ITALY

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ITALYPOPULATION 61,3 million people

AREA 116,348 square miles

CAPITAL Roma (Rome), which is often called “Eternal City”, with 2,6 million inhabitants and Italy’s biggest city

NICKNAME “Bel Paese” which means “Beautiful country”

GOVERNMENT Democracy, Republic

HEAD OF STATE Giorgio Napolitano

LANGUAGE Italian (German, French and Ladin are sometimes spoken in northern Italy)

RELIGION mainly Christians (Roman Catholic 90%)

CURRENCY 1 Euro = 100 cents; before 2001 Italian lira

NATIONAL ANTHEM

Fratelli d’Italia (Brothers of Italy)

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FLAG

Its name is “TRICOLORE” which means “Three colours”, that is to say the three virtues: HOPE (green), FAITH (white) and CHARITY (red).

LITERACY RATE

more than 99% of the population can read and write

HISTORY The country has a long history, as Rome, its capital, was founded in 753 BC. After the Roman Empire broke down in 395 AD, there were many separate kingdoms and city states. However, Italy became one nation only in 1861 and since then it includes the islands of Sicily and Sardinia. It was a kingdom until 1946 after the second World War, where Italy sided with the German Nazis. Italy is a founding member of the European Union (EU) and the NATOGo to Next

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POSITION

Italy lies in Southern Europe

SHAPE It is easy to recognize Italy in a world map for its shape; it’s like a high-heeled boot.

GEOGRAPHY

In the North, the mountain range of the Alps separates Italy from the other European countries: France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia. -Monte Bianco (Mont Blanc), in the Alps, is the highest mountain:4807m. -The Po is the longest river in Italy.

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-In the south of Italy there are three active volcanoes: Vesuvius, near Naples, Etna in Sicily and Stromboli off the coast of Italy-Italy is subdivided in 20 regions like Tuscany (aroud Florence), Veneto (around Venice) and Lazio (around Rome)-Italy surrounds two of the world’s smallest countries: San Marino in Northern Italy, the oldest republic in the world and the Vatican City in Rome, the smallest country in the world: The Vatican City is led by the Pope and is the headquarters of the Roman Catholic Church.

GEOGRAPHY

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TOP 10 PAINTERS LEONARDO da VINCI MICHELANGELO RAFFAELLO CARAVAGGIO BOTTICELLI TIZIANO BERNINI DONATELLO CANALETTO CORREGGIO

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TOP 10 AUTHORS

DANTE ALIGHIERI PETRARCA BOCCACCIO MANZONI LEOPARDI MACHIAVELLI FOSCOLO CARDUCCI D’ANNUNZIO PASCOLI

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Rome (Roma), the capital city, is full of history. Looking around while walking, you can admire its magnificent ancient monuments (Fori Imperiali, the Colosseo, Terme di Caracalla), its interesting medieval churches (Santa Francesca Romana, San Giorgio al Velabro, San Clemente), the beautiful fountains like the famous “Fontana di Trevi”, a lot of museums, Renaissance palaces (Palazzo Venezia, Palazzo Farnese) and its unforgettable squares (Piazza di Spagna, Piazza Navona, Piazza del Popolo, Piazza San Giovanni)

The Vatican and San Pietro Church are also found in Rome.

Colosseo

Fori Imperiali

Piazza S. PietroTerme di Caracalla

Piazza di Spagna

Fontana di Trevi

Palazzo VeneziaROME

Castel Sant’Angelo

Piazza Navona

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VENICE

Venice (Venezia) is a special city because it was built on water, in the middle of a lagoon.

It’s one of the most romantic places in the world with its hundred canals, San Marco square and its unforgettable bridges. The Bridge of Sighs (Ponte dei sospiri) is the most famous. A very nice experience is sailing through the canals on the “gondola”, the typical venetian boat.

Piazza San Marco

Ponte di Rialto

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FLORENCE

Florence (Firenze). The regional capital of Tuscany, is one of the most important Renaissance architectural and art centres.

Dante Alighieri was born here and the Medici family lived and ruled in this city for many years. Thanks to them the most famous artists and painters produced their works of art living in their courts.

The Dome with its famous bell tower by Giotto, the Baptisery, the medieval Town Hall, Santa Croce Church and Ponte Vecchio (the old bridge) over Arno river are some of the most visited places.

Palazzo Vecchio

Santa Maria del Fiore

Ponte Vecchio

Cattedrale Santa Maria del

Fiore

Immagine storica

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MILAN

Milan (Milano), in the North of Italy, is one of Europe’s richest cities. It is famous for its fashion boutiques, art galleries and restaurants.

If you go to Milan don’t miss the Dome, a huge Gothic church, and “La Scala” theatre, one of the world’s most famous opera and ballet houses.

Galleria

Duomo di Milano

Panettone il classico dolce

natalizio milanese

Cotoletta alla Milanese, piatto della tradizione

gastronomica ambrosiana

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NAPLES

Naples (Napoli) lies on the coast, south of Rome. It is surely one of the most vibrant cities in Italy. From its wonderful gulf you can have an impressive view of Vesuvius, one of the three active volcanoes in Italy

In Naples you can find many historical and artistic treasures, but most of all its special PIZZA, the SFOGLIATELLA, BABA’ and PASTIERA, three typical delicious cakes. Another incomparable thing to taste is COFFEE. They say it is so unique because of the water used to prepare it.

Sfogliatella

Pastiera

Pizza

Vista Vesuvio

Caffè

Maschio Angioino

Piazza Plebiscito

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