Italy

Italy is a peninsula.It borders France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia. Italy is divided into 20 regions.

Italian flag

The italian flag is a vertical three coloured banner: green, white and redThe italian flag was born after the French revolution.Revolutionaries, after the storming of the Bastille, chose the blue, white and red colours like their symbols. When the shadow of revolution spread in others countries, also in Italy people used the tricolour.In Italy, however, they substituted green for blue, because green represent s the nature and the natural rights.

Brothers of Italy

The Italian national anthem is called "Fratelli d'Italia" (brothers of Italy), best known as Hymn of Mameli, it is a song written by Goffredo Mameli during italian Risorgimento.

Democratic republic

Italy is a democratic republic, its president is Giorgio Napolitano, while Prime Minister is Mario Monti. Italy was unified in 1861 by Garibaldi. In the 1946 the Republic was born and women voted for the first time. Italian people came of age at 18 years old and education is compulsory for all children aged between 5 and 16.

Italy was the home for artists and writers as Leonardo, Michelangelo and Raphael during Renaissance.

Arts  and Philosophy

Leonardo Da Vinci is famous for the Mona Lisa or La Gioconda, which is located in the “Louvre“ museum.

Michelangelo is the author of the wonderful frescoes of the Sistine Chapel.

A painting by Raphael is the “Madonna of the goldfinch”.

Dante Alighieri is the father of Italian literature. He wrote the famous "Divine Comedy"

Rome

The capital of Italy is Rome. Rome was the capital of the Roman Empire for ages. It was the political and cultural center of western civilization.

The most famous monument in Rome is the Colosseum. Originally known as the "Anphitheatrum Flavium", it was started by Emperor Vespasian in 70 a.C. In it the gladiator games were held. Its name is due to the colossal statue of Nero. But after Nero's murder its statue was taken away.

Naples

Naples is the capital of the Campania region. The symbol of Naples is Vesuvius, an active volcano but sleeping, in fact the last eruption was in 1944.

Pompei is one of the most famous centres in the world for his excavations that begun in 1748.

The pizza margherita is the most popular and typical Neapolitan pizza, topped with tomato, mozzarella, fresh basil, salt and oil.

In Naples there are three very important and famous castles:

Castel dell‘Ovo Maschio Angioino

Castel Sant'Elmo