Italy
FactsRome is the capital of Italy. Italy lies in Southern Europe and is one of the six founding countries of the European Union. Italy borders six countries: France, Austria, Switzerland, Slovenia, Vatican City, and San Marino. A flight to Italy’s capital city Rome takes roughly 13 hours from Los Angeles/USA.
Traditions
Read More About Italy
Language
The official language spoken in Italy, however, is Italian. This language is spoken by around 85 million people throughout the world and serves as one of the working languages of the Council of Europe. It is considered a Romance language and is more closely related to Latin than any other Romance language.
Tourist Atractions- One Day in Venice, Virtual Tour
- The gondolas plying the busy Grand Canal and smaller waterways of Venice are one of the most iconic images in the world. They are the symbol of history, tradition, and romance in the city on the lagoon, and a gondola ride in Venice ranks among one of the most dreamed-about.
- The Sistine Chapel is without doubt one of the greatest art treasures of all time, one of the most celebrated masterpieces in the world. It's the last stop on the Vatican Museum tour and is the most ardently awaited moment for the millions of tourists from around the world that come here every year to admire it. Virtual Tour of Sistine Chapel.
- Colosseum, also called Flavian amphitheater, giant amphitheater built in Rome under the Flavian emperors. Construction of the Colosseum was begun sometime between 70 and 72 CE during the reign of Vespasian. It is located just east of the Palatine Hill, on the grounds of what was Nero ’s Golden House. The artificial lake that was the centre piece of that palace complex was drained, and the Colosseum was sited there, a decision that was as much symbolic as it was practical. Vespasian, whose path to the throne had relatively humble beginnings, chose to replace the tyrannical emperor’s private lake with a public amphitheater that could host tens of thousands of Romans.
Italian Opera
Italian Sports
Italy has a relatively short sporting tradition but as with most European countries, they love football. It is their most popular sport with basketball, cycling and volleyball being runners-up.
#1 Soccer
The Italian national team has won the World Cup four times (1934, 1938, 1982 and 2006), while major Italian clubs frequently compete at a high level of European competitions.
ArtItaly has been, since antiquity, the centre of history, culture and art. Our museums, collections and archaeological sites reveal countless tokens of the past and the many civilizations that have passed across this country, evidence of which is still inextricably woven into the present day landscape.
Zoo, Aquariums, and National Parks in Italy
Native Animals
There are several species of wild native animals in Italy with low populations due to the long time presence of humans, but animals such as marmots, ermine, ibex, rabbits, a small number of bear, a few wolves, lynx, stoat, black grouse, golden eagles and fallow deer can still be found. Many of these animals are found in larger numbers in the Alps where there is less human interference. Below are some animals native to Italy that you might want to learn more about.
Show What You Know!
You have explored many aspects of Paris, France. Choose one or all of the following to represent your new learning.
- Draw a picture of your favorite fact.
- Create a Postcard… who would you send it to… what would you tell them about Paris France?
- Create a Google Slideshow about Italy. Include new learning and interesting facts.
