ITALY

CULTURE
The official language of the country is Italian. About 93
Language
percent of the Italian population speaks Italian as native
language, according to the BBC. There are a number of
dialects of the language spoken in the country, including
Sardinian, Friulian, Neapolitan, Sicilian, Ligurian,
Piedmontese, Venetian and Calabrian. Milanese is also
spoken in Milan. Other languages spoken by native Italians
include Albanian, Bavarian, Catalan, Cimbrian, Corsican,
Croatian, French, German, Greek, Slovenian and Walser.
The major religion in Italy is Roman Catholicism. This is not
Religion
surprising, as Vatican City, located in the heart of Rome, is
the hub of Roman Catholicism and where the Pope resides.
Roman Catholics and other Christians make up 80 percent
of the population, though only one-third of those are
practicing Catholics. The country also has a growing Muslim
immigrant community, according to the University of
Michigan. Muslim, agnostic and atheist make up the other 20
percent of the population, according to the Central
Intelligence Agency.
Italian cuisine has influenced food culture around the world
Food
and is viewed as a form of art by many. Wine, cheese and
pasta are important part of Italian meals. Pasta comes in a
wide range of shapes, widths and lengths, including penne,
spaghetti, linguine, fusilli and lasagna.
The history of the GUITAR has its origins in Italy, where,
Musical
following the schools of classical lutes brought to the birth of
Instrument different regional schools, which continue today with
different styles and techniques. A typical Italian guitar is the
guitar swing, typical of the tradition of Calabria, Puglia,
Basilicata, and Abruzzo, Molise and of Campania, which we
find in the center and south of Italy since the fourteenth
century, with ever-evolving forms compared to the presumed
model of the historic baroque guitar. Today is also known as
Italian guitar as opposed to the “classical” guitar called as
Spanish or French guitar. A distinguishing feature of this old
guitar is it’s shaped like an elongated eight. The oldest
sources regarding VIOLIN enable us to trace its birth at the
beginning of the sixteenth century. For many years
the ACCORDION was an instrument in the popular and folk-
dance Italian tradition. The origin of the
classic MANDOLIN (or Neapolitan mandolin) dates back to
the mid-seventeenth century, it is believed that from that
time begins the production of mandolins by the famous
“Casa Vinaccia”. The term HARPSICHORD refers for a
family of stringed musical instruments of Italian origin that
have a keyboard, among which the most famous is the large
instrument nowadays called harpsichord, but also the
 smaller ones like the spinet. The ORGAN is an instrument
of ancient origin. The REED-PIPE (different from the
traditional bagpipe) is widespread in Calabria, although
present in all European popular music and meet during the
festivals, pilgrimages, folk manifestations and in many
religious and profane occasions. It’s an instrument that is so
dear as it brings us back to the celebratory atmosphere
of Christmas and its beautiful melodies. The SHAWM or
pipe (called ciaramella or pipita in Italian) is a popular air
instrument of the family of oboes with double reed. The
standard OCARINA used in Western music was invented in
Budrio, Italy, during the mid-nineteenth century by Giuseppe
Donati. The CASTAGNETTE is an idiophone musical
instrument mainly used in Mediterranean folk music, often
confused with the similar castanets.
The most famous Italian dance is the tarantella. This differs
Dance
from the wedding dance we mentioned on the last page in
that here, a solo performer dances vigorously to a quick,
upbeat song, supposedly to "sweat out" the poison of the
deadly tarantula. The dance could last for hours, and is
quasi-religious in nature.
Opera is a major Italian music tradition, achieving its
Song
greatest popularity in the 1800s. In fact, opera was created
in Italy, evolving from raucous performances of singing and
dancing with exciting stage effects meant to entertain
Roman crowds in between acts of the actual play. They
were known as intermezzi. The word opera simply means,
"A work," and the form involves a distinct style of singing
more melodic and dramatic than speech, but not as focused
on melody and harmony than other musical styles. The first
true opera, "Dafne," appeared in the late 14th century in
Venice. Today, many of the best-known opera singers in the
world are Italian. Italian pop music is similar to pop music in
the rest of the world, incorporating rock, hip-hop, jazz and
electronic dance music. However, Italian pop stars
incorporate traditional Italian music into their works as well,
such as Andrea Bocelli, who fuses pop music with classical
and opera. Italians also love to listen to music made by
others of Italian heritage -- thus, listening to music made by
Italians is a tradition, whether the music itself is traditional or
not. You're likely to hear some Frank Sinatra or Al Martino
being played at Italian family gatherings.
Italians celebrate most Christian holidays. The celebration of
Holiday and
the Epiphany, celebrated on January 6, is much like
Ceremony Christmas. Belfana, an old lady who flies on her broomstick,
delivers presents and goodies to good children, according to
legend. Pasquetta, on the Monday after Easter, typically
involves family picnics to mark the beginning of springtime.
 November 1 commemorates Saints Day, a religious holiday
during which Italians typically decorate the graves of
deceased relatives with flowers. Many Italian towns and
villages celebrate the feast day of their patron saint.
September 19, for example, is the feast of San Gennaro, the
patron saint of Napoli. April 25 is the Liberation Day, marking
the 1945 liberation ending World War II in Italy in 1945.
The women wear colorful embroidered skirts and bodices
Costume
over light-weight chemises or blouses, with elaborate hats
decorated with flowers or fruit. Men's traditional clothing
tends to be simpler, but doesn't lack from attention to detail,
with embroidery and metal buttons and pins. These
costumes evolved from simpler peasant dress in the Middle
Ages. Italian peasants wore practical clothing for their daily
activities, with simple pants and shirts for the men and
blouses and skirts for the women, sometimes with a bodice.
Most items were made from simple fabrics, wool being very
common. Color selection was limited to inexpensive gray
and black dyes. One notable traditional Italian fabric is a
waterproof type of wool called orbace. Even the uniforms of
Mussolini's infamous Black Shirts were made from orbace.
Peasant women wore hats that covered the head with a
square, flat section that curved or angled down to cover the
back of the head and the neck. The flat top helped the
women carry baskets to market. This style eventually
evolved into hats with artificial flowers or fruits worn by upper
class women, mimicking a peasant carrying a basket on her
head. The clothes worn by wealthy Italian women looked like
peasant garb, but they used richer fabrics like silk and
velvet. The rich also had access to colorful dyes, so the
color palette varied more widely. Upper-class Italian women
also tended to wear more jewelry than peasants.
Sport in Italy has a long tradition. In numerous sports, both
Sport
individual and team, Italy has a good representation and
many successes. Footballis the most popular sport in Italy.
Italy won the 2006 FIFA World Cup, and is (along
with Germany) currently the second most successful football
team in World Cup history, after Brazil, having won four FIFA
World Cupchampionships. Basketball, volleyball,
and cycling are the next most popular/played sports, with
Italy having a rich tradition in all three. Italy also has strong
traditions in swimming, water polo, rugby
union, tennis, athletics, fencing and Formula One.
Italian tradition is filled with festivals celebrating
Tradition
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."
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 (and blending the holiday
with a celebration of Saint John), 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.