What's Italy's culture like?
Language
The official language of Italy is Italian. Around 93 per cent of the population speak the native language. However, there are other languages that can be found such as Sardinian, Sicilian and Venetian. These languages come from individual towns and villages found in Italy. For example, Sardinian is the language spoken by people from Sardinia and Sicilian is the language spoken by he people who live in Sicily.
Religion
The main religion in Italy is Roman Catholicism. This is probably expected because at the heart of Rome, there is the Vatican city which is home to the Pope. Around 90 per cent of the people in Italy are Catholics, however, only one third of these people are practising Catholics. The other 10 per cent of religions found in Italy comprise of Protestants, Judaism and Islam.
Art
There are lots of beautiful pieces of artwork found in Italy. The can be found in places such as Florence, Venice and Rome. However, churches and public buildings are also filled with paintings. A famous example is the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel of the Vatican which was painted by Michelangelo between 1508 and 1512.
Music
Italy is also famous for its wealth of music. The most common genre being opera. Opera like 'Aida' and 'La Traviata' both by Giuseppe Verdi. Opera was also brought into churches by Luciana Pavarotti who made the Three Tenors.
Food and Drink
Italy is very famous for its food as a lot of Italians believe that food should be a way of life. Every part of Italy has different foods and uses different ingredients to make food. The heart of Italy is where delicacies like pasta, pizza and spaghetti are found. However, in Northern Italy, the main ingredients consist of rice, potatoes, sausages, pork, cheese and fish compared to Southern Italy where tomatoes, peppers and garlic are the main ingredients. Like in Spain, the recipes for the dishes may be the same, but they type of ingredients used may vary from village to village.
Festivals
Italy also has lots of festivals throughout the year. The main cause for these events is due to religious reasons. For example, they have a festival for the Epiphany where they re-enact the nativity. For the majority of the other feats days, there are lots of different parades and marches that are done to celebrate different aspects of the event.
Traditions
The Italians have a few traditions. Some are meant to be during Easter and others during Christmas. However, in many cases, things like folk dances can take place all year round. The folk dances are very unique from each other as they tell a story. Palm weaving is done around Palm Sunday, the week before Easter Sunday. The palms are weaved to make rose buds, braids or cones. They can be arranged to make small bouquets.
Leisure Activities
The Italians play many sports in their free time. Some are quite new, but others have been done for many generations. Due to all the good weather, Italians enjoy playing golf, fishing and sailing in the coastal areas. In addition to this, skiing is also a popular sport. A lot of people ski in the Italian Alps and other mountainous areas. An older sport is hunting. People hunt pheasant, quail, hare, fox deer, stag and many more woodland animals. The majority of hunters are in the central and North of Italy.
The official language of Italy is Italian. Around 93 per cent of the population speak the native language. However, there are other languages that can be found such as Sardinian, Sicilian and Venetian. These languages come from individual towns and villages found in Italy. For example, Sardinian is the language spoken by people from Sardinia and Sicilian is the language spoken by he people who live in Sicily.
Religion
The main religion in Italy is Roman Catholicism. This is probably expected because at the heart of Rome, there is the Vatican city which is home to the Pope. Around 90 per cent of the people in Italy are Catholics, however, only one third of these people are practising Catholics. The other 10 per cent of religions found in Italy comprise of Protestants, Judaism and Islam.
Art
There are lots of beautiful pieces of artwork found in Italy. The can be found in places such as Florence, Venice and Rome. However, churches and public buildings are also filled with paintings. A famous example is the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel of the Vatican which was painted by Michelangelo between 1508 and 1512.
Music
Italy is also famous for its wealth of music. The most common genre being opera. Opera like 'Aida' and 'La Traviata' both by Giuseppe Verdi. Opera was also brought into churches by Luciana Pavarotti who made the Three Tenors.
Food and Drink
Italy is very famous for its food as a lot of Italians believe that food should be a way of life. Every part of Italy has different foods and uses different ingredients to make food. The heart of Italy is where delicacies like pasta, pizza and spaghetti are found. However, in Northern Italy, the main ingredients consist of rice, potatoes, sausages, pork, cheese and fish compared to Southern Italy where tomatoes, peppers and garlic are the main ingredients. Like in Spain, the recipes for the dishes may be the same, but they type of ingredients used may vary from village to village.
Festivals
Italy also has lots of festivals throughout the year. The main cause for these events is due to religious reasons. For example, they have a festival for the Epiphany where they re-enact the nativity. For the majority of the other feats days, there are lots of different parades and marches that are done to celebrate different aspects of the event.
Traditions
The Italians have a few traditions. Some are meant to be during Easter and others during Christmas. However, in many cases, things like folk dances can take place all year round. The folk dances are very unique from each other as they tell a story. Palm weaving is done around Palm Sunday, the week before Easter Sunday. The palms are weaved to make rose buds, braids or cones. They can be arranged to make small bouquets.
Leisure Activities
The Italians play many sports in their free time. Some are quite new, but others have been done for many generations. Due to all the good weather, Italians enjoy playing golf, fishing and sailing in the coastal areas. In addition to this, skiing is also a popular sport. A lot of people ski in the Italian Alps and other mountainous areas. An older sport is hunting. People hunt pheasant, quail, hare, fox deer, stag and many more woodland animals. The majority of hunters are in the central and North of Italy.