ITALY

Physical geography

Italy, 301,300 km², is situated in the center of the Mediterranean Basin in Southern Europe. It is 1360 km long. It possesses two main islands: Sicily and Sardinia. We find the last European volcanoes in activity in the South of Italy: Vesuvius near Naples, Etna in Sicily and Stromboli in the Aeolian Islands. There are mountain ranges in the center and in the North of the country: the Apennines. Italy has a Mediterranean climate, with some nuances. The highest mountain is the Mont Blanc (4,810 m). The most important rivers are: the Pô, the Tanaro, and the Tiber. The most important lakes are: Lake Maggiore and Lake Como.

Iconic places

According to legend, Rome, the capital of Italy, was founded by Remus and Romulus in the middle of the 8^th century BC. Located in the center-west of Italy, it is one of the most visited places in the world. There are plenty of monuments and architectures that you can visit…

The Coliseum, originally the amphitheater Flavien (Colosseo in Italian), is an immense amphitheater situated in the city center of Rome. It is the biggest amphitheater ever built in the Roman Empire. It is one of the biggest Roman works of architecture and engineering. Its construction began between 70 and 72 AD, under emperor Vespasien, and ended in 80 under Titus. It could hold up to 75,000 spectators. It was used for shows involving hunting of wild animals, gladiatorial combats and other public entertainment. The building finally stopped being used during the Early Middle Ages. The Coliseum gives the measure of the old power of Rome. The Coliseum is represented on the Italian 5-centimes coin.

The other thing that you can’t ignore while visiting Rome is the Vatican, the strange thing about this place is that it is an entire country on its own! “What a small country!” you are wondering, but yes! It’s a country of 921 inhabitants but it is also a very famous touristic place. There are many things to visit there which are: the Chiaramonti museum, the Pio-Clementino museum, the Raphael room, the “Pinacoteca Vaticana” (founded in 1931 under Pie XI, it shows, in a chronological order, Italian painting from the Middle-Ages to the beginning of the 19^th century), the Egyptian museum, the Gregorian museum, the Sistine chapel and the Vatican galleries.

Sistine Chapel ceiling

The Sistine Chapel takes its name from Pope Sixtus IV. The ceiling of the chapel is one of the best known in the world. Originally painted as golden stars on a blue sky, the ceiling was repainted by Michelangelo who chose to represent the Last Judgement.

An iconic object

The Vespa is a line of scooters created in 1946 by the company Piaggio and Co. The name of Vespa, which means "wasp" in Italian, was chosen by Enrico Piaggio. This two-wheeler became the symbol of Italian creativity.

Something the country has done for the world

“Il neorealismo” is the name of a film movement in Italy that started during the Second World War. It was created by Roberto Rossellini who made his first films (Rome, an opened city and Paisa) without a real scenario but more with ideas. Umberto Barbaro used the word “neorealismo” first (in 1942). It covers the period 1943 to 1955 and the main characteristics of this movement is objectivity and the observation of daily life. It uses the ordinary people of the city instead of professional actors. The different themes of “neorealismo” are: Italy, emigration, the liberation at the end of the war, the resistance and the reconstruction (because it happened after World War 2 and it accompanied a deep aesthetic an ideological change). “Neorealismo” died out in the 1950s because, among other things, famous actors like Anna Magnani or Vittorio Gassman started to take part in the films. There were also some political factors: the government censured a lot of films and discouraged people from creating other films.

Da Vinci self-portrait

Famous historical figure

Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) was a painter, sculptor, architect, musician, mathematician, engineer, inventor, anatomist, geologist, cartographer, botanist, and writer. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest painters of all time (it was he who painted the Mona Lisa).  Leonardo was described as the archetype of the Renaissance Man. His greatest ambition was to fly. His many inventions include the parachute, the helicopter, and the tank.

Important living person

Matteo Renzi, the Italian President of the Council of Ministers is the head of government of the Italian Republic, has been the main holder of the executive power since February 22nd, 2014.

History before 2000

The High Renaissance was the apogee of the visual arts in the Italian Renaissance. The High Renaissance period began in the 1490s, and ended in 1527 with the sacking of Rome by the troops of Charles V. This term has its origins in the "High Style" of painting and sculpture.

History after 2000

The mafia is a criminal organization born in Sicily around 1860. The members are called “Mafiosi”. Unfortunately, the mafia hasn’t stopped growing; it has become the biggest criminal organization in Italy. Because of this organization, you can’t trust anyone, because they can be part of the mafia, even policemen or judges. The big criminal organizations such as the Sicilian mafia and the Neapolitan Camorra, run the trafficking of narcotics, cigarettes, weapons, human beings, and illegal gambling. According to certain estimations, 80 % of the Sicilian companies suffer racketeering by the mafia. The mafia has a great influence on Italian people, particularly on the youth. The mafia has another name: “la piovra”. The different Italian mafia groups (Cosa Nostra, Camorra, Stidda; 'Ndrangheta, la Sacra Corona Unita) use an “octopus” system; with its tentacles, it controls all of Italy, using terror. The Cosa Nostra has great economic and political power, especially in the north of Italy. A lot of young people in Italy want to join the Mafia; they grow up being used to the violence. The fight against the mafia is difficult because it is very adaptable; it can relocate its activities and change its financial flows.

Human geography (demography, wealth distribution, social problems, etc)

There are 62 million inhabitants in Italy with a density of 198 inhabitants per square kilometer and it today welcomes immigrants. In 2008, there were 2.5 million foreigners in Italy.

Languages and cultures

Italy's official language is Italian. It is estimated that there are about 64 million native Italian speakers while the total number of Italian speakers, including those who use it as a second language, is about 85 million. Through the centuries, Italy has given birth to some of the most notable scientific minds including:Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Leon Battista Alberti, Galileo Galilei.

Politics, economy, place in the EU

During the 1990s and the 2000s, the center-right (dominated by media magnate Silvio Berlusconi) and center-left coalitions (led by university professor Romano Prodi) alternatively governed the country, which entered a prolonged period of economic stagnation. The famous names of Italian luxury include: Ferrari, Maserati, Gucci, Dolce & Gabbana, Armani, Alberta Ferretti and Prada. Italy is a member of the G7. It was the 6th economic power of the world in 2010 and is with France one of the biggest world exporters of luxury items. The Italian economy has European dimensions: farm produce, industrial products, clothes, services (tourism: with 52 million tourists Italy is the 4th most visited country). Italy is the fourth European power, its raw product being 1.758 billion dollars. At the economic level, Italy is, at the moment, the 8th most powerful country in the world and the 3rd country for tourism in Europe, behind France and Spain.

Youth
There are a lot of problems with young people because of the Mafia. It wants young recruits in order to have more control on the population. The Mafia uses young people to do the dirty jobs…

Article by Gillian D'INCA & Matthieu LARNOUHET