\n\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t Breakfast<\/b> for Italians might be coffee with a pastry (cappuccino e brioche) or a piece of bread and cold cuts or cheese. Lunch<\/b> is seen as the most important part of the day, so much that they have one hour reserved for eating and another for napping. Also, a traditional Italian meal<\/b> is separated into several sections: antipasto (marinated vegetables, etc), primo (pasta or rice dish), secondo (meat course), dolce (dessert). Salads often come with the secondo. <\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tFor a cheap meal you may like to track down an aperitivo bar<\/b> which in the early evening will serve a series of plates of nibbles, cheese, olives, meat, bruschetta and much more, all this food is typically free to anyone who purchases a drink but is intended to be a pre-meal snack. The tradition of Aperitivo is particulary felt in Milan. <\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\tItalian Specialties<\/b>: <\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t– Risotto<\/b> – Rice that has been sautéed and cooked in a shallow pan with stock. The result is a very creamy and hearty dish. Meat, poultry, seafood, vegetables, and cheeses are almost always added depending on the recipe and the locale.
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t– Arancini<\/b> – Balls of rice with tomato sauce, eggs, and cheese that are deep fried. They are a southern Italian specialty, though are now quite common all over.
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t– Polenta<\/b> – Yellow corn meal that has been cooked with stock. It is normally served either creamy or allowed to set up and then cut into shapes and fried or roasted.
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t– Gelato<\/b> – This is the Italian version for ice cream. The non-fruit flavours are usually made only with milk and the fruit flavours are non-dairy.
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t– Tiramisu<\/b> – Italian cake made with coffee, mascarpone, cookies and cocoa powder on the top. <\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\tIn Italy you can find nearly 400 kinds of cheese<\/b>, including the famous Parmigiano Reggiano, and 300 types of sausages. Pizza<\/b> is a quick and convenient meal. In many large cities there are pizza shops that sell by the gram. Many sandwich shops<\/b> charge an additional fee if you want to sit to eat your meal.<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n \n\t\t\t <\/p>\n \n\t\t\tCulture<\/div>\n \n\n\n\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tThe culture of Italy can be found in the Roman ruins remaining in much of the country, the precepts of the Roman Catholic Church, the spirit of the Renaissance and the Enlightenment, the architecture. It can also be tasted in Italy's food. Italy's capital Rome has been the center of Western civilization, and is the center of the Catholic Church. In Ancient Rome, Italy was a center for art and architecture. There were many Italian artists during the Gothic and Medieval periods, and the arts flourished during the Italian Renaissance. Later styles in Italy included Mannerism, Baroque and Rococo. Futurism developed in Italy in the 20th century. Florence is a well known city in Italy for its museums of art. Great influences from Italy have also marked Literature and Cinema. <\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\tThe music of Italy range across a broad spectrum, from her renowned opera to modern experimental classical music; and from the traditional music of the many ethnically diverse region to a vast body of popular music drawn from both native and imported source. Historically, musical developments in Italy in the Middle Ages and Renaissance helped create much music that spread throughout Europe. Innovation in the use of musical scales, harmony, notation, as well as experiments in musical theater led directly not just to opera in the late 16th century, but to classical music forms such as the symphony and concerto, and to later developments in popular music. <\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\tAppearances matter in Italy. The way you dress can indicate your social status, your family's background, and your education level. Fashion is a part of Italian society. Italian designers such as Armani, Prada, Gucci, Versace, and Valentino (just to name a few), are considered to be some of the finest in the world. The city of Milan takes its place amongst the most prestigious and important centers of fashion in the world.<\/p><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n \n\t\t\t <\/p>\n \n\t\t\tGeography<\/div>\n \n\n\n\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tThe boot-shaped peninsula is surrounded on the west by the Tyrrhenian Sea and on the east by the Adriatic Sea. The Alps form its northern boundary. The largest of its northern lakes is Garda; the Po, its principal river, flows from the Alps to the Adriatic Sea. <\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\tThere are several active volcanoes in Italy: Etna, the largest active volcano in Europe; Vulcano; Stromboli; and Vesuvius, the only active volcano on the mainland of Europe. <\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\tItalian islands include Sardinia and Sicily, also Capri, Ischia, Elba, Procida, Aeolian Islands, Aegadian Islands, Tremiti and Pantelleria.<\/p><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n \n\t\t\t <\/p>\n \n\t\t\tHistory<\/div>\n \n\n\n\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tIn 1713, after the War of the Spanish Succession, Milan, Naples, and Sardinia were handed over to the Hapsburgs of Austria, which lost some of its Italian territories in 1735. After 1800, Italy was unified by Napoleon, who crowned himself king of Italy in 1805; but with the Congress of Vienna in 1815, Austria once again became the dominant power in a disunited Italy. Austrian armies crushed Italian uprisings in 1820–1821 and 1831. In the 1830s, Giuseppe Mazzini, a brilliant liberal nationalist, organized the Risorgimento (Resurrection), which laid the foundation for Italian unity. Disappointed Italian patriots looked to the House of Savoy for leadership. Count Camille di Cavour (1810–1861), prime minister of Sardinia in 1852 and the architect of a united Italy, joined England and France in the Crimean War (1853–1856), and in 1859 helped France in a war against Austria, thereby obtaining Lombardy. By plebiscite in 1860, Modena, Parma, Tuscany, and the Romagna voted to join Sardinia. In 1860, Giuseppe Garibaldi conquered Sicily and Naples and turned them over to Sardinia. Victor Emmanuel II, king of Sardinia, was proclaimed king of Italy in 1861. The annexation of Venetia in 1866 and of papal Rome in 1870 marked the complete unification of peninsular Italy into one nation under a constitutional monarchy. <\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\tItaly declared its neutrality upon the outbreak of World War I on the grounds that Germany had embarked upon an offensive war. In 1915, Italy entered the war on the side of the Allies but obtained less territory than it expected in the postwar settlement. Benito (“Il Duce”) Mussolini, a former Socialist, organized discontented Italians in 1919 into the Fascist Party to “rescue Italy from Bolshevism.” He led his Black Shirts in a march on Rome and, on Oct. 28, 1922, became prime minister. He transformed Italy into a dictatorship, embarking on an expansionist foreign policy with the invasion and annexation of Ethiopia in 1935 and allying himself with Adolf Hitler in the Rome-Berlin Axis in 1936. When the Allies invaded Italy in 1943, Mussolini's dictatorship collapsed; he was executed by partisans on April 28, 1945, at Dongo on Lake Como. Following the armistice with the Allies (Sept. 3, 1943), Italy joined the war against Germany. A June 1946 plebiscite rejected monarchy and a republic was proclaimed. The peace treaty of Sept. 15, 1947, required Italian renunciation of all claims in Ethiopia and Greece and the cession of the Dodecanese islands to Greece and of five small Alpine areas to France. The Trieste area west of the new Yugoslav territory was made a free territory (until 1954, when the city and a 90-square-mile zone were transferred to Italy and the rest to Yugoslavia). <\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\tItaly became an integral member of NATO and the European Economic Community (later the EU) as it successfully rebuilt its postwar economy. A prolonged outbreak of terrorist activities by the left-wing Red Brigades threatened domestic stability in the 1970s, but by the early 1980s the terrorist groups had been suppressed. Italy adopted the euro as its currency in Jan. 1999.<\/p><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n \n\t\t\t <\/p>\n \n\t\t\tNature<\/div>\n \n\n\n\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tAlthough larger mammals are scarce, chamois, ibex, marmot, and roe deer are found in the Alps, and bears, chamois, and otters inhabit the Apennines. The fox is common. Birds like the eagle hawk, vulture, buzzard, falcon, and kite; as well the quail, woodcock, partridge, and various migratory species abound in many parts of Italy. Lizards and snakes and scorpions are also found. Abundant marine life inhabits the surrounding seas.<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n \n\t\t\t <\/p>\n \n\t\t\tSports<\/div>\n \n\n\n\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tAuto racing receives much attention in Italy, while the nation is host to a number of notable automobile racing events, such as the famed Italian Grand Prix. The Italian flair for design is legendary, and it should come as no surprise that Ferrari has won more Formula Ones than any other manufacturer. Motorcycle racing is followed by a lot of spectators as well. <\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\tOther common sports in Italy include Rugby, Basketball, Volleyball, cycling, tennis, golf, track and field, skiing, the bobsleigh, roller hockey, bocce and cue sports. <\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\tAlong the beautiful water coasts all the know water sports can be practiced: sailing, motor boating, swimming, diving, water polo, rowing, and water skiing.<\/p><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n \n\t\t\t <\/p>\n | | | | | |
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