interesting facts about Italy, Italy facts

 Italy - Capital Rome

Largest City Rome
Language Italian
Currency 1 lira = 100 centesimi
Italy  Population 57,512,000; 494.4 persons per square mile
Main Religions Roman Catholic
Italy  Government Democratic parliamentary republic
Italy  Area 116,000 square miles
Agriculture Crops apples, corn (maize), grapes, olives, oranges, peaches, potatoes, tomatoes, wheat Livestock cattle, goats, pigs, poultry, sheep
Industry Caustic soda, fuel oil, motor cars, natural methane gas, pig iron, rolled iron, sewing machines, steel, sulfuric acid, synthetic ammonia, typewriters, wine

interesting facts about italy


This tower was made by students in a contest to see which group of students could build the tallest tower using miniature marshmallows and toothpicks. Pisa
Pisa is a town on the west coast of Italy. In the town is one of the most famous buildings in the world. The Leaning Tower of Pisa is one of three church buildings, all of which are parts of the Cathedral of Pisa. The tower was built to house the church bells. It is 180 feet tall and has walls that are 13 feet thick at the bottom and about 6 feet thick at the top. The bottom story has 15 arches. Each of the next six stories has 30 arches. The very top story that holds the bells has 15 arches. Three hundred steps lead to the top. The building was started in 1173 and finished 700 years later. The tower was built on unstable soil which is a mixture of sand and clay. Because of this the tower began leaning to one side. Today the tower leans over about 14 1/2 feet. 



Food in Italy
Mealtimes are important to Italians. Meals are a time to spend with families. Stores even close for several hours at lunch and about half the children in elementary schools go home for lunch.

Italy is known for its pasta. Pasta is an Italian word meaning dough. The dough can be cut into many different shapes and dried. It is usually boiled until soft and slightly chewy. Pasta is used in many dishes. It is usually mixed with tomato sauce, meat, cheese, vegetables, and sauces in various combinations.

Some other Italian favorites are pizza, gelato (ice cream), formaggio (cheese), and frutta (fruit).

Bocce
Bocce is a popular sport in Italy. It is a lot like bowling. The point is to roll balls as close to a target ball as possible. On the beach Italians play bocce with miniature Frisbees instead of balls. To play the game place a target ball about 25 feet away on the grass. The first player throws one ball, trying to get as close to the target ball as possible. The second player throws his/her balls until one of the balls is closer to the target than the player one's balls or until all four of the player's balls have been thrown. The players continue taking turns. The score is determined by how many of the balls the winner has between the target ball and the opponent's ball.
 

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