Italy is an amazing place. If you are going on vacation here, you will be sure: an interesting and exciting pastime is provided to you. But do you know everything about the land of wine and the sun? We picked up a dozen interesting facts about Italy that you might not have suspected.
In fact, no one knows where Italy got its name from.
The word "Italy" comes from a word that translates as "country of calves." Historians still argue about how the sunny country got its name. Some believe that Italy owes its name to one of the first sovereigns that ruled in the ancient times in the territory of the current region of Calabria - Italu, while there is another version according to which the Italo people lived in the same region of the country. thanks to which Italy became Italy.
Italy ranks fourth in Europe in terms of population.
This trend is due to the high birth rate and low mortality rate. By its territorial area, the country of wine and sun is comparable to the US state of Arizona, but the population on the Apennine Peninsula is ten times higher than that in Arizona (about 60 million Italians and 6 million Arizonans) . For every square kilometer in Italy, there are about 200 inhabitants.
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Rome boasts several hundred fountains, the most famous of which, of course, is the Trevi Fountain.
In the Eternal City, there are about 50 rather large fountains and a great many small ones. The most representative of them, the Trevi Fountain (Fontana di Trevi) is considered the hallmark of the capital of Italy, has a height of 25 meters. It was built under Pope Clemente in 1762 by the talented architect Nicola Salvi. Currently, fountain restoration work is being carried out, financed by the Fendi fashion house.
Italy lies on the tectonic fault line.
This is one of the reasons why the country is regularly “shaken” by earthquakes and volcanoes flood with lava: in 2014 alone, Italy had three eruptions of the Etna volcano. We will not forget about the almost continuous eruption, which lasts for the last 20 thousand years of the volcano Stromboli (Stromboli) and sleeps from 79, but is ready to give a surprise to Vesuvio at any time.
Italy has the highest mountain in Europe.
And it is called Mont Blanc (translated "white mountain"). This peak is part of the Western Alps and is located on the border between France and Germany.
More than 50 million tourists visit Italy every year.
Tourism plays a very tangible role in the well-being of a warm country, directly affecting the gross national product. According to the latest data, more than 60% of the state treasury was tourism revenue.
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Football is the most popular sport in Italy.
Residents of sunny Italy are very ardent football fans. They not only regularly go to matches of their favorite teams, but also often “chase” the ball themselves.
Christmas is the main holiday of the year.
Religious Italians have already acquired interesting and slightly unusual traditions for celebrating Christmas.
Pasta with tomato sauce is the most popular dish among Italians.
However, it is interesting that until the beginning of the 17th century in Italy no one ate pasta with tomato sauce. Previously, she was preferred to eat with honey or sugar. It is worth noting that today there are more than 500 types of pasta.
All musical notations are always written in Italian.
Allegro, Adagio ... These Italian words to indicate pace have been used to this day for several hundred years. Recall that he proposed such a notation system, Guido d'Arezzo, one of the most famous music theorists.
