what does "Italian boot" mean? attatched passages
 Passage1：Ancient East Asian Found in Roman Empire
In a report in the Journal of Roman Archaeology, researchers announce the discovery of a body of an east Asian man, buried in Italy two millennia ago. Christopher Intagliata reports
February 4, 2010
Some people of Italian ancestry, like me, might have a surprise in the family tree—a man of east Asian descent, who was living and working 2,000 years ago in the boondocks near the heel of the Italian boot. The discovery is the first good evidence of an Asian living in Italy during Roman times.

Question

what does "Italian boot" mean?  attatched passages
	Passage1：Ancient East Asian Found in Roman Empire
In a report in the Journal of Roman Archaeology, researchers announce the discovery of a body of an east Asian man, buried in Italy two millennia ago. Christopher Intagliata reports 
February 4, 2010  
Some people of Italian ancestry, like me, might have a surprise in the family tree—a man of east Asian descent, who was living and working 2,000 years ago in the boondocks near the heel of the Italian boot. The discovery is the first good evidence of an Asian living in Italy during Roman times.

Answer

Americans are taught that Italy is shaped like boot, a shoe that comes up high on the leg. The toe points toward Sicily and the heel is to the east.  Because the heel region is not densely poputated and not near any major cities, the author called it the boondocks.

Answer

Just a wild guest... could it be that the shape of the coastline of Italy resembles that of a boot?