Fascinating Facts About Italy
Italy is a European country with a long Mediterranean coastline, has left a powerful mark on Western culture and cuisine. Ancient ruins and landmark art can be found all around the country.
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Italy is broken down into twenty regions.
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The first names in Italy usually end with ‘a’ for women and ‘o’ for men.
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Italy is one of the founding members of NATO and the European Union.
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Galileo’s middle finger is on display at a museum in Florence, Italy.
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Italy has hosted the Olympic Games three times, in 1956, 1960, and 2006.
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The winter Olympics has been held in Italy two times. in 1956 and in 2006.
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Italy is made up of over 70 islands.
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Italy is an earthquake-prone region. More earthquakes happen in Italy than any other European country.
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The espresso machine was invented in Italy.
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Italians consume over 45 bottles of wine per year, per capita.
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Many famous scientists and mathematicians were born and raised in Italy. Leonardo Da Vinci, Galileo Galilei, Alessandro Volta, and Fibonacci.
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The Italians invented many other things including the thermometer, piano, violin, the telephone, and mechanical clock.
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The highest point in Italy is Mont Blanc, situated in the Alps, 15,770 feet.
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A 1700-Year Old Olive Tree, in Umbria, is the oldest olive tree in Italy.
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Italy’s main exports include machinery, metals, vehicles, pharmaceuticals, wine and other food products.
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Italy is home to the largest number of UNESCO World Heritage Sites, a total of 51.
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Italy Became a United country in 1861, 156 years ago.
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Italy is home to three active volcanoes Mount Vesuvius, Mount Etna and Stromboli, Mount Vesuvius destroyed Pompeii in 79 AD.
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The First European country to have the fork.
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The average Italian consumes 25kg of pasta per year.
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Italy is home to some of the world’s most famous fashion brands: Armani, Gucci, Prada and Versace.
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In 1986 in Rome, When McDonald’s opened food purists outside of restaurants gave away free spaghetti, to remind the people of their heritage.
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More than three-quarters of Italy’s terrain is either hilly or Mountainous.
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Over €3,000 in Small Change gets thrown into the Trevi Fountain.
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The University of Bologna in Italy is the oldest University in the world, established in 1088.
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Italy is the world’s largest producer of wine.
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51% of Italians can’t afford a vacation.
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Italian Traffic Police have two Lamborghini Gallardo in service.
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Italy is officially known as the Italian Republic.
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Italy has won the World Cup four times.
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In Venice, Italy, all gondolas are required to be painted in black by law.
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The river Po is Italy’s most famous and longest river.
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Much of Italy used to be part of Ancient Greece.
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Italy has more masterpieces per square mile than any other country in the world.
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Over 99% of all Italians can read and write, making them one of the highest educated countries in the world.
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Italy is host to one of the three most famous bike rides in Europe, “Giro d’Italia”.
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Italy has two independent states entirely contained within its boundaries: San Marino and Vatican City.
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Most common Italian surname is “Russo”.
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Romans adore cats Anyone convicted of killing a cat, could fail time in jail.
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Italy is the fifth most populated country in Europe.
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Italy is the fifth most visited country in the world.
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One-third of Italians have never used the Internet.
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Nobel Prize winner Guglielmo Marconi from Bologna invented the radio.
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Italy’s former currency was the lira before it adopted the euro.
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In Italy, there is a fountain that flows 24-hours a day with red wine.
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One of the first women in the world to receive an academic degree and the first to receive a PhD degree did it in 1678 in Padua, Italy.
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The flag of Italy is often referred to in Italy as il Tricolore because of its three colours. Green represents hope, white represents faith, and red represents the charity.
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The tricolour flag design of the Italian flag was inspired by France when Napoleon’s army took over Northern Italy.
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The Capital city of Italy is Rome, Rome is almost 3,000 years old.
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Italian is the closest to Latin.
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It is illegal to die in the town of Falciano del Massico in Campania in South Italy.
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The Longest Tunnel in the World is 57 km long and goes from Switzerland to Italy underneath the Alps.
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37% of the Argentine population is of Italian descent.
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Poveglia is an island in Italy that is so haunted, that public access is not permitted.
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A man can be arrested in Italy for wearing a skirt in public.
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Italy has the eighth largest economy in the World.
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A protest in Rome, Italy, against the war in Iraq involved around 3 million people and was listed in the 2004 Guinness Book of World Records as the largest anti-war rally in history.
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Before the Columbian Exchange, there were no tomatoes in Italy.
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The Italian mafia accounts for 7% of Italy’s GDP.
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Ferrari, Lamborghini, Maserati and Alfa Romeo are the most popular Italian sports car brands worldwide.
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The average employee in Italy works just 20 hours per week, one of the lowest amount in Europe.
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There is a 180-foot long stuffed pink bunny on top of a hill in Italy.
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Football fans in Italy are known as ‘Tifosi’, which means “carriers of Typhus”.
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Lake Reschenseee in Italy has a submerged village and the old visible building is a 14th-century medieval tower.
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Italian men usually live with their parents until marriage.
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There is a bronze 2.5 metres tall statue of Jesus Christ submerged in the Mediterranean Sea off San Fruttuoso.
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Italy’s national flower is the Lily.
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Sixty per cent of the world’s art treasures are in Italy.
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The name Italy comes from the word Italia, meaning “calf land”.
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Italy became a republic after a referendum, which was held on 2 June 1946. The day is celebrated as Republic Day ever since. Presently, Italy is a democratic republic.
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Italians believe that the number 17 is bad luck.
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20% of Italian population is above 65 years of age.
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Italy has more hotel rooms than any other nation in Europe.
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Italy holds the Guinness Record for the country that has the most elevators.
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In the First World War, Italy joined the triple alliance and emerged victoriously but the gains were small in comparison to the cost of war.
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The Sardinian islands are known for their “witches” who concoct health potions for the locals.
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Pasta was introduced to Italy when the Arabs invaded Sicily in the 8th century.
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Italy’s highest court ruled in 2016 that stealing small amounts of food to stave off hunger is not a crime.
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Italian pizza originated in Naples during the 18th century.
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The famous children’s story, Pinocchio, was written by an Italian, Carlo Collodi.