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| Italy |
| www.fretnotgospel.com/italy.html |
| SECOND IMPORTANT THING ABOUT ITALY Italy ... Mo |
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References - Books Ancient Rome, Eyewitness Books, Siman James, 1990, pp.72. Italy: Cultures of the World, Jane Kohen Winter and Leslie Jermyn, 2003, pp. 144 Internet |
| by Noah Arthur |
| by Noah Arthur |
| by Noah Arthur |
| by Noah Arthur |
| FIRST IMPORTANT THING ABOUT ITALY Italy is the head of the world's Catholicism. Catholicism started at the end of the Roman empire. Most Italians are Catholic. Since then, a man called the pope has ruled the Catholic faith. At that time, the popes had political power as well as religious. The pope lives in a seperate country called Vatican City, located within Italy. There is a whole class system around the pope, from cardinals to altar boys. In Vatican City are the famous Swiss Guards, who guard the pope's area. Most Italians are Catholic. Catholicism was once a large part of Italian life, but recently it has lost much of its importance. Catholic laws were once the main rule of the country, but now most people think that those rules should not control their lives. Vatican City, where the pope lives, is about the size of Central Park in New York, but it is its own country. It even has its own tiny army. Vatican City is completely contained in the middle of the city of Rome. Saint George's Basilica is one of the huge buildings where the people of Vatican City come to worship. There are very few Protestant Christians in Italy. They and Jews, Muslims, Buddhists and Bahais, make up only one percent of Italians. Some people believe in what is called folk belief. This includes witches and other magic. Some women in small villages are considered magic. People ask them for predictions such as winning lottery numbers. Economy In Italy, the rich are very rich and the poor are very poor. A rich northern Italian shops all day in the fanciest of stores, while a poor southerner does hard labor all day to get food and water. Mainly, Italy is a rich country. It is in the top seven industrial countries of the world. It was not always that way. Before World War Two it was mainly agricultural. Much of the employed work force is in services. This includes tourism. Two other large groups are 32% industry and 6% agriculture. Services is 62%. Most agriculture makes wine and olive oil. Some Italian industrial products include steel, silk, cars, and computers. Most businesses are small and family owned. Some of the world's greatest womens' clothing comes from Italy. Italian workers have it easy. Most get a long lunch break, turning an eight hour workday into a six or seven hour workday. They get six weeks of paid vacation time, plus ten days of paid holiday time. They get an extra month's pay without doing the work every December. They also get a bonus for costs of living every three months. A gigantic car company called Fiat is in Italy. It makes cars called Ferraris. The government doesn't require enotgh tax money to pay its expenses. Because of this, the government is in big debt. |
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| by Noah Arthur |
| by Noah Arthur |
| Holidays and Festivals There are many, many holidays in Italy. One happens somewhere almost every day. Many are saint's days. These are where the people of a certain town celebrate a patron saint. Some holidays celebrate historical events. These celebrations often have a reenactment of the event. Some holidays include Epiphany, Liberation Day, Feast of St. John the Baptist, and St. Stephen's Day. Some holidays celebrate food. Others celebrate the arts. The most famous arts festival is in the little town Spoleto. For three weeks in mid summer actors, musicians, and famous people of every kind come to the town and do their performances. There are also fireworks shows. In summer in the town of Spello, there are huge "paintings" of flower petals on the main street. As soon as a festival is over, people begin preparing for next year's. There is a festival called Carnival in the ten days before Ash Wednesday, which is the beginning of the season of Lent. Carnival once lasted six months. At Carnival, people dress up in costumes and have shaving cream throwing battles. The festival of Palio starts out with a slow procession. Then comes a lawless horse race where jockeys are allowed to knock each other off of the horses. Christmas Christmas is celebrated in Italy like it is in North America. There is a Christmas tree, under which gifts ar opened of Christmas day. Instead of Santa Claus, there is a fairy called Befana. This fairy is said to provide th asecond round of gifts. There is a midnight church service on Christmas Eve. A Christmas dinner can have as many as 24 courses. Sundays are usually used to rest after the long hard work week. Italians often spend large amounts of their sundays talking and eating at restaurants. |
| Modern Life Most Italians live in big cities. About a third of them live outside cities. Rome has the highest popusation. There are more deaths than births in Italy, so most Italians are older people. The population growth is almost zerol About 18% are above 65, and about 15% are below 15. There are many different minority languages spoken in Italy, including German, French, and Slovene. There are also people from Africa and the Phillipines. Italians love art, and evcourage creativity in kids. In North America, residential and business areas are separate, but in Italy, there can be an equal mix of shops and houses on one block. There can even be residential and business areas in one building. In the city, many people live in apartmens. Apartment life can be irritating. For example, new apartments come without fridges or lighting, and old ones often have pay elevators! The opposite of apartments are the giant country houses called villas. They usually have more thatn two stories. Italian cities are colorful. The buildings ar painted green, red, purple, or even pink. Mail, telephone, and education systems are not very good. Fathers are usually the family authority. The old are cared for by their grown children instead of being put in nursing homes. But families are shrinking, especially in the bustling north. Many women have paid jobs outside the home, and old people often live alone. Children are not pressured to learn at an early age. Parents believe that it is better to let their kids learn when they want to. Kids' birthdays are celebrated in the same way that they are in North America. Italian men are usually respectful to women and do things like opening car doors and pulling out chairs for them. Men and women are often of equal family authority. Women have equal rights as men. Before the 1970's, women were not equal to men and could not get as good jobs. Also, abortion and divorce were made legal in the 1970's. |
| Italian Art Many great works of art come from Italy. These include famous paintings such as the Mona Lisa. The insides of Catholic churches are often painted with beautiful, detailed paintings of Jesus, angels, and saints. There are also famous poems and writings from Italy. Sculptures and theater plays are other Italian arts. Many visitors come to see the Italian arts every year. The greatest of Italian art was made in the time period called the Renaissance. This was mainly the early 15th century. In the early Renaissance, painters painted people in what is called an ideal manner. This is where the person is painted without any of the natural human flaws. The middle of the Renaissance was the time of the greatest Italian artists. This was the time of the famous painters Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci. An architect built a painted dome on the Santa Maria del Fiore church that is famous to this day. Renaissance artists used oilpaint, not the egg based temperapaint used before. The artist Leonardo da Vinci made some of the world's best paintings, such as "the last supper," which is now displayed in Milan. Late in the Renaissance, there was a new style of painting called Mannerism. Mannerism paintings are unrealistic, cartoonish people. |
| Food Italian food is probably the best in the world. I ate at an Italian restaurant called Olive Garden. I got Fettcinne Alfredo. It was s?ome of the most delicious food I have ever eaten. Later, I found fettuccine alfredo that was just as good at the grocery store. This pasta is called Pasta Roni fettuccine alfredo. In ancient Rome, there were yummies such as flamingo, shark, sea urchin, pike liver, and leek shoots. Along with these were more familiar foods such as eggs, salmon, and honey. Spaghetti, french fries, coffee, ice cream, macaroni and cheese, and pizzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzza are Italian. There are all kinds of food markets in Italy. Some sell fruits and veggies, others sausage and cheese, others seafood. There are also places to buy foods that are already cooked and ready to eat. Sausages are some of the most common Italian foods. There are many different kinds and sizes of sausage. Some are made from animal intestine stuffed with pig lips and snouts. Some Italian dishes have squid ink as an ingredient! Penne, linguine, and macaroni are some different kinds of pasta. Minnestrone soup, roast lamb, and dumplings are some other Italian foods. Italian breakfast is coffee and a sweet roll at 8:00 AM. Lunch is a large, multi-course meal in the early afternoon. First, there are soup and salad appetizers. Then there is pasta. After that is the main course of meat and cheese. Dessert and coffee are last. Dinner at 8 or 9 PM is similar to lunch. There are hundreds of different pastas in Italy. Their Italian names translate to names like "little tongues" and "car door handles." Most Italians eat pasta daily, especially in the southern areas. Originally, pasta was eaten with honey or sugar, not sauce. Some pastas are hollow and stuffed with cheese. Pasta noodles are made with flour, water, and eggs. Pizza was originally from Naples. Some pizzas are cheeseless, while cheese is the main topping on others. Pizzas include marinara, pescatora, and margherita. Italy is the world's largest wine producer. There are many different Italian wines. Some of the best are made in the Tuscany area. There are both white and red wines in Italy A wine that is consistently good is given a special label for export. |
| SECOND IMPORTANT THING ABOUT ITALY Italy's government does not work very well. Overall, Italian government does not work very well. It is made up of a man calle the president of the republic, along with some other governmental branches. These are the parliament, the cabinet of ministers, and the courts of justice. The parliament is made up of two parts, the senate and the chamber of deputies. the chamber of deputies has over six hundred members. The president of the republic stays in power for seven years. The cabinet of ministers is headed bu a prime minister chosen by the president. The Italian court system is based on ancient Roman law, so it does not work very well for modern Italy. The judge in an Italian court case is not just a judge but also a lawyer and jury. Each area of Italy has its own smaller government. Each of these governments has a president, elected by the government's other members. There are even smaller communal governments that take care of roads, building, schools, and public transit. These tiny governments are called municipal councils. There are two small countries located within Italy. Republic of San Marino is one of them. It has its own government completely separate from the Italian government. It has its own money and laws. The other country is Vatican City. This is where the pope lives. All Vatican City laws are Catholic laws. There are many, many political parties in Italy. Most of these belong to multi party alliances. This is where several agreeing parties are together as one but keep their individual party names. Overall, the party called Christian Democrats is the most succesful. So many parties in parliament makes it hard for the government to settle issues. Language The Italian language is similar to Latin. Latin is spoken in Vatican City. There are two different kinds of italian. One is for business, radio news, and TV. The other is for everyday use. In World War One, soldiers had trouble communicating because there were many different regional dialects. After that, the kind of Italian spoken in Florence became the main dialect. English and other languages have many Italian words in them. English ones include studio, piano, umbrella, and espresso. There is a word in Italian that is used to say both "hello" and "goodbye." There are some strange Italian body language gestures. These include the cheek screw, where a person touches another person's cheek and makes a screwing motion with the finger. The hand purse is where people hold their hands together to make a pocket between them. It is used to ask a question. |
| School School is free ages six to fourteen. From six to ten the kids are in elementary school. Eleven to fourteen they learn more about elementary subjects. From fourteen on it is called secondary school. At age fourteen, students choose to have or not to have more education. Secondary school prepares students for a job or a university education. |
| Wildlife and Environment Italy's biggest evvironmental problem is smog. Italy is in the top five bad air counries of the world. Its fanciest city, Milan, is under a constant smog fog. The government has worked to stop air pollution by using a fuel called natural gas instead of coal. In a 1997 meeting in Kyoto, Japan, Italy agreed to reduce its smoggy farts by putting higher taxes on oil. A funny little vehicle called the smart car is used in big cities. It has lower emissions thant a normal sized car. Every first sunday from Feb. to May in big cities people do not use cars. Italy, overall, is good about protecting the environment. But, due to hunting and habitat loss, many animals (especially big mammals) have become rare or extinct. Water pollution causes the death of Mediterranean fishes. Sea turtles can no longer lay eggs on Italian beaches. Wolves bears, lynx, ibex, and deer are a few big mammals. The Corsican Swallowtail is Italy's special butterfly. |
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| bee eater |
| sparrow |
| white stork |
| chaffinch |
| clowns |
| "The Last Supper" by Leonardo da Vinci |
| the pope |
| church wall painting |
| Roman legionary |
| the Colosseum |
| grape vineyards |
| seaside town |
| smart car |
| Italian men and boys |
| restaurant waiters |
| supermarket |
| villa |
| crowded coffee shop |
| restaurant eating |
| Italian wines |
| fettuccine alfredo |
| pantheon |
| church wall and ceiling paintings |
| florence |
| flower gardens |
| Roman History Early Rome was ruled by kings. In 509 B.C, the king was driven out. After that, it was ruled by two men called consuls. New consuls were elected each year. Rome became an empire in 260 B.C. It took over all of Italy, and, after almost a century of war, a part of Africa called Carthage. It grew in power and took over much of the land around the Mediterranean. A war general named Julius Caesar became a dictator and was killed. This was followed by much fighting for power, and Octavian, Julius's adopted son, finally won. He became emperor Augustus. Roman emperors wore "crowns" of laurel leaves, because the people hated the idea of a king. Emperors couldn't wear gold crowns.One emperor, Nero, went mad and burned the city of Rome to rubble. Augustus was said to be a god after he died. Roman Soldiers Soldiers called legionaries were all Roman citizens. They were trained for very hard battle. They were helped by non citizen soldiers. Legionaries wore heavy metal armor and helmets. Under the armor was an itchy wool garment called a tunic. Each legionary soldier carried a ninety pound pack that had extra clothes, weapons, tools, and food. Legionaries wore special belts and shoes. They carried weapons such as thin headed spears and short swords. In the first century A.D, Rome stopped taking over new lands. Non citizen soldiers became more important as guards of the empire. The soldiers on horesback, called cavalry soldiers, were some of the highest paid men in the army. Roman Slavery Rome's conquering wars brought millions of captives from all over the empire. Rome took over most of Britain in the fifties B.C, and the Romans built Hadrian's wall to keep out the unconquerable Picts who lived in Scotland. The Romans built forts all over their empire, and towns were built around these forts. After serving for twenty five years, a non citizen soldier was made a citizen. Slaves were very common. Almost every person who was not a slave had slaves. Some were badly treated, but others were very well treated. The emperors' slaves had power that most free people did not have. Some important people held an axe in a bundle of rods, to say that they could punish the people. Roman Customs Roman men, like modern women, were very concerned with their hairstyle. Pants were considered unmanly! Roman men wore bathrobes. Roman women could not get as good jobs as men could. Women mainly stayed at home and kept the house in order. They sewed and made cloth. Rich women had much jewelry and makeup. Many children were schooled at home by parents or a tutor. Others were sent to school and stopped at a breakfast bar along the way. But most children were not educated. Many were slaves. Dolls and marbles were popular Roman toys. Rich Romans owned many pets. Birds, hunting dogs, lap dogs, and cats are a few. Some country estate houses had all of these. There were many small clay figures of gods and spirits in the house. Romans believed that a woman was protected by a spirit called a Juno, a man by a spirit called a Genius. A Rich Roman's house had a main hall where was an indoor pool. This room had plants and a large skylight. Such houses had little furniture. There were lamps shaped like a vomiting head! There were gods representihg everything, even wine. Most houses had small household shrines. Instead of sitting, people lay down side by side on the couch. They also reclined like this at the table while eating. Roman Engineering Romans had very good water supply and plumbing. They had aqueducts that fed into reservoirs. Water came from reservoirs into the towns through pipes. There here were also sewers for wastewater. Romans were great builders, and built roads still in use now. They used the arch shape in building, which is sturdy and can hold up a large amount of weight. There were multi-seated toilets, where several people could sit and talk while pooping! They used sponges on sticks instead of toilet paper to wipe their cushy tushies. Roman Games and Sports Arenas were places similar to baseball stadiums. Here, people watched gladiator fights. This was where two men fought to the death for the crowd's amusement. The gladiators were usually slaves. Some fought scary African animals. Some free men, including one emperor, volunteered to be gladiators. Many arena fights included animals. They were brought from all over the empire. Sometimes they fought each other, sometimes they fought armed men, sometimes they killed and ate unarmed criminals. Romans loved chariot racing. Each chariot had four horses pulling it and one man riding it. Fans got very excited and sometimes fought over their teams. Once, this fighting led to a rebellion where thousands died. Some small chariots were pulled by only two horses. All chariots went seven laps. Roman baths had hot tubs, but they also had hot rooms. These were where people went to clean their pores by sweating. Then they went to a cold plunge bath to close the pores. People also played dice in the bath house yard. Roman Life Romans wrote with pens and pen-like things called styli. They wrote on wax tablets by scratching letters into the wax. Legal documents were written on papyrus with an inkpen. The fanciest books were written on paper thin sheets of animal hide. The Romans found out how to blow glass into bubbles. This made it much easier and cheaper to make. Many beautiful pieces of Roman glassware are in museums now. The Romans used many different metals. Many things were made from animal bone. It was used like plastic. Roman cooks used many of the same utensils that modern cooks use. These include strainers, pots, pans, graters, and even buntins. But rich Romans had very strange eating habits. They dressed in special eating robes and ate only with their hands. They lay down while eating. Dinner was eaten very slowly, with entertainment between courses. Strangest of all, rich Romans often made themselves puke so that they could eat more. There were special rooms called vomitoriums in which they did this. Honey-roasted dormice is an example of a strange Roman food. Roman wine probably looked like modern medicine because it was watered down. Belching at the table was considered polite. Roman Religion Roman music had mostly wind instruments. Some Roman music was religious. The water organ was the most complicated instrument. The Romans believed that were many, many gods. These included Juno, Jupiter, Minerva, Bacchus, Isis, Cybele, and Mars.Cybele's priests sometimes castrated themselves for her. All sorts of things were sacrificed to the gods, from cows to milk. Once killed, a sacrificed animal was cut open. Priests carefully examined its guts. If the liver was deformed, the gods were not pleased. People often left tablets of writing at temples to remind the gods of something. Besides the gods, the Romans also believed in many spirits. These included Silenus, Lar, and Genius. The Romans believed that many illnesses were curses from the gods. Roman Medicine Without anesthetics, surgery was extremely painful. Plants such as sage, rosemary, and fennel were used for healing. There were many different medical tools. These included knives hooks, forceps, saws, and catheters. The saw was used for cutting bone in amputation, the catheter for draining peepee out of blocked urinary bladders. When people died, the bodies were either burned or buried. Christians put their dead in catacombs. These were underground passages with spaces for coffins in the walls. Most Romans put their dead in cemeteries. Mount Vesuvius A volcano called Vesuvius erupted and killed hundreds of people, burying them under ash. Life in the country was hard and hot. Roman Economy Country people grew wheat, grapes, and olives. They also raised cattle. They enjoyed boar hunting. The rich Romans often owned large country estates with swimming pools. The main unit of money was called an "as". This system of money was used alll over the empire. This made trade easy. The gold "aureus" was worth 100 asses. This was the largest unit of money. Some traters used dishonest weights, so the government had to watch the weights all over the empire. Christianity Jesus was crucified in Israel while that area was part of the empire. From Israel, Christianity spread throughout the eastern part of the empire. Christians believe in one God, so the many-god religion of Rome didn't get along well with this. Christians were given trouble and even killed by Romans. But gradually Christianity spread. Paul was put in prison for spreading Christianity. Every two hours, he was chained to two new guards. He made Christians of many guards. This meant that very important soldiers, probably legionaries, who knew the emperor well, were now Christians. Christianity became Rome's state religion. People called Barbarians from Germany invaded western Rome, taking over the capital. A new eastern capital, Constantinople, was made. Here lived the first Christian emperor, Constantine. |
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