1. By: Lexi Tonsi http://www.youtube.co m/watch?v=hvkZWhpz mWs

2.  Official language ~ Italian  Also: › Albanian › Bavarian › Catalan › Cimbrian › Corsican › Croatian › French › German › Greek › Slovenian › Walser  Italiana è l’ ottava lingua più parlata al mondo. ( Italian is the 8 th most spoken language in the world.)

3.  One of the most crowded nations in Europe  Population consists of about 59,685,227 people  Approximately 116,400 square miles (about 513 people per square mile)

5. Other Facts Official name is Italian Republic Capital is Rome (almost 3000 years old) Italy comes from the word Italia meaning “calf land”. Giuseppe Mazzini is the founder of Italy Became a nation in 1861 Italy's shape looks like a giant boot

6. San Gimignano  Nicknamed the Medieval Manhattan  Village in Tuscany, Italy famous for its 14 stone towers  More than 70 towers were built to defend the town against enemy attacks

7. Leaning Tower of Pisa  World famous tower  Built over a period of 177 years  After the construction started in 1173 the tower began to sink due to poor foundation and was left alone for almost a century  When the construction resumed, engineers built higher floors with one side taller than the other to compensate for the tilt and was finally finished  Has 296 steps and is open to those who are willing to climb them

8. Pompeii  August 24, 79 AD the volcano Vesuvius erupted covering the near by town with ash and soil  Everything from jars and tables to paintings and people were frozen in time  Extraordinarily detailed insight into the life of people living two thousand years ago  One of the most popular tourist attractions in Italy, with about 2,500,000 visitors every year

9. Piazza del Campo  One of Europe's greatest Medieval Squares  Principal public space of the historic center in Siena, Tuscany  Known worldwide for its beauty and architectural integrity

10. Colosseum  In Rome  Largest and most famous amphitheater in the Roman world  Construction started by emperor Vespasian of the Flavian Dynasty in 72 AD and finished in 80 AD by his son Titus  Capable of holding some 50,000 spectators who could enter the building with no less than 80 entrances  Spectators protected from rain and sun by sails called the “Velarium” that were attached around the top of the attic

11. Canals of Venice  Referred as the “The city of water”  Venice is the crown jewel of water cities  Romantic Gondolas and Italian architecture along with the Grand Canal helped earn their status  Has more tourists than residents  One of the top tourists in Italy

12. Mary Tonsi James Lewis Tonsi Angela Tonsi Angelo Charles Tonsi Angelina Rose Tonsi Laura Jean Burks Tonsi Reno Tonsi Sharon Kay Ellen Tonsi James Tonsi Charles James Tonsi Charles Lewis Tonsi Alexis Adala Tonsi John Kendall Tonsi

13. The Tonsi family originated from Pisogne, Italy

14. http://www.ellisisland.org/se arch/matchMore.asp?MID=1 2870188490879851808&FNM= ANGELO&LNM=TONSI&PLNM= TONSI&CGD=M&bSYR=1886& bEYR=1890&first_kind=1&kind =exact&offset=0&dwpdone=1

15.  http://www.livescience.com/44376-italian-culture.html http://www.livescience.com/44376-italian-culture.html  http://countryeconomy.com/demography/population/italy http://countryeconomy.com/demography/population/italy  http://www.google.com/search?q=italian+flag&safe=active &source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=0KRiU5OPAeGEyAGinYHY Aw&sqi=2&ved=0CAYQ_AUoAQ&biw=1024&bih=641 http://www.google.com/search?q=italian+flag&safe=active &source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=0KRiU5OPAeGEyAGinYHY Aw&sqi=2&ved=0CAYQ_AUoAQ&biw=1024&bih=641  http://www.google.com/search?q=italian+flag&safe=active &source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=0KRiU5OPAeGEyAGinYHY Aw&sqi=2&ved=0CAYQ_AUoAQ&biw=1024&bih=641#q=italy &safe=active&tbm=isch http://www.google.com/search?q=italian+flag&safe=active &source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=0KRiU5OPAeGEyAGinYHY Aw&sqi=2&ved=0CAYQ_AUoAQ&biw=1024&bih=641#q=italy &safe=active&tbm=isch  http://www.touropia.com/tourist-attractions-in-italy/ http://www.touropia.com/tourist-attractions-in-italy/