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Gondolas, bikes, and subways are other major types of transportation in Italy. Now, you are probably wondering what a gondola is… This is a special type of boat in Italy, that transports people across the many river canals in Italy. Gondolas are a fairly expensive type of transportation, that you need to buy tickets for in advance. The main route is from Venice, to other places within the same canal. On the other hand, if your are just wanting to travel on land, then biking is a good idea. The main reason biking is popular in Italy, is because you can quickly bike to nearby places. For the first time in a decade, more bikes were bought in Italy compared to cars. Lastly, subways are other good type of transportation in Italy. There are many subway stops, that you can go to in many different Italian cities. Some of these cities are Rome, Milan, Naples, and Turin. Subways, bikes, and gondolas are 3 easy, quick ways of transportation in Italy.

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Italy is known for their quick ways of transportation, especially by their 3 main trains. These trains are regional, high speed, and intercity. First, intercity trains are the trains that travel all throughout Italy, and stop at major towns and cities. These are pretty fancy trains. They have seat reservations, and first and second class seating available! Next, High Speed trains are one of the newest, most high-tech trains in existing. Special tracks in Italy, were built to let these extremely speedy trains run. High Speed trains are recently being used and were created not too long ago. These are much faster than most other trains. Finally, Regional trains are the less popular out of the 3, but still fairly used. A ride on a Regional train is pretty cheap, and these trains are covered in graffiti and are smaller trains. They stop in tiny, unheard of towns, but that is one of the reasons that people enjoy them that live in small towns, rather than the big cities. Trains are a big way of transportation in Italy, are continuing to improve.

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This book is showing that you hold your fork in you left hand, and knife in the right.

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Daily Meals/ Popular Foods- Food (Student Choice)

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Daily Meals/ Popular Foods- Food (Student Choice)

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If you have not already heard, Italy is one of the most famous countries for food, all over the world. It is known that people dine at restaurants that sell only Italian food. Typically, light breakfasts are served in Italy. Not much food at all, in fact, usually just a fresh croissant and a hot cup of coffee. On a normal day for a working adult, they will not eat lunch. Lunches are becoming less popular because of people being busy with work. However, if there is time for a nice lunch, there are usually about two courses. Finally, there is what Italy is most famous for, dinner. Now, dinners are traditionally longer, because lunch is less popular and shorter. Usually a dinner contains 3 courses, and at some point in the meal vegetables, meat, and pasta will be served. In Northern Italy, pasta and rice are a crucial part of every meal. In Southern Italy, pasta is highly popular. The second course is normally a simple salad. There are any different popular foods in different categories, in Italy. Veal, beef, and lamb are the most famous meats. Super fresh cheese is extremely popular. It is made fresh in Italy. The most popular cheeses are parmesan and mozzarella. This cheese is used to make Italy’s famous pizza, and sometimes used in pasta. Italy’s pizzas, and pasta sauces differ by region. Italian pizza is typically thinner than American pizza. Along with the 3 course dinner, fresh Italian wine is commonly served, and sometimes even used to cook meals. Italian food is much appreciated throughout the whole world, and is extremely popular.

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There are many eating customs in Italy, such as manners, times to eat, and cleaning up. To be polite during a meal, means to have manners. Italians usually eat continental style, meaning a type of eating, like family style. It is polite to have your fork in your left hand, and knife in the right. Also, placing your hands on the table is improper. After eating, utensils are placed on your plate, to show who is done, and once everyone is done, then you can get up. Times to eat, and different parts of a meal in Italy are also very important. At least, many families try to have dinner together most nights. This is because the old custom of Italian families having lunch together is becoming less popular. Meals typically last very long, sometimes hours when there are guests. They do not like to rush. After the meals are over, cleanup is the polite custom to do. In a casual setting, like at home or a casual restaurant, the guests will usually volunteer to clean up. If in a more formal setting, like a fancy restaurant, the bill will normally include a service charge, or the guests will give a service tip. Italy’s meal customs are very polite to follow during meals.

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This an Opera house located in Rome, Italy

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Music and fashion are two different types of art that are famous in Italy. Italians invented three types of music that you may go see or play on your own today. First, opera was invented in Italy. Opera has really evolved, and today you can go in many big cities to listen to an amazing opera. There are also many opera houses in America, that were originally in Italy. Italy also invented the piano, one of the most famous instruments used today. Third, musical notation was invented there. Italy is also well known for their concerts and their many musical festivals, especially for holidays. Along with music, fashion is another important part of Italian art. Modern fashion designers, like Alessandro Michele, who began Gucci. Some other famous Italian fashion designers are Alessandra Facchinetti, Carlo Palazzi, Daniela Zuccoli, Donatella Versace, and last but not least, Miuccia Prada, the inventor of Prada. Art and music are such crucial parts of Italian art.

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This image shows the population over time.

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Literacy rate compared to U.S.

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This is the Colosseum.

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This is the Saint Joseph's Bread with easter eggs.

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Roman Architecture is truly outstanding. It started way back in the 12th century. Many sculptures were also built during the Renaissance. There were so many famous monuments made by ancient Romans. First, there is the Colosseum, a tourist favorite. It is located in Rome, and is known as the largest amphitheater ever built by the Roman Empire, that still remains today. Next, there is Pompeii, a once beautiful city, that unfortunately got wrecked during a humongous volcano. Today, above the volcano, stands all of the ruins of the Roman Architecture that did not get destroyed. Third, is the home of the Pope, and this is called the Vatican. It is located right in the center of Vatican City. It is super old, but so cool that it is known to blend in with all of the newer artwork. Finally, there is the Pantheon, in Rome. It is one of the most well preserved monuments worldwide. It’s shape is a square, with a dome at the top. The dome is still unknown to this day.

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The people of Italy and their needs really matter. The literacy rate of Italy is 99%, as of 2011. Literacy rate is the percentage of which people are able to read and write compared to the people who are not able to read and write. Another fact about italy is their average life expectancy. This is just and average for women and men, and it is 89.49 years old as of 2015. Besides life expectancy and literacy rate, people’s general attitudes and beliefs are important too. Because of economic disagreements across regions, more technology is being used for work. Generally, the North rushes and doesn’t put as good quality into their work as the south. This is because the South is more valued for their good quality work, even if it takes tons of time. Though there are many political and economic tensions between the North and South, many people refuse to split politically. Along with business, Italians take much pride in their social lives. They believe that they get judged if they do not show many social interactions, so to prevent this, they try to never miss any social events.According to CultureGrams, “Humor, agreeability, reliability, and success in business and social life are regarded more favorably than individual assertiveness.” This means that group collaboration is more wanted than individuality. Overall, life expectancy, literacy rates, and people’s beliefs and general attitudes are all valued in Italy.

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You may be finding out tons of general information about Italian culture, but you are probably wondering what a typical day in Italy looks like. Italians have tons of free time, especially children. There are many popular sports that are super fun to do in Italy. Soccer, or in Italian, Calcio, is the most popular sport. Italy has a major league soccer team that is known for usually winning many games. However, soccer is not Italy’s only popular sport; Horse racing, bicycling, tennis, skiing, boxing, fencing, swimming, and track and field are also popular sports. Another way many Italians spend their free time is shopping and picking out outfits. Italians take much pride in their appearance, and dress up for many occasions. They rarely wear scrappy or torn clothing. Usually, children wear jeans. Both children and adults normally wear casual sneakers. Women typically wear lots of makeup, and fancy jewelery. To work, people dress more formal. Specifically, teachers dress very formal. Speaking of teaching, education is another key component of Italian daily life. Classes in most regions are from Monday through Saturday. Most kids spend a ton of time on homework, and take school very seriously. The main teaching method is memorization, meaning that things may not be perfectly explained, but students can easily memorize them. Cheating on tests in Italy is very rare because everything is easy to memorize. From sports, to clothing, to education, Italians daily lives are really interesting!

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There are many religions to choose from in Italy, but here are the most popular ones: Christianity, Muslim, Jewish, and Protestant. 80% of Italians are Christians. Of that 80%, 80% are Roman Catholic. Most Italians, do not attend Church. If they do, it is by choice or for holidays. A tiny percentage of Italians are Protestant, Muslim, or Jewish. These are not the only religions, they are just the most popular in Italy. You can choose whichever religion you want to believe in.

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Holidays are a major part of religion in Italy. The celebrations of different holidays include special foods. For Easter, there’s a special type of bread called Saint Joseph’s bread, and hard boiled eggs are also served. On a unique celebration, only in Italy, they have something called a “Saint Lucy’s Feast.” On New Year’s Eve, they have the “Feast of Seven Fishes.” These are just some of the foods served on a few of the holidays. However, there are tons more holidays. First, there is Epiphany, a children’s holiday that recognizes the last part of Christmas. Second, there is Carnevale, which is a fun and festive holiday that there is a parade for. Third, there is Easter, a holiday celebrated by Christians to start spring. Finally, there is Ferragosto, which is celebrated in August, that had been celebrated since Ancient Rome.

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Up to today, Italy still faces many unsolved issues. Some of these include political instability, organized crime (terror attacks), corruption, high unemployment and economic problems. Another issue is illegal immigration, and this is the worst. Illegal immigration had caused a migrant crisis in 2016. In April, an extreme amount of migrants arrived in Italy. Most came illegally, and got there by the Mediterranean Sea. The majority of immigrants that came from the Mediterranean Sea were from Libya. Also, many refugees from Africa and the Middle East, come to Italy and Greece because they have easy openings. Typically, migrants would work their way into bordering countries to Italy, but recently those countries closed their borders, forcing migrants to come into Italy. Though people think Italy is a peaceful country, there are still many flaws.

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Italy has completely changed and really evolved since the day it was founded. First, the Italian Peninsula and the Roman Empire got much attention when a group called the Etruscans influenced people to settle there. Originally, people settled in Italy, but later relocated in the Roman Empire. Before the Romans took over, the Greeks had settled in Southern Italy. By the fifth century AD, the Western Roman Empire had turned into an invaded place, that had been attacked many times. Besides the evolvement of Italy, there were tons of other important events. One of them includes the Italian Unification Movement. This was when the first Italian parliament declared unification, which caused major disagreement throughout the entire country. Another huge event was the elections of 1992. They hurt the government, and failed to create a strong government. Next, a huge issue was corruption. Many Italians, including the Prime Minister, were charged for corruption, because of their dishonesty. By 1994, 6,000 people were under investigation for their corruption. The country was always in a political scandal, meaning that there were always governmental issues. Italy has really evolved through the start of its becoming.

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Currency and jobs are a highly important part of Italy’s culture. The currency in Italy has changed so much through the years. Italy used to have the third largest economy in all of the eurozone. However, that changed when Italy converted from Lira to Euro. But Lira and Euro are not the only changes in Italy’s currency. It all started during Ancient Greece and Rome, when coins had intrinsic value. This meant that the money all matched up to different rare metals. Next, during the Middle Ages and Renaissance, gold was founded, and metal was no longer what money was made out of. During early Modern History, much new currency types were used such as, Papal states scudo, parman lira, Neapolitan piastra, Two sicilies piastra, Sardinian lira, and Tuscan Fiorino. Finally, during the Modern Period, Liras were used. Today, Euros are more commonly used than Liras. But how do people get all of this money?! Jobs… The most popular jobs in Italy are maintenance workers, truck drivers, groundskeepers, healthcare occupations, assemblers, child care workers, and carpenters. These are just the most common jobs, but of course anyone can choose what job to have. The way that Italy’s economy works really involves jobs, and there is so much history about Italy’s currency.

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Italy’s economy is purely based on imports and exports. It is worldwide known for their famous exports. In Northern Italy, industry is more popular, and in the South, agriculture is more dominant. But overall, Italy is known for their industrial and agricultural based exports. There is such a huge variety of foods that Italy exports. It is one of the most major wine and cheese producers in the whole world. Along with wine and cheese, Italy produces many other important crops such as: potatoes, corn, wheat, olive oil, rice and fruits. Now that's a lot of food! After all of the food is grown, they are all exported to different countries. In the image to the right, you can see all of the foods and how they are all coming from different places in Italy.

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The power of the people in Italy is mainly based off of choice. For example, you are able to choose the political party you represent. The three most popular political parties in Italy include the Democratic party, People of Freedom party, and the Popular Five Star Movement party. There are more parties to choose from, but their candidates are not featured in every election. Political parties are not the only thing the people have a choice in! Italy's constitution provides people’s rights, that consist of statements that let people choose the majority of their actions. The constitution declares freedom of speech, press, religion and assembly. It also mentions that that the elections in Italy are considered “free and fair”. Surprisingly, Italy’s government is more similar to America than you would expect. The people of Italy are fortunate to have the ability to make so many choices.

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Italy’s capital building, Capitoline Hill, consists of the president, prime minister, and multiple parliament houses. Italy has a Parliamentary Republic government. Sergio Mattarella was elected by the electoral college, the same system as the United states. The president serves a seven year term, and is the head of the country not government. A very important job of Mattarella, is that he must appoint the prime minister, Paolo Gentiloni. Paolo is in charge of the government, not state. He got appointed by the president, in the parliament's lower house.The prime minister is approved by a parliamentary vote of confidence. Along with the president and prime minister, the structure of Italy’s government also includes two parliament houses. Italy has a bicameral government, meaning that they have an upper, and lower parliament. The houses are elected by a proportional representation system to 5 year terms. Typically, terms are 5 years unless Parliament is dissolved for new elections early. When it comes to laws, either house can propose a law, but it must be approved by both. However, this equal participation in lawmaking causes much conflict. Overall, the structure of Italy’s government is very organized and controlled.