1. Startseite That‘s Italy

2.  60.054.511 inhabitants  Parliamentary republic  Capital city: Rome  Currency: euro  Official language: Italian  Labor force:  services 63%,  industry 32%,  agriculture 5%  Major trading partners: Germany, France, U.S., Spain, UK, Switzerland, Netherlands, Belgium, China.  About 1.300 km long  7.500 km of coasts Facts about Italy

3. The migrations of Indo-European peoples into Italy probably began about 2000 B.C. and continued until 1000 B.C. From about the 9th century B.C. until it was overthrown by the Romans in the 3rd century B.C., the Etruscan civilization was dominant. By 264 B.C., all Italy south of Cisalpine Gaul was under the leadership of Rome. For the next seven centuries, until the barbarian invasions destroyed the western Roman Empire in the 4th and 5th centuries A.D., the history of Italy is largely the history of Rome. From 800 on, the Holy Roman Emperors, Roman Catholic popes, Normans, and Saracens all vied for control over various segments of the Italian peninsula. Although Italy remained politically fragmented for centuries, it became the cultural center of the Western world from the 13th to the 16th century. In 1713, after the War of the Spanish Succession, Milan, Naples, and Sardinia were handed over to the Hapsburgs of Austria, which lost some of its Italian territories in 1735. History After 1800, Italy was unified by Napoléon, but in 1815 Austria became the dominant power. In the 1830s, Giuseppe Mazzini, a brilliant liberal nationalist, organized the Risorgimento (Resurrection), which laid the foundation for Italian unity. By plebiscite in 1860, Modena, Parma, Tuscany, and the Romagna voted to join Sardinia. In 1860, Giuseppe Garibaldi conquered Sicily and Naples and turned them over to Sardinia. Victor Emmanuel II, king of Sardinia, was proclaimed king of Italy in 1861. The annexation of Venetia in 1866 and of papal Rome in 1870 marked the complete unification of peninsular Italy into one nation under a constitutional monarchy. In 1915, Italy entered the war on the side of the Allies. After the war, Benito (“Il Duce”) Mussolini, a former Socialist, founded the Fascist Party to “rescue Italy from Bolshevism.” He led his Black Shirts in a march on Rome and, on Oct. 28, 1922, became prime minister and transformed Italy into a dictatorship, embarking on an expansionist foreign policy with the Mussolini's dictatorship collapsed when the Allies invaded Italy in 1943; he was executed by partisans on April 28, 1945. A June 1946 plebiscite rejected monarchy and a republic was proclaimed.

4. Startseite Languages ITALIAN is the official language ALBANIAN is spoken in a wide area extending from the Abruzzi Appenines to the south of Italy and to Sicily. CATALAN is spoken in Alghero, north west of Sardinia. CROATIAN is spoken in some parts of the region Molise. FRANCO-PROVENÇAL is spoken in the Valle d'Aosta, in some valleys in the Province of Turin in Piedmont and two Communes in the Province of Foggia in Apulia. GERMAN is spoken in the province of Bozen. GREEK language spoken in Italy, is written in Roman characters and is a highly corrupted form of modern Greek. Griko is spoken near Reggio di Calabria and near Lecce.

5. Startseite Religion Roman Catholicism is the majority religion with 85 percent of native-born citizens Catholic, if only nominally, and only 20 percent participate regularly in services of worship. Immigration continues to add large groups of non-Christian residents, mainly Muslims who number an estimated one million. Buddhists number some 40,000 of European origin and 20,000 of Asian origin. Scientologists claim to have approximately 100,000 members, Waldensians estimate approximately 30,000 members (concentrated mainly in the north-west), and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) has approximately 20,000 members. A Jewish community of approximately 30,000 persons maintains synagogues in 21 cities. Other significant religious communities include Orthodox churches, small Protestant groups, Japanese Buddhists, the Baha'i Faith, and South Asian Hindus. Recent polls show that approximately 14% of the population consider themselves to be either atheists or agnostics.

6. Startseite Poets, musicians, artists of Italy The period in Europe known as the Renaissance began in Italy during the 14th and 15th centuries and the literary works of that time, such as the poetry of Petrarch, Tasso, and Ariosto and the prose and poetry of Dante, Boccaccio and Machiavelli had a lasting influence on the subsequent development of Western civilization, together with the painting, sculpture, and architecture contributed by giants such as da Vinci, Raphael, Botticelli and Michelangelo. The musical influence of Italian composers, Monteverdi, Palestrina, and Vivaldi set the base for the composers of the 19th century and Italian romantic opera flourished under composers Gioacchino Rossini, Giuseppe Verdi, Giacomo Puccini, Gaetano Donizetti and Vincenzo Bellini. Contemporary Italian artists, writers, filmmakers, architects, composers, and designers still contribute significantly to Western culture, and well-known to film- goers are the directors and producers such as Sergio Leone, Roberto Rossellini, Federico Fellini, Bernardo Bertolucci. Throughout Italy are the many museums that highlight the art and culture of Italy and many famous monuments and buildings, including the leaning tower of Pisa and the Roman Coliseum.

7. Startseite Cultural highlights: Italian Culture Quiz (true or false) 1. Italians do not conclude major business deals over the phone or by mail. They prefer to conduct business face to face where eye-contact can be made. 2. When invited to an Italian home for dinner, it is customary to allow the hostess to begin eating before guests. 3. Giving a gift that has been wrapped in black and gold is a sign of prosperity and luck. 4. Italian businesswomen regularly use their maiden name, especially in business or legal documents. 5. The number 17 is considered to be a lucky number in Italy. Answers 1. True. Eye contact, facial expressions and gestures are extremely important for Italians. They are a means by which to determine trust. 2. True. 3. False. These colors symbolize mourning. 4. True. They generally use their married name outside of business. 5. False. 17 is considered to be bad luck.

8. Startseite Food The first thing to be understood is that northern Italy differs in an enormous way from southern Italy in terms of culinary distinction. Let's begin with the north. It's filled with an unbelievable variety of dishes, all as diverse as the people themselves: visitors to Trieste will be offered goulash as the local food, in Venice it will be Austrian pastries filled with Oriental spices and in Turin peasant style dishes will be covered with sophisticated French sauces. If you want the best risotto, then you must head for Veneto and Piedmont; for pasta, go to Emilia; and for rice and polenta, go to Lombardy. Sauerkraut and dumplings will be found in the alpine Trentino-Alto Adige, and somewhat surprisingly you will be given delicious vegetable based cuisine in Liguria (by the sea) rather than serving fish as one would expect. Southern Italy is a Mediterranean land dominated by the sea and specializing in hearty, spicy food in their pasta, fish, pork and lamb. Wines Valpolicella, Soave, Barolo and Barberesco are some of Italy's best known wines, all of which come from northern Italy. The Veneto, covering the area from Venice to Lake Garda, is a significant wine producing region. Prosecco, Bardolino, Valpolicella and Soave are all from this region, as well as the famous firewater known as grappa. Franciacorta comes from Lombardy. Pinot Grigot and Reisling Italicoare from the Collio district of Friuli, and Lambrusco is from Emilia Romagna.

9. Startseite About stereotypes… The heaven Is a place where policemen are English, mechanics are German, cooks are French, lovers are Italian and the all thing is organized by Swiss. The hell is a place where policemen are German, mechanics are French, cooks are English, lovers are Swiss and the all thing is organized by Italian.

10. Startseite Stereotypes: Italian are… Always late Play mandolino Eat pizza Don’t stay in the queue Talk very loud Use their hands to talk Love Mama too much Good singers, especially O’sole mio Want to know more about Italian? Please click herehere

11. Startseite Italian culture: key concepts and values Individualism Italian culture has been described as highly individualistic, signifying a society that emphasizes individual responsibility and close family ties. This means that Italians will tend to take care of themselves and their immediate family first. Across Italy you will find many Italian businesses owned by individuals and families. In a business context, individualism influences an Italian's preference to do business with people they are already familiar with. Affective Communication An important aspect of Italian culture is the openly expressed thoughts and feelings common to most Italians. Emotions tend to flow easily in this culture with large hand gestures and close personal contact frequently found during Italian conversations. As a result, Italians are often guided by their feelings and in business situations this is important to remember, as establishing solid relationships based on trust are a vital for successful