Chef Gazpacho’s
Guide To
ITALY
By:Jannielle Antony, Kennedy Malone, Megan Wells, Myra Jansky
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Hi, my name is Chef Gazpacho! I’m going to teach you a bit about my country, Italy. Follow me to our first stop: Italy’s farmland! We will learn about the agriculture in Italy. Here we go!
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Here we are, in Italy’s farmland! Did you know that most of Italy’s farms are between 12 and 240 acres big? And the main crops are olives and grapes? All of the grapes grown need to be harvested in the lowland near the Po River, and picked by hand.
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Fish are a great part of the Italian agricultural industry. The main fish they catch are trout, pilchards, anchovy, striped venus, cuttlefish, squid, octopus, and shrimp. Due to global warming, the fish catching industry is going down, but fish are still produced in all parts of Italy.
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The main animals on Italy’s farms are cattle, sheep, goats, and pigs. Meat production from these animals are 4,061 thousand metric tons. The northern part of Italy has the most of the dairy production.
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Here are some fun facts on Italian agriculture. Banana imports are 34,600 million. Cotton exports are 30,000 bales. Wine is produced in every one of Italy’s 20 regions.
Now we will move on to the pizzeria to learn about Italian food! ďƒ
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Here we are at the pizzeria! In Italy each region is known for special foods. Naples is considered the birthplace of pizza. Parma is known for ham, Lombardy for rice dishes, Tuscany for soup, Sicily for sweets, and the Alpine Valleys for cheese.
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Tomatoes are a very important food to Italy, even though they borrowed the idea from Mexico, along with many different recipes from other places. In the summer, they have a tomato festival. They can eat tomatoes all year long because they have so many left over from the summer festival. Mama Mia! That must be a lot of tomatoes!
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Italians eat a variety of different foods. Veal, beef, and lamb are their favorite meats. In northern Italy pasta and rice are liked a lot because they have them at every main meal. The people eat chickpeas-a round bean. They also eat fried cream puffs, Romaine salad with fennel, spaghetti, olives, mazzarino salad, and tomato sauce. They also like pizza, gelato (ice-cream), Formaggio (cheese), and frutta. (fruit)
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Now, I would like to share a few fun facts about Italian food with you. Did you know that coffee is a favorite drink in Italy? They drink it out of little cups and they call it Espresso. Italy is known for pasta; pasta is an Italian word that means ‘dough’. And, spaghetti and with meatballs is not a typical Italian meal.
Now we will move on to the chapel to learn about the Italian religion.
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Here we are in the Italian chapel! Did you know that Roman Catholicism is the majority of 85% native born citizens, and 20% participate in regular services of worship? The Italian Constitution provides for freedom of religion, so not all are Catholic.
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Italy has been a land of deep faith since time immemorial. The landscape is still dotted with beliefs of the past. Rome has been a religious capital for thousands of years in the Catholic faith.
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Instead of ending time of holiness at New Years, it lasts until January 6th. During that time, or around it, they place presents around a manger and they pray. Boy is it busy around that time of year because the festival called Winter Solstice festival also happens!
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In 1984 Italy and Vatican City updated several provisions of the 1929 packs. There is no state religion and the Constitution prohibits state support and private schools. The countryside is dotted with monasteries and convents. Many are empty because fewer people are becoming monks and nuns. Now we’re off to the art museum! ďƒ
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Many of the famous artists of Italy included Leonardo De Vinci, Michelangelo, and Raphael. These artists were famous now and in the Renaissance. Italy’s gallery includes Mona Lisa, the Last Supper, and the Vitruvian man.
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Florence! Florence is a well known city for art museums. Did you know that the first operas were composed in Florence, in the 1590’s? Many artists were born near, or in Florence.
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Fame! Raphael settled in Florence in 1504, where he studied Leonardo De Vinci. Leonardo De Vinci was born near Florence; he later became a court artist for Lodivico Sforza (the duke of Milan) and was later hired by the Florentine government to decorate walls.
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Michelangelo! Michelangelo’s style was distinct. End of story. He got the style from Lorenzo the Magnificents palace. All of these artists are now dead.
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Thank you for coming on this lovely tour with me to show you my homeland. Now I must go back to the pizzeria to eat my heart out. On you way out, you may grab a piece of pizza. (If there is any left.)
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