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Sunday, December 02, 2007

Interesting Facts About ITALY

interesting facts about Italy picItaly, hmm... If you have plans of going to Italy, you might as well want to know these interesting facts about Italy.

The name "Italy" comes from Greek "italos", which means calf. It was originally given to the region of Calabria by Greek settlers in the 8th century BCE, and was extended to the whole peninsula under Roman emperor Augustus.

Italy was the cradle of Etruscan then Roman civilisations, and the center of the first and largest empire in Europe, North Africa and the Near East.

The city of Syracuse in Sicily was once the largest Ancient Greek city in the world.
The world's largest Christian edifice is the Basilica of Saint Peter in Rome.

Italy is the fourth most visited country in the world, with some 40 million foreign visitors annually.

Italy did not become a unified country until 1863.

Italy now has one of the lowest birthrate and fertility rate in the world.

Italy is the fourth most visited country in the world, with some 40 million foreign visitors annually.

Italy did not become a unified country until 1863.

Italy now has one of the lowest birthrate and fertility rate in the world.

Many of the world's most famous artists were Italian, with such names as Botticelli,
Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Donatello, Fra Angelico, Tintoretto, Caravaggio, Bernini, Titian and Raphael, among many others.

The Italians invented the viol, violin, cello and piano, and were the greatest representative of Baroque music (Vivaldi, Corelli, Monteverdi, Albinoni...).

The mechanical clock, the barometer, the thermometer, optical glasses and the telephone are all Italian inventions.

The Romans love cats so much that they are considered a bio-cultural asset of the city. A new law condemns any person killing a cat to a 10,000 euro fine, and up to 3 years in jail. There is an estimated 300,000 cats in Rome, and they are the only inhabitants allowed on the ruins.

Had enough of Italy already? There are still more. Italy attractions: Venice, Famous monuments, sistene chapel.
- Rome attractions: The Colosseum, the Vatican, Trevi Fountain.
- Venice attractions: Piazza San Marco, Gondola Ride, St Mark's Basilica.
- Milan attractions: Cathedral of Milan, Leonardo da Vinci Museum, Castello Sforzesco.
And lastly, when you get there where will you stay? That is not a problem. All your accommodation problems will be answered here : italy hotels, rome hotels, venice hotels, and milan hotels. ENJOY