Italy (Sorrento, Amalfi)

Editor's Notes

• #4: The country's total area is 301,230 km², of which 294,020 km² is land and 7,210 km² is water. Including the islands, Italy has a coastline and border of 7,600 km on the Adriatic , Ionian , Tyrrhenian seas (740 km), and borders shared with France (488 km), Austria (430 km), Slovenia (232 km) and Switzerland; San Marino (39 km) and Vatican City (3.2 km), both enclaves, account for the remainder
• #5: borders shared with France , Austria , Slovenia and Switzerland
• #6: The climate of Italy is highly diverse and can be far from the stereotypical Mediterranean climate , depending on location. Most of the inland northern regions of Italy, for example Piedmont , Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna , have a climate variously described as humid continental or temperate. climte of the “Po valley region is continental with harsh winters and hot summers The coastal regions have mild winters and warm and generally dry summers.
• #7: ROME: Capital city of Italy and of the Lazio region (Latium), and Italy's largest and most populous city, with about 2.8 million inhabitants. Rome is also the historic capital of the Roman EmpireIt has many ancient monuments, interesting medieval churches, beautiful fountains, museums, and Renaissance palaces. Modern Rome is a bustling and lively city and has some excellent restaurants and nightlife. The Vatican and St. Peter's are also found in Rome.
• #8: Venice is a unique city built on water in the middle of a lagoon. Venice is one of Italy's most beautiful and romantic cities as well as one of the most popular for visitors to Italy. The heart of Venice is Piazza San Marco with its magnificent church. There are many museums, palaces, and churches to visit and wandering along Venice's canals is interesting. Venice is in the northeast of Italy and historically was a bridge between East and West.
• #9: Milan, one of Europe's richest cities, is known for stylish shops, galleries, and restaurants and has a faster pace of life than most Italian cities. It also has a rich artistic and cultural heritage. Its Duomo, with its beautiful marble facade, is magnificent. La Scala is one of the world's most famous opera houses.
• #10: Capital of the Piedmont region, with a population of 908,000 inhabitants. Turin, host of the 2006 Winter Olympics, is a major cultural hub with excellent museums, elegant shops, and good restaurants. There are also some very nice examples of baroque architecture and historic palaces. Turin has many historic cafes, artisan workshops, and arcades. Turin is in the northwest of Italy, between the Po River and the foothills of the Alps.
• #11: It is the home of the oldest continually operating university of the Western world, founded in 1088Bologna is known for its beauty, wealth, cuisine, and left-wing politics. Its streets are lined with beautiful arcades, making it a good place to walk even in the rain. It has one of Europe's oldest universities and a nice medieval center. There are several attractive squares, lined with buildings with nice porticoes. Bologna is the capital of the Emilia-Romagna region in northern Italy.
• #12: Florence is one of the most important Renaissance architectural and art centers. Its Duomo and Baptistery are magnificent but crowded with tourists as is their large piazza. Florence has several interesting museums with many famous paintings and sculptures. There are also Medici palaces and gardens. Florence is in Tuscany.
• #13: The statistics showing the ranks of cities in terms of their population is as follows: Rome : most populas city with apopulation of 2761477
• #14: Italian Scuderia Ferrari is the oldest surviving team in Grand Prix racing, having competed since 1948, and statistically the most successful Formula One team in history with a record of 15 drivers' championships and 16 constructors' championships. Italy won the 2006 FIFA World Cup, and is currently the second most successful football team in the world, after Brazil, having won four FIFA World Cups.
• #15: Milan's Bocconi University , has been ranked among the top 20 best business schools in the world by The Wall Street Journal international rankings, especially thanks to its M.B.A. program, which in 2007 placed it no. 17 in the world in terms of graduate recruitment preference by major multinational companies Forbes has ranked Bocconi no. 1 worldwide in the specific category Value for Money It ranks no. 5 in Europe and no. 15 in the world. La Sapienza University in Rome is Europe's largest, with 140,000 students
• #17: About 68% of Italian population is classified as urban , which is a relatively low figure among developed countries. During the last two decades, Italy underwent a devolution process, that eventually led to the creation of administrative metropolitan areas , in order to give major cities and their metropolitan areas a provincial status (somehow similar to PRC 's direct-controlled municipality ). However, none of these new local authorities has yet become fully operative. According to OECD , [108] the largest conurbations are: Milan – 7.4 million Rome – 3.7 million Naples – 3.1 million Turin – 2.2 million
• #19: Due to late unification the customs and traditions recognized as italian can be identified by the regions of their origin. Despite the political and social distinction of these regions, Italy's contributions to the cultural and historical heritage of Europe and the world remain immense. Italy is home to the greatest number of UNESCO World Heritage Sites (47) to date, and has rich collections of world art, culture and literature from many different periods. Italy has had a broad cultural influence worldwide, also because numerous Italians emigrated to other countries during the Italian diaspora Italy has 100,000 monuments of any sort (museums, palaces, buildings, statues, churches, art galleries, villas, fountains, historic houses and archaeological remains). [171]
• #20: ITALIAN is the official language of Italy, and 93% of population are native Italian speakers. Around 50% of population speak a regional dialect as mother tongue. Friulian, one of these dialects, is spoken by 600,000 people in the north east of Italy, which is 1% of the entire population. Other northern minority languages include Ladin, Slovene, German, which enjoys equal recognition with Italian in the province of Alto-Adige, and French, which is legally recognised in the Alpine region of the Val d'Aosta. Albanian is spoken by 0.2% of the population, mainly in the southern part of Italy, as too are Croatian and Greek. Catalan is spoken in one city, Alghero, on the island of Sardinia, by around 0.07% of the population. On the rest of the island, Sardinian is spoken by over 1m, which comes to 1.7% of the Italian population.
• #23: The family is the centre of the social structure and provides a stabilizing influence for its members. . In the north, generally only the nuclear family lives together; while in the south, the extended family often resides together in one house. . The family provides both emotional and financial support to its members.
• #24: Greetings are enthusiastic yet rather formal. . The usual handshake with direct eye contact and a smile suffices between strangers. . Once a relationship develops, air-kissing on both cheeks, starting with the left is often added as well as a pat on the back between men. . Wait until invited to move to a first name basis. . Italians are guided by first impressions, so it is important that you demonstrate propriety and respect when greeting people, especially when meeting them for the first time. . Many Italians use calling cards in social situations. These are slightly larger than traditional business cards and include the person's name, address, title or academic honours, and their telephone number.
• #25: Do not give chrysanthemums as they are used at funerals. . Do not give red flowers as they indicate secrecy. . Do not give yellow flowers as they indicate jealousy . If you bring wine, make sure it is a good vintage. Quality, rather than quantity, is important. . Do not wrap gifts in black, as is traditionally a mourning colour. . Do not wrap gifts in purple, as it is a symbol of bad luck. . Gifts are usually opened when received.
• #26: If an invitation says the dress is informal, wear stylish clothes that are still rather formal, i.e., jacket and tie for men and an elegant dress for women. . Punctuality is not mandatory. You may arrive between 15 minutes late if invited to dinner and up to 30 minutes late if invited to a party. . If you are invited to a meal, bring gift-wrapped such as wine or chocolates. . If you are invited for dinner and want to send flowers, have them delivered that day.
• #27: 1.Italians prefer to do business with people they know and trust. They prefer face-to-face contact, Demeanour is important as Italians judge people on appearances and the first impression you make will be a lasting one. 2. Appointments are mandatory and should be made in writing 2 to 3 weeks in advance. In the north, punctuality is viewed as a virtue Decisions are not reached in meetings. Meetings are meant for a free flow of ideas and to let everyone have their say. 3. Dressing well is a priority in Italy. . Men should wear dark coloured, conservative business suits. . Women should wear either business suits or conservative dresses. . Elegant accessories are equally important for men and women. 4 Business cards are exchanged after the formal introduction. . To demonstrate proper respect for the other person, look closely at their business card before putting it in your card holder.  Italian cards are often plain white with black print.
• #28: Italy is known for its considerable architectural achievements, such as the construction of arches, domes and similar structures during ancient Rome
• #29: Nevada county Italian festival: celebrated on 17& 18 sep in the memorial park Festa Italiana: celebrated on1 st weekend of August in sacra mento The sicilian festival: celebrated on 18 th May in sicily island of italy Christmas day easter and new year are also celebrated all over the country
• #30: . Italian painting is traditionally characterized by a warmth of colour and light, as exemplified in the works of Caravaggio and Titian Some popular artists are Michelangelo , Leonardo da Vinci , Donatello , Botticelli , Fra Angelico , Tintoretto , Caravaggio , Bernini , Titian and Raphael. The Last Supper& Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci are most parodied portrait and religious painting of all time.
• #31: the Divine Comedy by poet Dante Alighieri, is considered amongst the foremost literary statements produced in Europe during the Middle Ages. : Giovanni Boccaccio , Giacomo Leopardi , Alessandro Manzoni , Torquato Tasso , Ludovico Ariosto , and Petrarch are the famous literary personalities all over the world.
• #32: Italian theatre reveal Roman tradition which was heavily influenced by the Greek. dramatists translate from the Greek. For example, Seneca's Phaedra was based on Euripides , many of the comedies of Plautus were direct translations of works by Menander . . Travelling troupes of players amuse people in the form of juggling , acrobatics and humorous plays based on a repertoire of established characters with a rough storyline, called canovaccio .
• #33: Italy is widely known for being the birthplace of opera. [179] Italian opera was believed to have been founded in the early 17th century, in Italian cities such as Mantua and Venice
• #35: The Italian film industry was born between 1903 and 1908 with three companies: the Società Italiana Cines , the Ambrosio Film and the Itala Film . The first Italian film was a few seconds long, showing Pope Leo XIII giving a blessing to the camera. After the war, Italian film was widely recognised and exported until an artistic decline around the 1980s. Notable Italian film directors from this period include Vittorio De Sica , Federico Fellini , Sergio Leone , Pier Paolo Pasolini , Luchino Visconti , Michelangelo Antonioni and Dario Argento . In recent years, the Italian scene has received only occasional international attention, with movies like La vita è bella
• #36: Through the centuries, Italy has given birth to some notable scientific minds. Amongst them the most famous are Leonardo da Vinci having contributions to art, biology, and technology. Galileo Galilei : a physicist , mathematician , and astronomer The physicist Enrico Fermi , a Nobel prize laureate, was the leader of the team that built the first nuclear reactor and is also noted for his many other contributions to physics, including the quantum theory Nobel laureate Camillo Golgi discovered the Golgi complex received the Nobel Prize for his work
• #37: Italy has a long sporting tradition. The most popular sport is football. Basketball and volleyball are the next most popular games, with Italy having a rich tradition in both. Italy won the 2006 FIFA World Cup, and is currently the second most successful football team in the world, after Brazil, having won four FIFA World Cups. It has also got strong traditions in cycling, tennis, athletics, fencing, winter sports and rugby.
• #38: Italian fashion has amongst the world's most important fashion designs , such as those of France , USA , Great Britain and Japan . Fashion has always been an important part of the culture of Italy , and its society, and Italians are well known for their attention to dressing-up well, and "la bella figura" , or good impression, remains traditional in the Italian way of living. [1] Italian designs began to become one of Europe's main trendsetters eversince the 11th-16th centuries, when artistic development in Italy was at its peak. Cities such as Venice , Milan , Florence and Vicenza started to produce luxury goods , hats , cosmetics , jewelry and rich fabrics . During the 17th-early 20th centuries, Italian fashion lost its importance, and Europe's main trendsetter became France, as French fashion began to become hugely popular, eversince luxury dresses began to be designed for the courtiers of Louis XIV . [2] However, since the 1951-53 fashion soirées held by Giovanni Battista Giorgini in Florence, [3] the " Italian school " started to compete with the French haute couture , as labels such as Ferragamo and Gucci began to contend with Chanel and Dior . Currently Milan , Italy's center of design , is considered the true fashion capital of the world, according to the 2009 Global Language Monitor , and Rome is ranked 4th. [4] Both these cities annually compete with other major international centres, such as Paris , New York , London and Tokyo .
• #39: Fashion in Italy started to become the most fashionable in Europe since the 11th century, and powerful cities of the time, such as [[Venice Milan , Florence, Vicenza and Rome began to produce robes , jewelry , textiles , shoes , fabrics , ornaments and elaborate dresses . [7] Italian fashion reached its peak during the Renaissance . As Italy is widely recognized as the cradle and birthplace of the Renaissance, art , music , education , finance and philosophy flourished, and along with it, Italian fashion designs became immensely popular (especially those worn by the Medicis in Florence. [10] The fashions of France, were considered the most fashionable in Europe).
• #40: Italian fashion has a long tradition , and is regarded as one of the most important in the world, along with French fashion , American fashion, British fashion and Japanese fashion. Milan, Florence and Rome are Italy's main fashion capitals Major Italian fashion labels, such as Gucci , Prada , Versace , Valentino , Armani , Dolce & Gabbana , Missoni , Fendi , Moschino , Max Mara and Ferragamo , to name a few, are regarded as amongst the finest fashion houses in the world. Also, the fashion magazine Vogue Italia , is considered the most important and prestigious fashion magazine in the world
• #41: Italy is also prominent in the field of design , notably interior design, architectural design , industrial design and urban design . Italy has produced some well-known furniture designers, such as Gio Ponti and Ettore Sottsass
• #43: The history of Italian cooking actually stems all the back to the traditions of the Romans and Greeks. There are about 20 regions in Italy and different types of food can be found in each one. Long ago it was difficult for Italians to travel to other regions within Italy. This resulted in distinct styles and ways to prepare food in each region as few people were exposed to other types of cooking. So even though Italy does not seem to be a very large nation geographically, it still has a wide range of flavor. The best Italian food and particularly tasty recipes goes back a long way and everyone seems to love food cooked the Italian way. It is a food rich in history and each Italian city has added its own signature authentic Italian recipes to the pot. Traditional and authentic Italian food has become famous all over the world, particularly its pasta based dishes and the use of cheese. The food is mostly combined with sauces, cured meats and antipastos.
• #46: Rice ( Riso ) dishes are very common in Northern Italy, especially in the Lombardia and Veneto regions, though rice dishes are found in all the country.
• #47: Cake with Orange Juice This is an Italian breakfast cake made of orange juice. It takes only 10 minutes of preparation to cook this easy, simple and fast recipe and it is delightful Peach jam tart with Amaretti A tart with hearts, what a delicious dessert to share Italians with their Valentine! Pastiera Napoletana This is a dessert typical of Naples that in Italy is used to be prepared during the Easter period Strawberry jam tart A delicious dessert with strawberry jam! Simple and fast Zelten the Italian recipe for Zelten that is the traditional dessert prepared in Trentino Alto Adige during the Christmas feas
• #48: Biscuits with Hazelnuts This is a another delicious Italian recipe of biscuits made of hazelnuts and cacao November Biscuits This is an Italian recipe for a typical kind of biscuits, called "Pane dei Morti", traditional from Lombardia . It is prepared for the 2nd of November in every year Cenci This is a typical dessert of Tuscany served in the Carnival period Chocolate Carnival Balls This coulored sweet is a great idea for every party Almond Biscuits This is another delicious Italian recipe of biscuits made of almonds. Also these biscuits, like cacao biscuits presented in a previous recipe
• #49: Biscuits with Hazelnuts This is a another delicious Italian recipe of biscuits made of hazelnuts and cacao November Biscuits This is an Italian recipe for a typical kind of biscuits, called "Pane dei Morti", traditional from Lombardia . It is prepared for the 2nd of November in every year Cenci This is a typical dessert of Tuscany served in the Carnival period Chocolate Carnival Balls This coulored sweet is a great idea for every party Almond Biscuits This is another delicious Italian recipe of biscuits made of almonds. Also these biscuits, like cacao biscuits presented in a previous recipe
• #51: Italy's public education is free and compulsory from 6 to 15 years of age ] and has a five-year primary stage and an eight-year secondary stage , divided into first-grade secondary school ( middle school ) and second-grade secondary school (or high school). Italy has a high public education standard , surpassing that of other comparable developed countries, such as the UK and Germany.The country has both public and private education systems. According to National Science Indicators (1981–2002), a database produced by Research Services Group containing listings of output and citation statistics for more than 90 countries, Italy has an above-average output of scientific papers (in terms of number of papers written with at least one author being from Italy) in space science (9.75% of papers in the world being from Italy), mathematics (5.51% of papers in the world), computer science , neurosciences , and physics ; the lowest, but still slightly above world-average, output in terms of number of papers produced is recorded in the social sciences , psychology and psychiatry , and economics and business . [154]
• #52: 15 Italian universities are ranked in the 2010 as World University Rankings? out of which, two are ranked in the Top 200 of the world There are five subjects which draw the attention of international students from all over the world. They are: health, humanities, sciences, social studies and technology
• #53: Italy and the Western world's oldest college is the University of Bologna . [162] In 2009, the University of Bologna is, according to The Times , the only Italian college in the top 200 World Universities. The University of Bologna is the highest ranked university in Italy. It also ranks as the 176th best university in the world according to the QS World University Rankings 2010.
• #54: Sapienza University of Rome is the only other Italian university which is ranked at an impressive 190th rank, internationally.
• #55: The University of Padua ,is one of Europe's oldest universities in the world.
• #56:   Italy  is the fourth highest tourist earner, and fifth most visited country in the world, behind  France  (76.0 million), Spain  (55.6 million),  United States  (49.4 million), and  China People mainly come to Italy for its rich  art ,  cuisine ,  history ,  fashion  and  culture , its beautiful coastline and beaches, its mountains, and priceless ancient monuments, especially those from the  Greek civilization  and  Roman civilization .
• #57: People have visited Italy for centuries, yet the first actual tourists to come to Italy for touristic reasons were aristocrats during the Grand Tour, beginning in the late 17th century, and flourishing in the 18th century. Rome , as the capital of the powerful and influential  Roman Empire  attracted thousands to the city and country from all over the empire, which included most of the Mediterranean, Northern Africa, mainland Great Britain (England) and the parts of the Middle East. Traders and merchants came to Italy from several different parts of the world.
• #58: Places such as Venice, Florence, Rome, Naples and Sicily still remained the top attractions. By the 1850s, less-cultural visits began to be made, and several tourists also came to Italy for its nature and weather. . Islands such as Capri, Ischia, Procida and Elba became more popular, and the Northern Lakes, such as Lake Como, Lake Maggiore and Lake Garda became more frequently visited, notably by wealthy foreigners and academics.
• #59: Northwest Italy include Turin, the manufacturing capital & Milan, the business and fashion capital of the country NortheastItaly:Venice,  Verona , Vicenza ,  Padua ,  Trento ,  Bolzano ,  Bologna ,  Ferrara ,  Piacenza ,  Parma , Ravenna and  Trieste Central Italy:the world's best known landmarks such as the  Colosseum .  Florence ,  Tuscany 's most visited city, nearby cities like  Siena ,  Pisa , and  Lucca  also have rich cultural heritages.
• #60: Naples  is the most visited city in the area, and the ruins of Pompeii are the most visited sights. Other important tourist destinations include the  Amalfi Coast  and  Ravello ,  Apulia  and the beaches and sights of  Calabria , as well as up-and-coming agritourism make this less visited region become increasingly popular. The largest island in the country is a diverse and popular tourist island, famous for its archaeology, seascape and unique  Sicilian cuisine . Large island some 250 kilometers west of the Italian coastline. It includes several popular  tourist attractions  and has several beaches and archaeological ruins.
• #62: Italy has a smaller number of global multinational corporations than other economies of comparable size, but there is a large number of small and medium-sized enterprises , and in the Northern "industrial triangle" (Milan-Turin-Genoa) or the Tuscan industrial triangle (Florence-Prato-Pistoia), where there is an area of intense industrial and machinery production, notably in their several industrial districts , which are the backbone of the Italian industry. This has produced a manufacturing sector often focused on the export of niche market and luxury products, that if on one side is less capable to compete on the quantity, on the other side is more capable of facing the competition from China and other emerging Asian economies based on lower labour costs, with higher quality products
• #63: Italy's major exports and companies by sector are motor vehicles ( Fiat , Aprilia , Ducati , Piaggio ); chemicals and petrochemicals ( Eni ); energy and electrical engineering ( Enel , Edison ); home appliances ( Candy , Indesit ), aerospace and defense technologies ( Alenia Aeronautica , Agusta , Finmeccanica ), firearms ( Beretta ), fashion ( Armani , Valentino , Versace , Dolce & Gabbana , Roberto Cavalli , Benetton , Prada , Luxottica ); food processing ( Ferrero , Barilla Group , Martini & Rossi , Campari , Parmalat ); sport and luxury vehicles ( Ferrari , Maserati , Lamborghini , Pagani ); yachts ( Ferretti , Azimut
• #67: the world’s leading insurance operators, with significant market shares in Germany, France, Austria, Spain, Switzerland and further afield in Israel.
• #68: 5,700 branches well distributed throughout the country
• #69: Italy has had a public healthcare system since 1978. [163] Healthcare spending in Italy accounted for more than 9.0% of the national GDP in 2008, slightly above the OECD countries' average of 8.9%. [164] However, Italy ranks as having the world's 2nd best healthcare system, [163][165] and the world's 3rd best healthcare performance. [166] Italy had the 12th highest worldwide life expectancy in 2010, [167] while, as in many others western countries, seeing an increase in the proportion of overweight and obese people, with 34.2% of Italians self reporting as overweight and 9.8% self reporting as obese. [168] The proportion of daily smokers was 22% in 2008. [169] Smoking in public places including bars, restaurants, night clubs and offices has been restricted to specially ventilated rooms since 2005. [170]