Italy

Italy

Have you ever wondered where pizzas and pasta were first made? Well, Italy is the country where those delicious foods were first made.

Did you know Ever since the Roman Empire broke down in 395 AD, Italy became one nation in 1861 which was 154 years ago? Although Italy only became one nation 154 years ago, it is a very old culture. Last year, Italy’s population was 61,157,234. Italy is near the Mediterranean sea, Adriatic sea, Ligurian sea and Tyrrhenian sea and it belongs to the continent Europe. The flag of Italy stands for 3 different virtues. The colour green stands for Hope. The white stands for Faith and lastly, the red stands for Charity. Many people say Italy is shaped like a high-heeled boot kicking a soccer ball. The soccer ball is the island of Sicily. This is true if you look closely at Italy on the map. The currency that Italians use are Euros. Italy is made up of 20 regions and those 20 regions speak different languages. Some languages that Italians use are Italian, German, French and Latin. The nickname of Italy is Bel Paese which means Beautiful country. Rome is the capital of Italy and it is one of the most beautiful places to visit. The Vatican is actually a small country and it is the ‘headquarters’ of the Roman Catholic Church. It is the home of the Pope. 83% of Italians are Christian but among the Christians, most are Catholics.

In 1914, Italy was allies with the US and the UK in World War 1. Later on, in the years 1930’s and 40’s, a man named Benito Mussolini wanted to change Italy’s foreign languages. He changed the original saying for goal in soccer into ‘Meta’, he changed Donald Duck into ‘Paperino’, Mickey mouse for ‘Topolino’ and Goofy for ‘Pippo’. Ever since then, the original meanings of these words were never used again.

The biggest cities in Italy are Rome, Naples and Milan. Italy isn’t only famous for their delicious cuisines but for their beautiful tourist attractions and for their amazing taste in architecture and art. In Italy there are more than one places that are the attractions for tourists. Verona is one of the beautiful sights in Italy not only because of William Shakespeare’s classic, Romeo and Juliet but it is a very romantic place. Venice is another place because of the nice architecture and the beautiful churches. Did you know most of the building in Venice is built on canals? Even though Rome is the capital of Italy, it is the most attractive place in Italy. Rome is included because of it’s churches, artwork and the ruins. Florence is a place where most artists are inspired. This is because of the buildings, views, cuisines and the fascinating artwork. Most of us know the leaning tower of Pisa. Right? Well, just like the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the Leaning Tower Of Pisa is one of the tourist attractions in Italy!

By: Liezl