ITALY

VOCABULARY

• Baroque creation- artistic style, motion picture that is painted.
• Salubrity- favorable or promoting health.
• Aqueduct- an unserground water system.
• Vegetation- plants considered collectively
• Tumultuous- making loud, confused nosies.

History
Italy began about 2000 B.C. and continued until 1000 B.C. From about the 9th century B.C. until it was overthrown by the Romans in the 3rd century B.C. , From 800 on, the Holy Roman Emperors, Roman Catholic popes, Normans, and Saracens all vied for control over various segments of the Italian peninsula. Numerous city-states, such as Venice and Genoa, whose political and commercial rivalries were intense, and many small principalities flourished in the late Middle Ages.

More history
In 1713, after the War of the Spanish Succession, Milan, Naples, and Sardinia were handed over to the Hapsburgs of Austria, which lost some of its Italian territories in 1735. After 1800, Italy was unified by Napoléon, who crowned himself king of Italy in 1805; but with the Congress of Vienna in 1815, Austria once again became the dominant power in a disunited Italy. Austrian armies crushed Italian uprisings in 1820–1821 and 1831. In the 1830s, Giuseppe Mazzini, a brilliant liberal nationalist, organized the Risorgimento (Resurrection), which laid the foundation for Italian unity. Disappointed Italian patriots looked to the House of Savoy for leadership.

Government
Italy has been a democratic republic since June 2, 1946, when the monarchy was abolished by popular referendum. The constitution was promulgated on January 1, 1948. The Italian state is centralized. The prefect of each of the provinces is appointed by and answerable to the central government. In addition to the provinces, the constitution provides for 20 regions with limited governing powers. Five regions--Sardinia, Sicily, Trentino-Alto Adige, Valle d'Aosta, and Friuli-Venezia Giulia--function with special autonomy statutes. The other 15 regions were established in 1970 and vote for regional "councils."

Culture
Religion: Roman Catholic (majority).
Language: Italian (official).
Population: 57.5 million.
Health: Infant mortality rate-5.76/1,000 live births. Life expectancy-76.08 for men; 83.0 for women.
Work force (23.8 million): Services-57.6%; industry and commerce-28.9%; agriculture-4.2%; unemployed-9.2%.

Food
Although Italians are known throughout the world for pizza, pasta, and tomato sauce, the national diet of Italy has traditionally differed greatly by region. Prior to the blending of cooking practices among different regions, it was possible to distinguish Italian cooking simply by the type of cooking fat used: butter was used in the north, pork fat in the center of the country, and olive oil in the south. Staple dishes in the north were rice and polenta, and pasta was most popular throughout the south. During the last decades of the twentieth century , however, pasta and pizza became popular in the north of Italy. Pasta is more likely to be served with a white cheese sauce in the north and a tomato-based sauce in the south.

Some foods

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Festivals and traditions
Some festivals and traditions are (New years day, Epiphany, Easter Monday, liberation day, Labor Day, republic day, assumption day, all saints' day , immaculate conception, Christmas Day, santo Stefano) those are just some of many important events that have to do with saints and other important people and culture.

ARTICLE

Trevi fountain
One of the first things you’ll notice about the Trevi Fountain is that it’s enormous. It's 85 feet high and 65 feet wide, it’s the biggest fountain in the entire city of Rome. A fountain was originally built on this spot in the mid-15th century, when the tradition of building fountains to mark the end point of an acqueduct was rekindled, but this has always been the terminus of one of Rome’s ancient aqueducts. The acqueduct was destroyed by invaders in the 6th century, but repaired in the 15th century by order of the Pope when the first fountain was built. The Trevi Fountain you see today, which was completed in 1762, is still served by that same Acqua Vergine acqueduct.

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Building
It goes back to Roman times and it was the terminal point of the Aqua Virgo aqueduct commissioned by Augustus, which was used to provide water for the thermal baths. The water that flows here has two names: Virgin Waters and Trevi. The first refers to an ancient legend about a young Roman girl who showed the source of the spring to some thirsty soldiers; whereas Trevi derives from the old name for the area, which was originally called Trebium.

Aqueduct system
The aqueduct continued to function, until the eighteenth century when Pope Clement XII decided to restore the Trevi district and began work on the fountain we know today. It took three centuries to complete and is often attributed to Bernini, but for the most part it is the work of the Roman architect, Nicola Salvi, who took twenty years to complete it.

Coin throwing
There is also a tradition at the fountain, It is said that if you throw a coin over your shoulder into the water, you will be sure to return to Rome. An estimated 3,000 euros in coins are thrown into the fountain every day.

When to visit
It is located on Piazza di Trevi, 00187 Rome slightly NE from the Pantheon. The closest Rome Metro station is Barberini.
It is Always open 24/7 unless under maintenance.
It is Free (except for the coins you’ll throw!) to get in to see the fountain.

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