ITALY Italy is shaped like a boot. 61 million people live in Italy. The capital of Italy is Rome. This is the meaning of the flag hope (green),faith (white) and charity (red)

Money Castel del monte is on the 1 cent coin. Leonardo da Vinci is on the 1 euro coin.

HISTORY During the early Middle Ages, Italian ties with the "New Rome" of the East (Constantinople) were first threatened and later severed after a series of invasions from the west and north into Italy. The severing of ties with the East was confirmed by the emergence of the PAPACY and the Italian cities as powers in their own right

SPORT Italy won the World cup 4 times. Best soccer athletes :Baggio (one of the best strikers in Italian history) Zoff (best goalie) Maldini (one of the best defenders) Baresi (best Sweeper)

FOOD Pizza:36 percent of all pizza orders want their pizza topping pepperoni. Pizza:Italy is the main place for pizza. Spaghetti:Spaghetti is made of semolina or flour and water.

FAMOUS PEOPLE Leonardo da Vinci was born April 15, 1452 and died May 3, 1519. He was an Italian Renaissance architect, musician, anatomist, inventor, engineer, sculptor, geometer, and painter. He is well known for his paintings The Last Supper and The Mona Lisa, as well as his studies of anatomy.

FAMOUS PEOPLE Marco Polo set off for the east as a youth in 1271.He stayed at the court the Mongol emperor,Kublai Khan,for nearly 2 decades before returning home.

FAMOUS PEOPLE Andrea Bocelli is a singer, writer and music producer.An operatic tenor, he has released four complete operas and over eleven other albums, both classical and popular in style. Bocelli was born with glaucoma, and was blinded at the age of 12 by a brain hemorrhage, which he suffered when hit on the head playing football. He will not discuss his disability and has always played it down