The BIG
little
Book of Italy
By: Austin George, Cade Kalander, Austin Ciokiewicz, and Josh Butzman
Early Italy The first people in modern day Italy were hunters and gatherers. The hunters and gatherers crossed the Alps and settled. The migration of these Indo-European people began at about 2,000 B.C.
Neanderthal cave painting found in Italy.
The Etruscans The Etruscans were the first society based civilization in Italy. Etruscans were famous for making beautiful gold and silver jewelry. The Etruscan empire ruled all of Italy, until Rome broke free in 510 B.C.
The Romans The Great Roman ruler Julius Caesar expanded the Roman Empire until he was murdered. The Empire stretched across almost all of Europe and to the Middle East. After his death, Caesar’s great nephew, Octavian, was proclaimed the first Roman emperor and for 200 years there was peace and stability. The Romans built the great wonder, the Coliseum, for bloody gladiator sports and other entertainment. After over 500 years, the Roman Empire ended when emperor Romulus Augustlus surrendered to the barbarian King Odoacer.
Middle Ages to Today Italy was the cultural center of the western world from the 13th-16th century. Citystates with high political and commercial rivalries were intense and flourished in the late middle ages. The great writer, inventor, musician and artist Leonardo da Vinci was born in Italy during the Renaissance.
Roman Religion The ancient Romans believed in many gods and goddesses. The gods and goddesses were worshiped in temples. According to the Romans, after you die your soul goes to the underworld. The family of the person that died would put two coins on the dead person’s eyes to give to the fairy man.
Gods and Goddesses of Rome Saturn was a Ruler, and Jupiter was the god of the sky. Juno was the goddess of watching over the women in ancient Rome, and Neptune was the god of the seas. Minerva was the goddess of wisdom and work, and Mars was the god of all the wars in ancient Rome. Venus was the goddess of love.
The Churches of Italy The Roman Catholic Church is considered the most powerful church in Italy. The history of the Roman Catholic Church is based as much on politics as it is on religion. Before Christianity, Roman worshiped a series of gods and goddesses.
Catholicism and Faith One cannot know the true nature of this country and its people without understanding the role faith plays in Italian life. Italy has been a land of deep faith since time immortal. Almost all the people in Italy are Catholic. About ninety percent of Italy is Catholic, seven percent are irreligion, two percent are Islam, and one percent is other. Religion in Italy
Cathlic Irreligion Islam Other
Italian sports Did you know that every spring the tour of Italy has bicycle races which attract the world’s best riders? In Italy girls prefer playing volleyball and basketball. Boys are currently attracted to football, or in America soccer. In Italy they also play a sport called bocce. Bocce is played on dirt and you roll a wooden ball to hit a bigger wooden ball.
In Italy there are millions of licensed hunters, no wonder there is a shortage of animals. Pollution and over fishing has resulted in smaller amounts of fish catches in Italy. Italians spend months training for the Polio races that last about 2 minutes riding on a horse.
The Italian soccer team is a current title holder. Also they are considered the second most successful soccer team in the world. Did you know in Italy the winter sports are the most watched and enjoyed sporting events?
Italians consider basketball to be the next most popular after soccer. After basketball cycling is the next most popular sport in Italy. Italians say cycling is apart of their life and cycling makes history.
Italian Foods. Coffee is the most popular drink in all of Italy. There is a food that they eat called chickpeas. Chickpeas are a kind of round bean, and are eaten throughout Italy. For some reason they only eat special foods only in the summer because only certain foods grow in the summer
Italian Cooking Italian chefs make pasta using rigatoni noodles. Rigatoni is short, slightly curved, noodles. A dessert that they make are maraschino cherries, they are a large type of cherry that is soaked in a sweet liquid. An appetizer that they make is called an antipasto. An antipasto is a large plate filled with meat, vegetables, and cheese.
ItalIan’ DIet Italians don’t have big breakfasts; they usually have a light breakfast. The only big meal they have is at dinner time. The dinner they eat has three different entrée’s, fish, pasta, and any meat that is on the menu. The Italians eat hundreds of different cheeses, like mozzarella, and parmesan.
History of pizza There are many different styles of pizza, Italian, New York, and Chicago style. They say that the word pizza came from the word Pinza. Italy had tomatoes since the 1530’s, but they thought tomatoes were poisonous, so they didn’t use tomatoes until the 18th and 19th century. By the middle ages Italian pizza took on more modern look and taste.