1. L’Italia Our country in general

2. Italy is located in the south of Europe, and it is a peninsula famous for its «boot» shape. It borders with France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia to the north. And it lies on Ligurian Sea, Tyrrhenian Sea, Ionian Sea, Adriatic Sea and Mediterranean Sea.

3. Italy has been a Republic since1946, when after an institutional referendum, Italian people decided to abolish the monarchy.

4. Our flag is really similar to the Hungarian one. The meaning of the colour of our flag are: green as our plains, white as the glaciers of the Alps and red as the blood spilled by our compatriots fighting for our nation.

5. It has a population of 60,8 million people. It’s the fourth country of the European Union for population. The currency used in Italy is the Euro. 1 euro is worth more or less 312 Hungarian Forint. His capital is Rome which is in the Lazio region, in the center of Italy.

6. Let’s talk about geography ! The territory of Italy is divided into 20 regions.

7. They are:  Aosta Valley  Piedmont  Liguria  Lombardy  Trentino-Alto Adige  Veneto  Friuli-Venezia Giulia  Emilia-Romagna  Tuscany  Umbria  Marche  Lazio  Abruzzo  Molise  Campania  Apulia  Basilicata  Calabria  Sicily  Sardinia

8. One of the most important cities in Italy is Milan, which is important for its historical monuments and churches, like the «Museo del Novecento» and the Duomo. Milan is in Lombardy.

9. Another city is Turin, in Piedmont, where there are a lot of museums and monuments, such as the Egyptian museum, the Mole Antonelliana that originally was a synagogue and it now houses the National Museum of Cinema; and the Royal Palace.

10. In Veneto 2 interesting cities are: Venice and Verona. In Verona we can find the famous Arena. And Venice is unique for its channels.

11. The city of Rome is very beautiful, it is the capital of Italy, and it was in the past the capital of the Roman Empire. Here we can find a lot of Roman buildings or historical buildings in general like: the Coliseum, Saint’s Pietro Basilica, and Trevi’s fountain.

12. Italian people you may know: Italy is the home of many artists, for example: Dante Aligheri the writer of the «Divine Comedy»; Giuseppe Verdi, the most famous Italian musician who composed famous operas ; Leonardo da Vinci who was a painter, an engineer and a scientist. He was the painter of the “Gioconda”;

13. Welcome to Italy!

14. Surface = 23863kmq Inhabitants = 9 121 700 Districts = 1546 Chief town = Milano Provinces = 12

15. This is the symbol of Lombardy. The cross is the ROSA CAMUNA, which indicates an old symbol found in the petroglyphs in Lombardy. The white rose represents the light and the green background the “PIANURA PADANA”.

16. The Lombardy region is geographycally placed in the north-centre of Italy and borders with: Switzerland in the north area Emilia Romagna in the south Trentino Alto Adige and Veneto in the east Piemonte in the west

17. Lombardy is one of the few Italian regions without the sea, but there are a lot of different areas: mountains in the north (the Alps), towards the center there are some hills, which are replaced by the PIANURA PADANA in the south.

19. In Lombardy there are the most famous lakes and rivers of Italy such as the lake of Garda, Como, Iseo, Idro and the Adda, Olio Ticino and Mincio rivers. Lombardy is separated from Emilia Romagna by the most famous and longest river of Italy: PO

20. In it, there are important cities such as: Cremona, Brescia, Bergamo, Mantova, Lecco, Varese, Como, Sondrio, Pavia, Lodi, Monza-Brianza and the most important and chief town is MILANO

21. Lombardy work The region is full of industries in fact Milano is called “ the economic capital” even if the political capital is Roma. The main industries are: mechanical: which produces, for example, metalworking, motor vehicles, aeronautical and electronics material, office furniture and appliances; chemical: with the production of rubber, medicines, fertilizers, acids and perfumes; textile: with many plants where cotton is produced; Metallurgical: where stainless is produced and lead and alluminium are worked; Refineries; where crude oil is worked.

22. There is also an important optics sector, furniture, clothing and footwear; in fact Milano is considered “the fashion capital”, famous for its shops and designers. One of the most important streets is Montenapoleone, that is known for the shops of the best brands in the world.

23. Here are some highly developed fields: Activity book- designer (newspaper)‏ marketing Lombardy is the best Italian producer of electrical energy

24. There is agriculture with plants of: Wheat Maize Clover Vegetables Varieties of fodder Grapes

25. Breeding They are breeding mainly: Cattle (cow and bulls)‏ Pigs

26. The products made are: Cold cuts (salame, ham)‏ Cheese Dairy products (butter, yoghurt, mozzarella)‏ Wine 45% of the Italian milk is made in Lombardy

27. Food Food has an important role in the Italian culture and in every Region there is local food and typical meals. In Lombardy there are many typical meals; the most famous are: Pizzoccheri → tagliatelle with potatoes, cabbage and cheese. This is a typical meal in the mountains Tortelli cremaschi →tortelli stuffed of macaroons, cheese, breadcrumbs, egg and raisin

28. Panettone → typical Christmas cake. It is like a big bread enriched with raisins. Risotto alla milanese →rice with saffron. It is particular for its yellow colour. Cassoeula→ winter meal of Milan with meat and cabbage Cotoletta alla milanese → veal in breadcrumbs Polenta

29. The types of food in Italy are many and unique in the world; the food belongs to our culture and oldest traditions, in fact this year even Milan will have the possibility of introducing the most famous worldwide event on food.

30. Languages In Lombardy, besides the Italian they speak several dialects according to the different areas in the Territory The Cremonese dialect is commonly used in Cremona.

31. Tourism Tourism in Lombardy is attracted by the beautiful landscapes, parks, castles, houses and places that only our Region can offer. They belong to a very huge and rich culture and environment heritage. The most famous symbol in Lombardy is DUOMO IN MILANO

32. There are many big castles in Lombardy, which made the history of all Italy; for example Sforzesco Castle in Milano and the Castle in Mantova.

33. Important houses like “Gonzaga’s house” in Mantova And the royal houses of Monza that is still a great Italian heritage with its fine gardens that are now a beautiful common park open to everyone.

34. Theaters: -”La Scala”in Milano - “Ponchielli” in Cremona

35. Churches and Sanctuaries; such as in Caravaggio Historic walls; such as Bergamo

36. Apart from the historical part, Lombardy is also famous for San Siro stadium in Milan, where the best football match and concert of the famous singers are played and where the Champions League played in 1990 The biggest Amusement Park of Italy is Gardaland

37. This is where we live; We hope that you will enjoy it, in the same way we like it! Questo è dove noi abitiamo Speriamo chi vi piaccia come piace a noi!

38. CREMONA

39. Introduction Cremona is a city in northern Italy, it is situated in Lombardy, on the left bank of the Po River in the middle of the Pianura Padana (Po valley). It is the capital of the province of Cremona and it is where the headquarters of the city and province authorities are. The city of Cremona is especially famous for its musical history and traditions, including some of the earliest and most renowned luthiers, such as Giuseppe Guarneri, Antonio Stradivari, and several members of the Amati family.

41. Cremona in the past Cremona was first mentioned as a settlement of the Cenomani, a Celtic tribe that arrived in the Po valley around 400 BC. However, the name Cremona probably dates back to earlier settlers and puzzled the ancient inhabitants who gave it many fanciful interpretations. In 218 BC the Romans established in that spot their first military outpost (a colony) north of the Po river, and kept its old name. Cremona quickly grew into one of the largest towns in northern Italy, as it was on the main road connecting Genoa to Aquileia. The famous poet Virgil, who attended school in Cremona, had to give up his inherited farm ("too close to wretched Cremona"), but later regained it.

42. The Cathedral and the Baptistery of Cremona.

43. Economy The economy of Cremona is deeply linked to the agricultural production of the countryside. Food industries include salted meat such as salame cremonese sweets such as torrone, vegetable oils, Grana Padano, provolone and "mostarda" (pickled fruit). Heavy industries include steel, oil and one electric plant. The river-port is a base for the barges transporting goods along the Po river.

44. City hall

45. Music Cremona became renowned as a centre of musical instrument manufacture, with the violins of the Amati family, and later the products of the Guarneri and Stradivari shops. At present their work is widely considered to be the summit of achievement in string instrument making. Cremona is still renowned for producing high-quality instruments.

46. Violin shop Statue of Stradivari in Stradivari Square

47. A street near the duomo.

48. La Loggia dei Militi

49. Torrazzo of Cremona The Torrazzo of Cremona in Lombardy, Italy, is the bell tower of the Cathedral of Cremona. It is 112.7 metres tall (343 ft 6 in) and it is the third tallest brickwork bell tower in the world, the first being the tower of St. Martin's Church in Landshut, Bavaria, and the second being the tower of the Church of Our Lady in Bruges, Belgium. However the Torrazzo (completed in 1309) is older than the Landshut tower (completed in 1500) and the Bruges tower (completed in 1465), and it is the oldest brick structure taller than 100 m that is still standing.

50. The Torrazzo Astronomical clock on the Torrazzo belltower.

57. Agronomy