viteliu "Italy," but originally only the southwestern point of the peninsula, perhaps originally "land of cattle," related to L. vitulus "calf." The origins of the name Italy - The Itali settled the southern part of present-day Calabria, that is, the tip of the boot called Italy. read more

There are lots of different theories on this, but the most popular one links Italy's etymology to the Latin 'vitulus', meaning 'calf'. Apparently, before the days of the Roman Empire, Italy (as it's now known) was renowned for its cattle. read more