ITALYby Sant'Anna Institute-Sorrento Lingue

GEOGRAPHY

Some data:• location: Southern Europe • the boot-shaped Italian Peninsula• lies between latitudes 35° and 48° N, and

longitudes 6° and 19° E• area 301,230 km², 294,020 km² is land and

7,210 km² is water • coastline and border of 7,600 km on the

Adriatic, Ionian, Tyrrhenian seas

NEIGHBOURING COUNTRIES

•

CLIMATE• Highly diverse and , depending on location • Piedmont, Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna,

have humid continental or temperate climate• climate of the Po valley region is continental

with harsh winters and hot summers• the coastal regions have mild winters and

warm and dry summers

MAJOR CITIES ROME: Capital city of Italy , largest and most populous city, about 3

million inhabitants The historic capital of the Roman Empire

VENICE: • famous for its canals & palaces built on water.

Venice is the Capital of the Veneto region• population: 271,251

• MILAN: one of the world capitals of design and fashion and capital of the Lombardy region

TURIN: • important industrial city• a business and cultural centre in northern Italy• headquarter of the Fiat company• population: 908,000 inhabitants

BOLOGNA:• capital city of the Emilia-Romagna region• one of the top cities in Italy in terms of quality

of life

FLORENCE: • one of the most important Renaissance architectural and

art centers• Duomo and Baptistery are magnificent

MAJOR CITIES

RANK CITY POPUL. RANK CITY POPUL.

1 ROME 2761477 8 FLORENCE 371282

2 MILAN 1324110 9 BARI 320475

3 NAPLES 959574 10 CATANIA 293458

4 TURIN 907563 11 VENICE 270884

5 PALERMO 655875 12 VERONA 263964

6 GENOA 607906 13 MESSINA 242503

7 BOLOGNA 380181 14 PADUA 214198

SOME INTERESTING FACTS• Italian Scuderia Ferrari is the oldest surviving team in Grand Prix

racing (see photo)• Italy won the 2006 FIFA World Cup• currently the second most successful football team in the world,

after Brazil, having won four FIFA World Cups• Genoa: hometown of explorer Christopher Columbus, composer

Niccolò Paganini, actor Vittorio Gassman

• Milan's Bocconi University, ranked among the top 20 best business schools in the world

• Forbes has ranked Bocconi no. 1 worldwide in the specific category Value for Money

• it ranks no. 5 in Europe and n. 15 in the world• La Sapienza University in Rome is Europe's largest,

with 140,000 students

• Mont Bianco: the highest point in Italy and the European Union

• 14 volcanoes in Italy, three of which are active: Etna, Stromboli and Vesuvius

POPULATION• Italy has the fourth-largest population in the

European Union and the 23rd-largest population worldwide with estimation of 60.6 million.

• the population density- 200 persons per sq km, is the fifth highest in the European Union.

• about 68% of Italian population is classified as urban contributed mainly by:

• Milan 7.4 million Rome 3.7million• Naples 3.1million Turin 2.2 million

CULTURE

Despite the political and social distinction of regions, Italy's contributions to the cultural and historical heritage of Europe and the world is immense;Italy is home to the greatest number of UNESCO World Heritage Sites and has rich collections of world art, culture and literature from many different periods due to emigrations during Italian diaspora;100,000 monuments of any sort

LANGUAGES• official language: Italian• numerous dialects spoken all over the country • FRIULIAN: one of the dialects• a number of minority languages have co-

official status. French is co-official in the Valle d’Aosta

• German has the same status as that of French in Alto Adige region

RELIGIONRoman Catholic with small Protestant and

Jewish communities and a growing Muslim immigrant community

• 74% Italians believe in God, or a form of a spiritual life force

• 16% believe there is some sort of spirit or life force

• 6% do not believe that there is any sort of spirit, God, or life force

FAMILY VALUES • the family: centre of the social structure and

provides a stabilizing influence for its members

• in the north nuclear family lives together • in the south the extended family did reside

together in one house

ETIQUETTES & CUSTOMS

• MEETING ETIQUETTE

• GIFT GIVING ETIQUETTE

• DINING ETIQUETTE

BUSINESS ETIQUETTE

• Relationships & Communication• Business Meeting Etiquette• Dressing etiquette• Business cards

ARCHITECTURE• broad and diverse architectural style• considerable architectural achievements • Colosseum, the Milan Cathedral and Florence

cathedral, the Leaning Tower of Pisa and the building designs of Venice

FESTIVALS AND TRADITIONS

• The Palio di Siena: July, 2nd and August, 16th• Venice Carnival: February• The sicilian festival: May

VISUAL ART• Painting: a warmth of colour and light, as

shown in the works of Caravaggio and Titian• Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Donatello

Botticelli, Fra Angelico,Caravaggio,Bernini, Titian and Raphael

• The Last Supper and Mona Lisa (by Leonardo)

LITERATURE • The Divine Comedy by poet Dante Alighieri• Giovanni Boccaccio, Giacomo Leopardi,

Alessandro Manzoni, Torquato Tasso, Ludovico Ariosto and Petrarch

THEATRE• Italian theatre reveal Roman tradition• in the modern age travelling troupes amused people in the

form of juggling, acrobatics and humorous plays• The Commedia dell'arte (16th century) was characterized by

masked "types"; it was responsible for the advent of the actress and improvised performances based on sketches or scenarios

MUSIC• classical music has played an important role in Italian

culture• instruments like piano and violin, were invented in Italy,

and many of the prevailing classical music forms such as the symphony, concerto, and sonata were innovations of 16th and 17th century

• Italy is the birthplace of opera, founded in the early 17th century, in cities such as Naples and Venice

• Jazz has a strong foothold in Italy. Most notable centers of jazz music in Italy include Milan, Rome, and Sicily

• Italian pop music is represented annually with the Sanremo Music Festival which served as inspiration for the Eurovision song contest, and the Festival of Two Worlds in Spoleto

CINEMA• the Italian cinema is one the most important in the world• directors as L. Visconti, V. De Sica, R. Rossellini, P. P. Pasolini,

F. Fellini, M. Antonioni and other ones were regularly awarded in Europe and USA in the 50', 60', and 70'

• nowadays Roberto Benigni and Sophia Loren are some of the icons of the Italian cinema

SCIENCE

• through the centuries, Italy has given birth to some notable scientific minds

• some are Leonardo da vinci , Galileo Galilei, Enrico Fermi

• Nobel laureate Camillo Golgi discovered Golgi complex and received the Nobel Prize for his work

SPORTS- long and rich sporting tradition- most popular sport: football- basketball and volleyball: next most popular games- it has also got strong traditions in cycling, fencing,

tennis, athletics, cycling, motorbiking and rugby

FASHION & DESIGN

History of Italian fashion

• Italian fashion has a long tradition, is regarded as one of the most important in the world• Most fashionable in Europe

• according to the 2009 Global Language Monitor, Milan was nominated the true fashion capital of the world.

• major Italian fashion labels are Gucci, Prada, Versace, Valentino, Armani, Dolce & Gabbana, Missoni, Fendi, Moschino, Max Mara and Ferragamo

• Vogue Italia- the fashion magazine

• prominent in the field of design basically interior design, architectural design, industrial design and urban design

• Italy has produced some well-known furniture designers, such as Gio Ponti and Ettore Sottsass

• the latest trends in footwears emerge from Italy and then spread to whole of the world

ITALIAN FOODS - Italian food has become famous all over the

world - its pasta based dishes and the use of cheese - the food is mostly combined with sauces

List of Dishes and recipes

• Braciole• Bruschetta • Bresaola• Crostini con condimenti misti• Capicollo• Culatello• Curried Braised Rabbit stew• Insalata caprese• Insalata russa• Mozzarelline fritte (fried small mozzarellas)

Soup and sauce recipes

• Acquacotta• Bagna càuda• Garmugia• Ginestrata• Minestrone• Pasta e fagioli• Sugo al Pomodoro• Fonduta• Grine Sauce

RICE DISHES• Arancine di riso• Basic Risotto• Insalata di riso• Pomodori col riso• Risotto alla milanese or Risotto with saffron• Risi e bisi• Riso with schrimps (con scampi)• Riso con piselli (risi e bisi)• Riso alla toscana• Riso al nero di seppia

Italian Desserts

Pastiera Napoletana

Peach jam tart with Amaretti

Strawberry jam tart Zelten

Cake with Orange Juice

Traditional Italian Biscuits

Biscuits with Hazelnuts

November Biscuits

Cenci

Chocolate Carnival Balls

Almond Biscuits

Traditional Italian Biscuits

Biscuits with Hazelnuts

November Biscuits

Cenci

Chocolate Carnival Balls

Almond Biscuits

EDUCATION

• public education is free and compulsory from 6 to 15 years of age and has a five-year primary stage and an eight-year secondary stage

• an above-average output of scientific papers as compared to 90 countries in world

• 15 Italian universities ranked in the 2010 QS World University Rankings

• two are ranked in the Top 200 of the world

• University of Bologna: the oldest college

• Sapienza University of Rome

• The University of Padua

TOURISM• Italy is the fourth highest tourist earner, and fifth

most visited country in the world• more than 43.2 million tourists a year visit the

country• rich art, cuisine, history, fashion and culture, its

beautiful coastline and beaches, its mountains, ancient monuments especially those from the Greek civilization and Roman civilization

• Tourism is one of the fastest growing and most profitable industrial sectors, with an estimated revenue of $42.7 billion

• the first actual tourists to come to Italy were aristocrats during the Grand Tour, in late 17th century, and flourishing in the 18th century.

• Rome attracted thousands tourists from all over the world which included most of the Mediterranean, Northern Africa,England and the parts of the Middle East

• traders and merchants came to Italy from several different parts of the world

• top attractions : Venice, Florence, Rome, Naples and Sicily• by the 1850s, less-cultural visits began to be made, and

several tourists also came to Italy for its nature and weather

• Ligurian coast around Venice, coastal Tuscany and the Amalfi coast are popular

• Capri, Ischia, Procida and Elba, and the Northern Lakes, such as Lake Como, Lake Maggiore and Lake Garda

- Northwest Italy: Turin, the manufacturing capital & Milan, the business and fashion capital of the country

- Northeast Italy: Venice,Verona,Vicenza, Padua, Trento, Bolzano, Bologna, Ferrara, Piacenza

- Central Italy:the world's best known landmarks such as the Colosseum. Florence, Tuscany's most visited city, nearby cities like Siena, Pisa, and Lucca also have rich cultural heritages

SOUTHERN ITALY:• Apulia, Basilicata, Calabria• Campania: Amalfi Coast, Sorrento Peninsula, Naples,

Pompeii & Herculaneum (Roman ruins), Paestum (Greek ruins)

• Sicily: largest island in the country &famous for its archaeology, seascape and unique Sicilian cuisine

• Sardinia: large island, 250 kilometers west of the Italian coastline, includes beaches and archaeological ruins

ECONOMY

• In the 50'- 60' Italian economy changed from agriculture to industrial state• one of the 10 largest economies in the

world• unemployment is around 8.4% in 2011

and is forecast to remain around that level for years

CORPORATIONS

• smaller number of global multinational corporations• large number of small and medium-sized enterprises• historical "Industrial triangle" (Milan - Turin - Genoa) • Tuscan industrial triangle (Florence - Prato - Pistoia)

• Italy was the world's 7th largest exporter in 2009

• Italy's major exports and companies by sector are motor vehicles, chemicals and petrochemicals, electrical engineering, home appliances, aerospace and defense technologies, firearms , fashion; food processing, sport and luxury vehicles, yachts

Trade partners

• Italy's closest trade ties are with the other countries of the European Union, with whom it conducts about 59% of its total trade

• Its largest EU trade partners, in order of market share, are Germany (12.9%), France (11.4%), and Spain (7.4%)

ENEL UTILITIES

One of the largest European utility providers, with a home base in Italy and subsidiaries in Spain, Russia, Latin America and Eastern Europe;

It produces, distributes and sells electricity and gas all over Europe, North America and Latin America

ENI OIL

An Italian multinational oil and gas company, present in 70 countries, and currently Italy's largest industrial company with a market capitalization of 87.7 billion euros

GENERALI GROUP INSURANCE• founded in 1831 in Trieste, is one of the most significant

participants in the global insurance and financial products market

• now present in 40 Countries• market shares in Germany, France, Austria, Spain, Switzerland

and Israel

INTESA SANPAOLO BANKING• one of the top banking groups in the euro zone• leader in Italy in all business areas (retail, corporate and

wealth management)• 5,700 branches • subsidiaries in Central-Eastern Europe,

Middle East and North Africa with a network of more than 1,700 branches

HEALTH &CARE

• public healthcare system since 1978. Healthcare account for more than 9.0% of GDP

• world's 2nd best healthcare system, and the world's 3rd best healthcare performance

• 12th highest worldwide life expectancy • smoking in public places including bars, restaurants,

night clubs and offices has been restricted to specially ventilated rooms since 2005

SWOT ANALYSIS STRENGTHS- member of G8- fashion hub- processing & manufacturing of goods- leading exporter in apparel trade- art and tourism

WEAKNESS- limited natural resources- imports are high- high public debts- expensive labour- high crime zone

OPPORTUNITIES- world’s 4th largest gold reserve- better relations with India, U.S , China- import of energy for processing & manufacturing

THREATS- uncertainty in retail sector- economic division between northern & southern Italy- low production rate of apparels- security & potential threats from terrorists & other gangs