ITALY Objective: to use the skills of noticing and imagination to create a “culture passport” display

Starter Activity Can you name the continents? ? ? ? ? ?

How many European countries can you name? NOT EUROPE

Key Questions How old is Italy? What are the main Italian cities? What is Italy known for? What is there to see in Italy? What have I learnt about Italy? What urban and rural attractions are there? What do I already know about Italy? What language do they speak in Italy? When is the best time to visit Italy? What is Italy’s currency? How can I get to Italy? Where is Italy? Does Italy have any islands?

A few facts about Italy... Italy is also know as “il bel paese” – the beautiful country Rome is the capital of Italy Italian is Italy’s official language Italy is situated in the temperate zone Italy has beautiful seas and beaches, spectacular mountains as well as fantastic natural reserves. Italy is famous for its food – like pasta and pizza.... But lets not forget the gelato! (ice-cream) The Italian state, as we know it today, was created in 1861 The Vatican state, which is situated within Rome, is the headquarters of the Catholic religion. The Italian football team is know as the “Azzurri” Italy is a member of the EU – European union Italy is a republicItaly’s currency is the Euro €

A few facts about Italy cont... Italy’s main cities are: Rome, Venice, Pisa, Milan, Naples, Bologna and Turin Italy’s has 2 main islands, Sicily and Sardinia Italy has a population of just over 61 million people Pizza was "invented" in Naples around 1860s Italy borders Austria, France, Vatican City, San Marino, Slovenia, and Switzerland The famous children's story, Pinocchio, was written by an Italian Famous Italian explorers include Christopher Columbus, Marco Polo, John Cabot, and Amerigo Vespucci The ice cream cone is an Italian invention Italy is home to two microstates, San Marino and Vatican City The colors of the Italian flag represent three virtues: hope (green), faith (white), and charity (red). Rome's nickname is "The Eternal City."

A few facts about Italy cont... The Italian peninsula is surrounded by five seas (the Adriatic, Ionian, Tyrrhenean, Ligurian, and Mediterranean) The telephone was created by an Italian Before adopting the euro, Italy's currency was known as the lira. Over 75% of Italy is mountainous or hilly The average Italian consumes 25 kilograms of pasta a year Rome was founded in 753 BC The prime minister serves as the head of government and is the one who runs the country The Italian language evolved from the Latin of the Roman Empire With almost 40 million visitors, Italy is the fourth most visited country in the world.

Ciao – hello Ciao – bye Grazie – thank you Prego – welcome Oggi – today Domani – tomorrow Uno – one Due – two Tre – three Quattro – four Cinque - five Sei - six Sette - seven Otto - eight Nove - nine Dieci - ten Mare – sea Montagna – mountain Informazioni – information Ristorante – restaurant Il conto – the bill Inverno – winter Estate – summer Primavera – spring Autunno – autumn Treno – train Aereoplano – aeroplane Autobus – bus Biglietto – ticket Dolce – dessert Mi chiamo – my name is Dove e? – where is? Su – up Giu - down

Rome is the capital of Italy but also a city of art and culture. Facts about Rome The Roman emperors used to live here Rome celebrates its birthday on the 21 st of April each year The Vatican state can be found within Rome The Colosseum is here and where the gladiators used to fight According to legend, if you put your hand in the carved mouth and tell a lie, it will bite your hand off.

Some facts about Florence Florence is in the region of Tuscany The main river flowing through Florence is the Arno The Uffizi museum is located in Florence and holds some very famous art Florence was the heart of Renaissance Italy Some of the most well known Italian wine is produced in Tuscany Florence is home to Italian art

Some facts about Venice There are no cars in the centre of Venice, travel is only by boat The famous, yet funny shaped, boat is called a “gondola” Every year Venice holds a carnival which starts 40 days before Easter and ends on Shrove Tuesday Venice has lots of very impressive bridges e.g. The Rialto bridge

Some facts about Pisa Pisa is famous for its leaning tower Pisa is also famous for its University, with 60,000 students in a city with a total population of 100,000 and is the oldest university in Italy Pisa is also situated in the region of Tuscany Campo dei Miracoli (Field of Miracles) is a UNESCO World Heritage site The river Arno also flows through Pisa

Some facts about Milan Milan is the home of Italy’s stock exchange and the engine room of country’s economy Milan is also famous for it’s fashion, with Armani, Versace, Prada, Dolce & Gabbana and Gucci all based here Milan is home to the football team AC Milan The world famous “La Scala” opera house is in Milan One of Milan’s most famous buildings is the “Duomo”

Italy’s two main islands... Sicily Sardinia Sardinia is located closer to Africa than it is to Italy Sardinia is famous for its crystal clear emerald like sea Sardinia is the second largest island in the Mediterranean As well as Italian Sardinians speak one of the dialects of Sardinian language Sicily is separated from mainland Italy by a 5km area of sea Sicily is the biggest island in the Mediterranean Sicily has a long history of foreign domination, from the Greeks to the Romans and Arabs Sicily has a startling diverse landscape Which includes Mount Etna, a very Active volcano

Italian culture passport

Italian culture menu Things you might want to include: Italian climate A poem on Italy Italian food A mini guide for tourists and what they might like to visit What is Italy famous for? What are Italy’s most famous attractions? List of main Italian cities and their attractions Natural attractions – can you name any? How big is Italy’s population? Does Italy have any islands? If so, what are their names? What sports can you do in Italy? Some Italian words & phrases