The document provides information about notable landmarks, regions, culture, sports, festivals, traditions, and current events in Italy. Some of the historical landmarks mentioned include the Florence Cathedral, Leaning Tower of Pisa, and Trevi Fountain. Cultural landmarks highlighted are the Mausoleum of Hadrian and Piazza Maggiore. Each region of Italy has its own distinctive cuisine and sports such as bocce, rugby, and cycling are popular nationwide. Festivals like the Carnival of Venice are also cultural traditions. Recent events briefly outlined include the Costa Concordia shipwreck and appointments made by the pope.

1. Italy
by: Turner Barbur

2. Historical Landmarks
Florence Cathedral
(The Duomo) Leaning Tower of Pisa Trevi Fountain
Trevi Fountain is located
The Florence The Leaning Tower of Pisa is a
in Rome, Italy and is one
Cathedral is the freestanding bell tower located
of the most famous
cathedral church of behind the Florence Cathedral .
fountains in the world. It
Florence, Italy. The The tower is 183.7 ft tall from the
is believed that you throw
Cathedral was ground. The construction took 3
a coin in the fountain you
begun 1296 and sections over 177 years.
are ensured another trip
was completed in to Rome.
1436.

3. Geographic Landmarks
Monte Bianco Lake Garda Mount Etna
Mont Bianco, meaning, Lake Garda is the largest
“White Mountain”, is Mount Etna is an active
lake in Italy and is located
the highest mountain in stratovolcano located on
in Northern Italy. The lake
the Alps, Western the east coast of Sicily.
is easily accessible via the
Europe and the Mount Etna is the tallest
Brenner Pass, making the
European Union. active volcano in Europe,
lake a major tourist
The mountain lies standing 10,922 ft high.
destination.
between the regions of
Aosta Valley, Italy, and
Haute-Savoie, France.

4. Cultural Landmarks
The Mausoleum of Hadrian is a
Venice is a city towering cylindrical building in Piazza Maggiore is a square
located in northeast Rome, Italy. It was first used as in Bologna, Italy. It was
mausoleum, but now is used as a created in the 13th century.
Italy. In 2009, 270,098
people residing in museum.
Venice. Venice is the
capital of the Veneto
Region.

5. Food
Each region in Italy has their own cuisine.
Italian food ranges anywhere from seafood, to veal, to pizza.

6. Sports
Bocce is a ball sport and has a common ancestry from ancient
games played in the Roman Empire.
It developed to its present form in Italy.
Bocce is the plural form of boccia, which means bowl in
Italian.
Bocce is usually played on natural soil or asphalt with a metal
or plastic ball.

7. Sports Cont.
Rugby, Cricket, and Cycling are all popular sports as well.

8. Festivals
The Carnival of Venice is held in Venice, Italy and starts 58
days before Easter and ends one day before Ash Wednesday.
The masks were originally worn to talk to others out of their
social status more freely.

9. Traditions/Misc.
Weddings - It is good luck for Italians to be married on a Sunday, and it is even better
luck if it is raining. It is also good luck to release white doves during the ceremony and
some couples choose to have the dove cage built into the cake and released when they cut
the cake.
Baptisms - The actual ceremony is rather short but the celebration lasts all day. Religion
plays a big role when a child is born. Most babies are baptized in a Roman Catholic
ceremony. The godparents of the baby play a huge role in the family and the godmother
buys the outfit of the child and dresses him/her before the ceremony.

10. Current Events
On Friday 13 January 2012 the Costa Concordia struck a rock
in the Tyrrhenian Sea near the western coast of Italy.
All but 32 of the 3,229 passengers and 1,023 were saved.

11. Current Events cont.
2/18/2012 Pope Benedict appoints 22 new cardinals.
8/24/2011 Marco Simoncelli dies in Malaysia Grand Prix.
Arrests made in Italy after discovery of $6 trillion fake U.S.
bonds