1. by Sebastiano Panichella
Zurich University of Applied Science
Italy: Facts, Culture and
Myth-busting
1

2. Italian General Information (1)
• Over 61 million people live in Italy.
• Rome is the capital city of Italy. Other major cities include
Milan, Naples, Turin, Florence, and Palermo.
• Two very small independent states located inside Italy:
Vatican City & San Marino.
• Italy is home to Europe’s only three active volcanoes (Etna,
Vesuvio and Stromboli).
• Italian is the main language in Italy. Today exists 34 Italian
dialects; when they are spoken by Italians from different
villages, they could not understand each other.
2

3. Italian General Information (2)
• Well known Italian car manufacturers: Ferrari, Lamborghini, Alfa
Romeo and Maserati
• The most popular sport in Italy is football (soccer). Italy has won four
world cups, the last one being in 2006.
World Cup 2006
Italian team
3

4. • 1861
• Old History & Young country: Rome is over 2,000 years old, but
Italy is one of Western Europe's youngest countries. It has only
been a country since 1861.
Italian General Fun Facts
&
• The national flag: The colours of the Italian flag
represent hope (green), faith (white) and charity
(red).
over 2,000 years old
4

5. Regions of Italy: how many
they are? Major differences?
NORD
CENTER
SUD
ISLANDS
Recommendation: Bring with you appropriate clothes
and shoes depending on where you plan to go in Italy 5

6. Italian - Vol.1
One MILLION $ question:
- Shell we drink water
before or after
the coffee?
• COFFEE in ITALY: STANDING ONLY?
• ITALIANS ARE LATE
• Verdict: mostly true
• When they are not?
• We assume they typically live abroad :-)
• High probability they workin Computer
Science related jobs ;-)
• ITALIANS ARE EXTREMELY RELIGIOUS
• Verdict: partially a myth but has a
high influence in the Italians general opinion
6
• Verdict: mostly true

7. Italian - Vol.1
One MILLION $ question:
- Shell we drink water
before or after
the coffee?
After could be
considered public
offense in some
regions :-)
• COFFEE in ITALY: STANDING ONLY?
• Verdict: mostly true
• ITALIANS ARE LATE
• Verdict: mostly true
• When they are not?
• We assume they typically live abroad :-)
• High probability they workin Computer
Science related jobs ;-)
• ITALIANS ARE EXTREMELY RELIGIOUS
• Verdict: partially a myth but has a
high influence in the Italians general opinion
7

8. • COFFEE in ITALY: STANDING ONLY?
• Verdict: mostly true
• ARE ITALIANS always LATE?
• Verdict: mostly true
• When they are not?
• We assume they typically live abroad :-)
• High probability they workin Computer
Science related jobs ;-)
• ITALIANS ARE EXTREMELY RELIGIOUS
• Verdict: partially a myth but has a
high influence in the Italians general opinion
Italian - Vol.1
8

9. • COFFEE in ITALY: STANDING ONLY?
• Verdict: mostly true
• ARE ITALIANS always LATE?
• Verdict: mostly true
• When they are not?
• We assume they typically live abroad :-)
• High probability they workin Computer
Science related jobs ;-)
• ITALIANS ARE EXTREMELY RELIGIOUS
• Verdict: partially a myth but has a
high influence in the Italians general opinion
Italian - Vol.1
9

10. • COFFEE in ITALY: STANDING ONLY?
• Verdict: mostly true
• ARE ITALIANS always LATE?
• Verdict: mostly true
• When they are not?
• We assume they typically live abroad :-)
• High probability they workin Computer
Science related jobs ;-)
• ITALIANS ARE EXTREMELY RELIGIOUS
• Verdict: partially a myth but has a
high influence in the Italians general opinion
Italian - Vol.1
10

11. Italian - Vol.1
11
• COFFEE in ITALY: STANDING ONLY?
• Verdict: mostly true
• ARE ITALIANS always LATE?
• Verdict: mostly true
• When they are not?
• We assume they typically live abroad :-)
• High probability they are working in
Computer Science related jobs ;-)
• ITALIANS ARE EXTREMELY RELIGIOUS
• Verdict: partially a myth but has a
high influence in the Italians general opinion

12. • ITALIANS EAT PASTA EVERYDAY AND PASTA IS
EVERYWHERE
• Verdict: mostly true
• But there are over 600 different past types/shapes
• PEOPLE EAT MAINLY PIZZA and SPAGHETTI
• Untrue. "Travelling around Italy, you will notice that the
menu can be very different depending on the region
you go to”
Italian - Vol.2
12

13. • ITALIANS EAT PASTA EVERYDAY AND PASTA IS
EVERYWHERE
• Verdict: mostly true
• But there are over 600 different past types/shapes
• PEOPLE EAT MAINLY PIZZA and SPAGHETTI
• Untrue. "Travelling around Italy, you will notice that the
menu can be very different depending on the region
you go to”
Italian - Vol.2
13

14. • ITALIANS EAT PASTA EVERYDAY AND PASTA IS
EVERYWHERE
• Verdict: mostly true
• But there are over 600 different past types/shapes
• PEOPLE EAT MAINLY PIZZA and SPAGHETTI
• Untrue. "Travelling around Italy, you will notice that the
menu can be very different depending on the region
you go to”
Italian - Vol.2
14

15. Italian - Vol.3
• ITALIANS EAT PASTA EVERYDAY AND PASTA IS
EVERYWHERE
• Verdict: mostly true
• But there are over 600 different past types/shapes
• DO ITALIANS EAT MAINLY PIZZA and SPAGHETTI
• Untrue. "Travelling around Italy, you will notice that the
Italian menu can present rather different stuff depending on
the region you go to”
15

16. Italian - Vol.3
• ITALIANS EAT PASTA EVERYDAY AND PASTA IS
EVERYWHERE
• Verdict: mostly true
• But there are over 600 different past types/shapes
• DO ITALIANS EAT MAINLY PIZZA and SPAGHETTI?
• Untrue. "Travelling around Italy, you will notice that the
Italian menu can present rather different stuff depending on
the region you go to”
16

17. So… what we can Eat in
Italy?
Well, we could talk for months/years about this…
Pizza Lasagne Fiorentina Steak
Polenta
Risotto
CarbonaraFocaccia
Gelato Formaggio (Cheese)
Tiramisù
Limoncello & Aperol
Foods Italian Map 17

18. So… what we can Eat in
Italy?
Pizza Lasagne Fiorentina Steak
Polenta
Risotto
CarbonaraFocaccia
Gelato Formaggio (Cheese)
Tiramisù
Limoncello & Aperol
Cheeses Italian Map 18
Well, we could talk for months/years about this…

19. So… what we can Eat in
Sicily?
Arancini
Cannolo
Gelato Briosche Granite Siciliane
(I stopped making this search because it was too long
and made me hungry. Have some eye candy instead!)
Spaghetti allo Scoglio
19

20. History of PIZZA
Legend reports that, in 1889,
the Queen Margherita asked
for varieties of pizza to try.
• The Napoletan baker named
Raffaele Esposito invented
the “Margherita pizza”.
• The “Margherita pizza” was
made to represent the Italian
flag – basil for green,
tomatoes for red, and
mozzarella for white.
• T h i s h e a v e n l y m i x o f
ingredients quickly won
Queen Margherita's approval.
[ “If you try a Pizza in Italy, you will finally know how good a real Pizza can be!” ]
( Getting hungry again! :-) )
20

21. What we can Drink in Italy?
Classic Italian red wines include:
- Barolo and Barbaresco (Piedmont),
- Chianti and Chianti Classico
(Tuscany)
- and Nero d’Avola (Sicilia)
In terms of Italian white
wines, the most famous is
Pinot Grigio.
21

22. How many courses to expect when you
get invited to an Italian lunch/dinner
2
3
4
5
6
7
22

23. How many courses to expect when you
get invited to an Italian lunch/dinner
2
3
4
5
6
7
Caffè
Coffee is often drunk at the end of a meal, even after the digestivo. Italians do not have
milky coffees or drinks after meals (such as cappuccino or caffè macchiato), but strong
coffee such as espresso, which is often drunk very quickly in small cups while still hot.
Digestivo
The digestivo, also called ammazzacaffè if served after the coffee, is the drink to conclude
the meal. Drinks such as grappa, amaro, limoncello or other fruit/herbal drinks are
drunk. Digestivo indicates that the drinks served at this time are meant to ease digestion of
a long meal.
[ 5 or 7 if you consider Coffè and Digestivo among the “courses” ]
23

24. • Italy is the fifth most visited country in the world
• Italy has the most Unesco Sites in the world From
Mount Etna to the trulli of Alberobello, to Rome's
Colosseum, Italy is packed with important sights.
• Painted by Michelangelo in 1512, the ceiling of
the Sistine Chapel (in Rome) is one of the most
famous monuments in the world. The painting took
him five years to be completed.
Why you should
visit Italy
24

25. What you should absolutely
see/visit when you are in Italy
Stuff most of you have seen already… (If not, what are you waiting for?)25

26. What you should absolutely
see/visit when you are in Italy
Venice Florence Lake Como
Amalfi Coast & Capri Island The Cinque Terre Tuscany Hill Towns
Pompei Sicily Sardinia
Bologna
Naples
Siena 26

27. Of Course there is much more…
Venice Florence Lake Como
Amalfi Coast & Capri Island The Cinque Terre Tuscany Hill TownsBologna
Siena Sicily Sardinia
Naples
27Pompei

28. Few Phrasebook
What else you should know
about Italy
Important Italian gestures
[Yes, we talk with our hands!!]
Si. Yes.
No. No.
Per favore. Please.
Grazie. Thank you.
Prego. You're welcome.
Mi scusi. Excuse me.
Mi dispiace. I am sorry.
Buon giorno. Good morning.
Buona sera. Good evening.
Buona notte. Good night.
This is delicious Are you
Crazy?
What are you
saying/doing?
Welcome back!In my Opinion Are you dating?
Perfect! Damn!
28

29. What else you should know
about Italy
A fun cultural fact:
• Many famous scientists and mathematicians were born and raised in Italy.
Leonardo Da Vinci, Galileo Galilei, Alessandro Volta, and Fibonacci to
name just a few.
• Galileo Galilei
• Invented the invention of the optical telescope and provided evidences
to the astronomical model in which the Earth and planets revolve
around the Sun.
• It is well know the so-called https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galileo_affair
• “Galileo was prosecuted (by the Roman Catholic Inquisition in 1633) for his support to
the astronomical model in which the Earth and planets revolve around the Sun at the centre of
the Solar System" [his scientific work was “rejected”]
29

30. NORD
CENTER-NORD
CENTER-SUD
SUDISLANDS
Fun Facts about the Presenter:
According to Italian Pop culture,
Molise region doesn't exist
(Molisn't).
Here an accurate map of Molisn't
30

31. Fun Facts about Molisn't
According to Italian Pop culture,
Molise region doesn't exist
(Molisn't).
Here an accurate map of Molisn't
Main Reasons:
• Low-density population
• Many Italians are not sure about the real
existence of the “Molisani”
• No much big industry there
• Fewer job opportunities that other regions
• Trains in Molise can be even older than yourself
• It is the youngest Italian region
31

32. According to Italian Pop culture,
Molise region doesn't exist
(Molisn't).
Here an accurate map of Molisn't
https://www.facebook.com/Molisnt-458128377703076/
Fun Jokes about Molisn't
Do not miss it! Next
time will happen in
2287
This August Molise will be visible
and will appear next to the Moon
32

33. According to Italian Pop culture,
Molise region doesn't exist
(Molisn't).
Here an accurate map of Molisn't
https://www.facebook.com/Molisnt-458128377703076/
Fun Jokes about Molisn't
33

34. Real Facts about the Molise:
Proof about Molise region existence
Termoli - Considered on of the “Most Romantic Places”
Unimol - considered one of the most promising and
emerging Computer Science Universities in Italy
Believe you or not:
- One person from Molise chaired or co-chaired ICPC,
MSR, ICSM, SSBSE, SCAM, etc. in the past:
- Massimiliano (Max) Di Penta (Unisannio)
Here an accurate map of Molise
34

35. My Old Town: Riccia (CB)
Proof about Molise region existence
Here an accurate map of Molise
Riccia - is my old town - 5000 people live there
Riccia - Grape Festival (“Festa dell’uva”)
Organized each year, the 2nd Sundays of
September. Do not miss it!! 35

36. Thanks!
ICSE 2020 Cultural Exchange
Questions
36