Italy's History

     I'll be blogging on history this week (just a warning) so, try to stay awake while reading this. There are a lot of different history eras of Italy however, I'll be mainly focusing on the Roman era.

     Italy is obviously the birth place of the Roman Empire. Julius Caeser placed a big part in Italy's history. According to legend, Rome was founded in 753 BC by Romulus and Remus, and was then governed by seven Kings of Rome. In the following centuries, Rome started expanding its territory, defeating its neighbours one after the other. Greeks settled in the southern tip of the Italian Peninsula in the eighth and seventh centuries B.C. Etruscans, Romans, and others took over the central and northern mainland. The neighbouring islands also came under Roman control by the third century B.C. By the first century A.D., the Roman Empire effectively dominated the Mediterranean world. After the collapse of the Roman Empire in the West in the fifth century A.D., the peninsula and islands were subjected to a series of invasions, and political unity was lost. Italy became an oft-changing succession of small states, principalities, and kingdoms, which fought among themselves and were subject to ambitions of foreign powers. Popes of Rome ruled central Italy; rivalries between the popes and the Holy Roman Emperors, who claimed Italy as their domain, often made the peninsula a battleground.

http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0107658.html
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/italy/history

Italy's Culture

   From as early as the 16th century, Italy was at the centre of Western culture. Italian’s are known as the creators of the Etruscan civilization, Ancient Rome, the Roman Catholic Church, Humanism and the Renaissance.

The Last Supper- Leonardo da Vinci

   Whether from the north or south, Italians share one common thing - a love and lust for life! They're lively, sociable and have a passion for everything they do. Most Italians are Roman Catholics. The influence of the church can be seen in everyday life and in their stunning art pieces. Most religious monuments and paintings and local traditions are based on Christian celebrations.

Italians are proud of their artistic heritage and so they should be. Italy has produced some of the greatest artists in the world; Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Raphael, to name just a few. Italy’s finest artists are displayed in Museums, churches and courtyards all over the country.

   Italy is home to the Opera and Opera music. Everyone's heard of Rossini, Verdi and Puccini - the classics. It's accessible to everyone, from the rich to simple peasant farmers. Most Italians will have a firm knowledge of opera and will attend a performance whenever possible.

   The typical Italian home is simple yet practical and always colourful. You'll see balconies with fresh red roses hanging on bright blue railings, tables full of apples, grapes, fresh cheese and bottles of local wine; colourful flowers everywhere, tiny courtyards and gardens with statues. The homes reflect what the people of Italy love; beauty, color, style, family and friendship. Italy is exactly what you would expect it to be!

   Fashion is a top priority in Italy. Your social status depends on your sense of fashion and will affect the way people view you.  Italian’s refer to this as “bella figura” which comes from the Italian word meaning “to impress”. Today, Italy is one of the world centers of modern high fashion clothing. Fashion houses such as Armani, Fendi, Gucci, and Versace have become very popular high class brands. The city of Milan takes its place amongst the most important centers of fashion in the world.

http://www.mapsofworld.com/italy/culture.html
http://www.everyculture.com/Ge-It/Italy.html
http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/resources/global-etiquette/italy-country-profile.html
http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/4033.htm

Italy's Economy

The Euro coins in Italy

The Italian economy is one of the worlds most developed; the country has a high standard of living. Italy is the 8^th largest economy in the world.  By 2006, industry contributed about 30% of the annual gross domestic product and agriculture only 2%. The principal farm products are fruits, vegetables, grapes, potatoes, sugar beets, soybeans, grain, olives and olive oil, and livestock (especially cattle, pigs, sheep, and goats). In addition, much wine is produced from grapes grown throughout the country. Germany is Italy’s largest producer with 16.4% of the products. Tourism is one of Italy's most important industries and a major source of foreign exchange. Italy's economy has been gradually diversifying. Italy’s form of payment is called Euros. One Euro is equivalent to $1.32 US dollars. The average amount of money Italy earns in one year is $1.63 trillion and the average person earns $32,120 a year.  

http://www.economywatch.com/world_economy/italy/

http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/4033.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_GDP_(nominal)

http://www.tripadvisor.ca/Travel-g187768-s601/Italy:Banks.And.Money.html

Climate of Italy

The Northern part of Italy has hot summers and cold winter, although the temperature rarely drops below freezing during the daytime. Whereas the South enjoys mild winters and long, dry, hot summers. Mountain areas such as the Alps and the Apennines have long, cold winters long and short, cool summers. Much like the rest of the world, Italy’s climate changes with the seasons. During the winter months, places such as the Alps, Turin, and Venice bear the impact of the winter cold. Temperatures in Southern Italy are normally milder with averages of 50 to 60 degrees from December to April. Cities located near the Tyrrhenian Sea (Western Italy) have mild seasons. Summer temperatures normally stay within the 79 to 87 degrees. Winters are also milder than the northern region, and average lows in the winter are between 40 to 42 degrees.  The Mediterranean Region (south) of Italy has wider rainfall totals in the winter months, and dry summer conditions. 

http://www.understandingitaly.com/profile-content/climate.html

http://www.allhotelsitaly.com/italy/climate.htm