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The BIG little
Book of Italy
By: Austin George, Cade Kalander, Austin Ciokiewicz, and Josh Butzman
Early Italy
The first people in modern day
Italy were hunters and gatherers. The
hunters and gatherers crossed the
Alps and settled. The migration of
these Indo-European people began at
about 2,000 B.C.
Neanderthal cave painting found in Italy.
The Etruscans
The Etruscans were the first
society based civilization in Italy.
Etruscans were famous for making
beautiful gold and silver jewelry. The
Etruscan empire ruled all of Italy, until
Rome broke free in 510 B.C.
The Romans
The Great Roman ruler Julius Caesar expanded the
Roman Empire until he was murdered. The Empire
stretched across almost all of Europe and to the Middle
East. After his death, Caesar’s great nephew, Octavian,
was proclaimed the first Roman emperor and for 200
years there was peace and stability. The Romans built
the great wonder, the Coliseum, for bloody gladiator
sports and other entertainment. After over 500 years,
the Roman Empire ended when emperor Romulus
Augustlus surrendered to the barbarian King Odoacer.
Middle Ages to Today
Italy was the cultural center of the western
world from the 13th-16th century. City-
states with high political and commercial
rivalries were intense and flourished in the
late middle ages. The great writer,
inventor, musician and artist Leonardo da
Vinci was born in Italy during the
Renaissance.
Roman Religion
The ancient Romans believed in many gods and goddesses. The
gods and goddesses were worshiped in temples. According to
the Romans, after you die your soul goes to the underworld.
The family of the person that died would put two coins on the
dead person’s eyes to give to the fairy man.
Gods and Goddesses of Rome
Saturn was a Ruler, and Jupiter was the god of the sky. Juno
was the goddess of watching over the women in ancient Rome,
and Neptune was the god of the seas. Minerva was the goddess
of wisdom and work, and Mars was the god of all the wars in
ancient Rome. Venus was the goddess of love.
The Churches of Italy
The Roman Catholic Church is considered the most powerful
church in Italy. The history of the Roman Catholic Church is
based as much on politics as it is on religion. Before Christianity,
Roman worshiped a series of gods and goddesses.
Catholicism and Faith
One cannot know the true nature of this
country and its people without understanding
the role faith plays in Italian life. Italy has
been a land of deep faith since time
immortal. Almost all the people in Italy are
Catholic. About ninety percent of Italy is
Catholic, seven percent are irreligion, two
percent are Islam, and one percent is other.
Religion in Italy
Cathlic
Irreligion
Islam
Other
Italian sports
Did you know that every spring the tour of Italy has
bicycle races which attract the world’s best riders?
In Italy girls prefer playing volleyball and basketball.
Boys are currently attracted to football, or in
America soccer. In Italy they also play a sport called
bocce. Bocce is played on dirt and you roll a
wooden ball to hit a bigger wooden ball.
In Italy there are millions of licensed hunters, no
wonder there is a shortage of animals. Pollution and
over fishing has resulted in smaller amounts of fish
catches in Italy. Italians spend months training for
the Polio races that last about 2 minutes riding on a
horse.
The Italian soccer team is a current title holder. Also
they are considered the second most successful
soccer team in the world. Did you know in Italy the
winter sports are the most watched and enjoyed
sporting events?
Italians consider basketball to be the next most
popular after soccer. After basketball cycling is the
next most popular sport in Italy. Italians say cycling
is apart of their life and cycling makes history.
Italian Foods.
Coffee is the most popular drink in all of Italy.
There is a food that they eat called chickpeas. Chickpeas are a
kind of round bean, and are eaten throughout Italy. For some
reason they only eat special foods only in the summer because
only certain foods grow in the summer
Italian Cooking
Italian chefs make pasta using rigatoni noodles.
Rigatoni is short, slightly curved, noodles. A dessert that they
make are maraschino cherries, they are a large type of cherry
that is soaked in a sweet liquid. An appetizer that they make is
called an antipasto. An antipasto is a large plate filled with
meat, vegetables, and cheese.
ItalIan’ DIet
Italians don’t have big breakfasts; they usually have a
light breakfast. The only big meal they have is at dinner time.
The dinner they eat has three different entrée’s, fish, pasta, and
any meat that is on the menu. The Italians eat hundreds of
different cheeses, like mozzarella, and parmesan.
History of pizza
There are many different styles of pizza, Italian, New
York, and Chicago style. They say that the word pizza came
from the word Pinza. Italy had tomatoes since the 1530’s, but
they thought tomatoes were poisonous, so they didn’t use
tomatoes until the 18th and 19th century. By the middle ages
Italian pizza took on more modern look and taste.