Italy
Capital: Rome
Population: 60,795,612 Conventional Name: Italian Republic Chief of State: President Sergio Mattarella Head of State: Prime Minister Matteo Renzi National Anthem: Il Canto degli Italiani (The Song of the Italians) - also known as "L'Inno di Mameli" (Mameli's Hymn), and "Fratelli D'Italia" (Brothers of Italy) Lyrics/Music: Goffredo Mameli/Michele Novaro |
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Facts about Italy
- The Alps separate Italy from the other European countries including: France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia. German, French and Latin are common languages spoken along the northern border of Italy.
- In southern Italy you will find Italy’s three active volcanoes: Vesuvius near Naples, Etna on Sicily and Stromboli off the Coast of Italy. Etna and Stromboli are currently active and has been since 2014 .
- Italy is slightly larger than Arizona.
- Italy is the 5th most populated country in Europe.
- Italy has the 8th largest economy in the world.
- Italy holds 50 UNESCO world heritage sites, which is the most of all European nations.
- Italy is the second largest producer of wine in the world after France.
- Italy has over 3,000 museums!
- As of 2013 34% of the citizens from Italy have never used the internet!
- 51% of Italians cannot afford to take a week off work in order to go on a vacation.
- The middle finger of Galileo's right hand is on display at the Museo Galileo in Florence, Italy!
- At age 10 Mussolini was expelled from a religious boarding school for stabbing a classmate in the hand, and another stabbing incident took place at his next school. He also admitted to knifing a girlfriend in the arm.
- It is law in Venice, Italy that all gondolas are painted black. Also the port side of the gondola is made longer than the starboard side. This asymmetry causes the gondola to resist the tendency to turn towards the left at the forward stroke.
- Leonarda Cianciulli is a famous Italian serial killer who turned her victims into tea cakes and served them to her guests.
- In Italy, "pepperoni" refers to bell peppers. There's no Italian salami by that name, so don't ask for pepperoni on your pizza unless you are looking for peppers!
- Tomatoes came from America and weren't introduced in Italy until the 1540s. It was a challenge to get the people to begin eating them due to their red color.
- The world's oldest university in continuous operation is the University of Bologna, in Italy, founded in 1088.
- The fork came to Italy before any other European country because of their PASTA.
- About 3,000 Euros are thrown into the Trevi fountain, in Rome, each day. The money goes to a supermarket for Rome's needy population.
- The colors of the Italian flag represent: hope (green), faith (white), and charity (red).
- Italians love sports. Cycling, Skiing, Soccer and Motor Racing are just some of the sports Italians have very strong interest in.
- Family is very important for Italians. Often times multiple generations live together in the same household.
- The thermometer, piano, eyeglasses and ice cream cone are all Italian invention.
- The average life expectancy at birth for an Italian is 79.8 years for men, 84.6 for women.
- The average Italian consumes half a pound of bread a day. The average Italian consumes 26 gallons of wine a year.
- "Ars longa, vita brevis" is a common saying in Italy. It means "art is long, life is short" and reflects the Italian love of leisure.
- Football (our Soccer) is Italy's national sport.