Italy Facts

 

Italy is derived from the word 'italia', which means 'land of calves'. It is also often referred to as 'Bel Paese', meaning 'beautiful country'.

About 80% of Italy's surface area is hilly or mountainous. The highest mountain in Europe is in Italy. It is 4807 meters high and is called Monte Bianco (White Mountain) here. In Russia it is called Mont Blanc and the French gave it this name.

Italians have created high-quality cheeses that are known worldwide, such as Parmesan and Mozzarella cheese. Parmesan cheese, as the name suggests, is produced near the city of Parma. Other specialties include Gorgonzola, provolone and ricotta. No one knows exactly where the first pizza was cooked, but it was the Neapolitans who contributed most to its spread.

Centuries of cultivation and the highest population density in Europe displaced much of Italy's flora and fauna.

The Italian economy suffered in the first half of the twentieth century, but today it ranks seventh in the world in financial and industrial development. Italian belongs to the Romance language family and derives from vulgar (folk) Latin, a dialect spoken by common people during the fall of the Roman Empire. As a result, Italian has the largest number of words of Latin origin and its grammatical system has remained largely unchanged. Latin is still the official language of the Vatican.

There are two independent states within Italy, San Marino and the Vatican.

Italy has long had a monopoly on salt and people can be arrested and fined for bringing sea water into their homes. Also, drawing on asphalt with crayons is tantamount to begging and is subject to criminal sanctions.

In many countries, including Spain and Portugal, the vine is a symbol of wealth, health and family hearth. It is therefore customary to eat grapes (fresh or dried) and make a wish every time the clock strikes on New Year's Eve.

The narrowest street is the Vicolo della Virilita in the municipality of Ripatranone, Italy. It is on average 43 cm wide and in some places it narrows down to 38 cm. They are Danilo Torres from Ecuador and Gianni Cocco from Sardinia. They managed to make 623 cups of espresso per hour.