Italy is a country consisting of a peninsula delimited by the Alps and several islands surrounding it. Italy is located in the center of the Mediterranean Sea, in Southern Europe, and is also often considered part of Western Europe. A unitary parliamentary republic with Rome as its capital and largest city, the country covers a total area of 301,340 km and shares land borders with France, Switzerland,   Austria, Slovenia, and the enclaved  microstates of  Vatican City and San Marino. Italy has a territorial enclave in Switzerland  and a maritime exclave in Tunisian waters.

Italy is well known for its cultural and environmental tourist routes and is home to 58 UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Rome is the 3rd most visited city in Europe and the 12th in the world, with 9.4 million arrivals in 2017 while Milan is the 27th worldwide with 6.8 million tourists. In addition, Venice and Florence are also among the world's top 100 destinations.

Italy is known for its considerable architectural achievements, such as the construction of arches, domes and similar structures during ancient Rome, the founding of the Renaissance architectural movement in the late-14th to 16th centuries, and being the homeland of Palladianism.

Around the turn of the 20th century prominent Italian architects looked to find a national modernist language and personal identity, within the various pillars of the modernist movement and under rule of a fascist government.

However, the late 20th and 21st centuries have seen a growing trend towards revitalizing cities with modern architecture and urban planning in Italy.

Many famous architects, both Italian, such as: Renzo Piano, Carlo Scarpa and Aldo Rossi, and international, such as: Rem Koolhaas (Netherlands), Zaha Hadid (Iraq) and Richard Meier, (USA), have designed buildings of note. 

Italian tradition is filled with festivals celebrating saints, holidays and important events in Italian history. In Venice they celebrate Carnivale di Venezia, a two-week party in early spring. It is marked by parties, parades, live performances of music and, most famously, masquerade balls. Masks are worn throughout Carnivale, ranging from simple half-face masks to elaborate full-face masks called bauta. Although family-friendly events are part of the celebration, the masks and the party atmosphere give Carnivale a reputation as a place where "anything goes."

Customs And Traditions

Scoppio del carro is an Easter festival held in Florence that marks the triumph of the First Crusade. Mimicking the supposed events of the Crusade, celebrants build a magnificent cart in the shape of a tower, then they have oxen pull it through the city. In a square outside the cathedral called the Piazza del Duomo, the oxen are led away and Easter mass is held. At the mass's climax, someone lights fireworks attached to the tower by wire. Those fireworks ignite other fireworks which cover the tower, which soon catches fire in a shower of colored sparks and explosions. The tower will eventually burn to the ground.

Easter

Ferragosto

Ferragosto is an Italian summer holiday. Traditionally, it was simply a period of relaxation; in fact, Italians used to take the entire month of August off as a vacation. The Catholic Church eventually incorporated the holiday, making it into a celebration of the Virgin Mary. Modern Italians typically celebrate it as a national holiday on August 15 (they only get one day off these days). In practice, it bears some resemblance to the American Independence Day, with families enjoying the beach, cooking food together and taking part in other recreational activities.

Vanashen Secondary School, Hasmik Charkhchyan

All Saints' Day

All Saints' Day is a public holiday. It is a day off for the general population, and schools and most businesses are closed. Tutti i Santi, or La festa di Ognissanti, is a day when people visit family and friends and exchange gifts and good will to one another. If Italians have the same name as a saint, it is a special day for them too. According to some sources, the idea for All Saints' Day goes back to the 4th century when the Greek Christians kept a festival on the first Sunday after Pentecost (in late May or early June) in honor of all martyrs and saints. It is celebrated in Italy and many other countries worldwide. Statues, images and icons in the image of the different saints are seen in many Catholic churches in Italy.

Giorgi Nebieridze, Future Business School - Georgia

The Feast of St. Peter and St. Paul (Rome)

The Feast of St. Peter and St. Paul (Rome) is a public holiday. It is a day off for the general population, and schools and most businesses are closed.

On the Feast of St Peter and St Paul, the Catholic pope places the pallium (a type of woolen cloak) on archbishops that were appointed over the past year. It serves as a reminder of religious significance of the bishops’ work and symbolizes the unity of the church. Rome celebrates its patron saints Peter and Paul with various religious rituals led by the Catholic church’s pope. 

Tamara Mirzoyan

Yerevan, L. Mirijanyan 155 basic school

Every year on January 30 and 31, hundreds of craftspeople from across the Aosta Valley gather to show and sell their work on the streets of Aosta town centre. The craftsmanship is amazing with sculptures and inlays in wood; soapstone, wrought iron and leather working; and weaving of drap (a traditional woolen fabric), lace and wicker, to name but a few. Aosta itself is very picturesque and perfect for a midwinter getaway.

Anush Hakobyan

KOGHB SECONDARY SCHOOL N 2

The last weekend of May is a time of great festivity in Venice, as the city celebrates its nautical prowess with a huge procession of row boats from St Mark’s to the Port of St Nicoló. Thousands line the waterways to watch the drama unfold and catch one of the races that see small teams compete in river sprints. Festa della Sensa culminates at the church of St Nicolò and a market is held in the nearby square.

This famous ‘battle’ reenacts a 12th-century skirmish with citrus fruit in what is one of Europe’s biggest food fights. Participants either run through the streets or hurl oranges from one of the ‘battle buses’ which patrol Ivrea. Each year in the days leading up to Fat Tuesday, the townspeople of Ivrea divide into nine squads and spend the next three days having Italy’s biggest food fight. Great for anyone low on vitamin C!

Hasmik Charkhchyan,

Vanashen Secondary School

Liana Markosyan

Hrazdan N2 Basic School

Umbria Jazz Festival

The first edition of the festival dates back to 1973, Since then, Umbria Jazz has become the most important jazz festival in Italy. It takes place in Perugia from Friday July the 9th to Sunday 18th, 2021.

Again this year there will be many different kinds of music for everyone, even if the Festival’s soul is indissolubly tied to jazz.

The main Festival venues are the Santa Giuliana Arena, where the biggest names perform, and the Morlacchi Theatre, dedicated to more orthodox jazz.
 The free open-air concerts take place in Piazza IV Novembre and at the Giardini Carducci. In addition, every day there is also a traditional Street Parade.

Juleta Vardanyan

Yerevan N.123 secondary school ,Armenia

Badeа Georgica

Scoala Gimnaziala Nr.1 Mogosoaia, Romania

The long series of winter holidays ends in Italy with "Epiphany", which calendar corresponds to "Epiphany" in our country, but religious has another meaning, namely that of the first recognition of the divinity of Jesus. On this day is commemorated the solemn visit of the Magi Kings - the adoration of the Magi - who come with gifts to the holy baby. It is said that on the night of January 5 to 6, a hunchbacked old woman with a big nose, badly dressed and poor, rides on a broom to the houses where there are children and leaves them gifts. 

Liana Markosyan

Hrazdan N2 Basic School

Culture of Italy

Music

Music writing began in Italy. Therefore, Italian words are used to tell us how music is played. From folk to classical, music has always played an important role in Italian culture. Having given birth to opera, for example, Italy provides many of the very foundations of the classical music tradition. Some of the instruments that are often associated with classical music, including the piano and violin, were invented in Italy, and many of the existing classical music forms can trace their roots back to innovations of 16th- and 17th-century Italian music (such as the symphony, concerto, and sonata).

La Scala opera house in Milan is renowned as one of the best in the world. Famous Italian opera singers include Enrico Caruso, Luciano Pavarotti and Andrea Bocelli.

Hasmik Charkhchyan, Vanashen Secondary School

They are the children of the best 3 tenors: Placido Domingo, José Carreras and Luciano Pavarotti. Eyelashes, who say they didn't inherit their parents' eyelashes and voice ... 

Badeа Georgica

Scoala Gimnaziala Nr.1 Mogosoaia, Romania

Antonio Lucio Vivaldi  was an Italian Baroque composer, virtuoso violinist, teacher, impresario, and Roman Catholic priest. Born in Venice, the capital of the Venetian Republic, Vivaldi is regarded as one of the greatest Baroque composers, and his influence during his lifetime was widespread across Europe, being paramount in the development of Johann Sebastian Bach's instrumental music. He composed many instrumental concertos, for the violin and a variety of other musical instruments, as well as sacred choral works and more than fifty operas. His best-known work is a series of violin concertos known as the Four Seasons. Many of his compositions were written for the all-female music ensemble of the Ospedale della Pietà, a home for abandoned children. Vivaldi had worked as a Catholic priest for 18 months and was employed from 1703 to 1715 and from 1723 to 1740.

 Liana Markosyan, 

Hrazdan N2 Basic School

Art

The art of sculpture in the Italian peninsula has its roots in ancient times. In the archaic period, when Etruscan cities dominated central Italy and the adjacent sea, Etruscan sculpture flourished. A significant development of this art occurred between the 6th century BC and 5th century AD during the growth of the Roman Empire. The earliest Roman sculpture was influenced by the Etruscans to the north of Rome and by Greek colonists to the south. During the Middle Ages, large sculpture was largely religious. Carolingian artists  in northern Italy created sculpture for covers of Bibles, as decoration for parts of church altars, and for crucifixes and giant candlesticks placed on altars.

Visual Art

The history and development of art in Western culture is grounded in hundreds of years of Italian history. In Ancient Rome, Italy was the centre for art and architecture. There were many Italian artists during the Gothic and Medieval periods, and the arts flourished during the Italian Renaissance. Later styles in Italy included Mannerism, Baroque, and Macchiaioli. Futurism developed in Italy in the 20th century. Florence, Venice and Rome, in particular, are brimming with art treasures in museums, churches, and public buildings. 

Cinema of Italy

The Cinema of Italy comprises the films made within Italy or by Italian directors. The first Italian director is considered to be Vittorio Calcina, a collaborator of the Lumière Brothers, who filmed Pope Leo XIII in 1896. Since its beginning, Italian cinema has influenced film movements worldwide. As of 2018, Italian films have won 14 Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film (the most of any country) as well as 12 Palmes d'Or (the second-most of any country), one Academy Award for Best Picture and many Golden Lions and Golden Bears.

Sophia Loren, Federico Fellini, Michelangelo Antonioni, Dino De Laurentiis, Ennio Morricone, and Piero Tosi also received the Academy Honorary Award.

                           Giorgi Nebieridze, Future Business School - Georgia

Tarantella

Italian folk dance has been an integral part of Italian culture for centuries. Dance has been a continuous thread in Italian life from Dante through the Renaissance, the advent of the tarantella in Southern Italy, and the modern revivals of folk music and dance.

Tarantella is a group of various folk dances characterized by a fast upbeat tempo, usually in  time (sometimes  or ), accompanied by tambourines. The specific dance-name varies with every region, for instance tammurriata in Campania, pizzica in the Salento region, and Sonu a ballu in Calabria.

Canzone napoletana, sometimes referred to as Neapolitan song, is a generic term for a traditional form of music sung in the Neapolitan language, ordinarily for the male voice singing solo, although well represented by female soloists as well, and expressed in familiar genres such as the love song and serenade. Many of the songs are about the nostalgic longing for Naples as it once was. The genre consists of a large body of composed popular music-such songs as "’O sole mio"; "Torna a Surriento"; "Funiculì, Funiculà"; "Santa Lucia" and others.

Tamara Mirzoyan

Levon Mirijanyan Basic school N155

Italian is a Romance language of the Indo-European language family. Italian is the closest national language to Latin, from which it descends via vulgar Latin of the Roman Empire. Taking into account both national and regional languages, it is seen that Italian and Sardinian are together the least differentiated from Latin. Italian is an official language in Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, and Vatican City. It has an official minority status in western Istria (Croatia and Slovenia). It formerly had official status in Albania, Malta, Monaco, Montenegro (Kotor), Greece (Ionian Islands and Dodecanese), and is generally understood in Corsica by Corsican speakers. It used to be an official language in the former colonial areas of Italian East Africa and Italian North Africa.

Anush Hakobyan

KOGHB SECONDARY SCHOOL N 2

Italian Fashion

The Italian fashion industry is one of the country's most important manufacturing sectors. The majority of the older Italian couturiers are based in Rome. However, Milan is seen as the fashion capital of Italy because many well-known designers are based there and it is the venue for the Italian designer collections.

Many of Italy's top fashion designers have boutiques that can be found around the world. Among the best-known and most exclusive names are Armani, Dolce & Gabbana, Valentino Garavani, Benetton, Fendi, Gucci, Versace, Moschino, and Prada. Accessory and jewelry labels, such as Bulgari and Luxottica are also internationally acclaimed, and Luxottica is the world's largest eyewear company.

              Hasmik Charkhchyan, Vanashen Secondary School

Science

Galileo Galilei was an Italian astronomer, physicist and engineer from Pisa. Galileo has been called the "father of observational astronomy", the "father of modern physics", the "father of the scientific method", and the "father of modern science". Galileo studied speed and velocity, gravity and free fall, the principle of relativity, inertia, projectile motion and also worked in applied science and technology, describing the properties of pendulums and "hydrostatic balances". He invented the thermoscope and various military compasses, and used the telescope for scientific observations of celestial objects. His contributions to observational astronomy include telescopic confirmation of the phases of Venus, observation of the four largest satellites of Jupiter, observation of Saturn's rings, and analysis of sunspots.

Juletta Vardanyan

Yerevan N.123 Secondary school, Armenia

Italian Literature

Italian literature began after the founding of Rome in 753 BC. Roman, or Latin literature, was and still is highly influential in the world, with numerous writers, poets, philosophers, and historians. The Romans were also famous for their oral tradition, poetry, drama and epigrams. Even though most of these were inspired from the Ancient Greeks, Roman epigrams were usually far more satyrical, sometimes using obscene language to give them an exciting effect. Most of the Roman epigrams were inscriptions or graffiti. Dante is known for establishing the use of the vernacular in literature at a time when most poetry was written in Latin, making it accessible only to the most educated readers.

Vanashen Secondary School