Benvenuto in Italiya!
A place of olive oil, pasta, wine, mafia and sunshine, roman ruins and renaissance palaces, Italy has a lot to give you. It is a wonderful hospital country with beating of centuries old European heart. Italy charms, disarms and even seduces. Each part of the country is a living personality: bright and reasonable Toscana, comprising masterpieces of Renaissance in Florence, Siena and Pisa; literary heritage of Shakespeare – Venetto. Immortal Romeo and Juliette are wondering about these ancient streets and are still tragically. Modern Milano is the fashion centre, the place of constant fight of designers and trends. Coliseum, Pantheon and Rome around this world silently witness eternity. St Paul’s Cathedral and 1400 rooms of Vatican are the high of the art. Horrible and vicious Vesuvius in the south fatally rise above dead Pompey. And through noisy and buzz Napoli are open the gates to Mediterranean? Temporarily settled on Iskya and Capri.
Wherever you go in Italy you are surely find the place you will admire and belong to. A little bit Italians will never let you get bored. Italians are very hospitable and friendly nation. They are always ready to help and cheer you up!
Religion
Roman Catholicism is by far the largest religion in the country, although the Catholic Church is no longer officially the state religion. Fully 87.8% of Italians identified themselves as Roman Catholic, although only about one-third of these described themselves as active members (36.8%).
The country's oldest religious minority is the Jewish community, comprising roughly 45,000 people. It is no longer the largest non-Christian group. As a result of immigration from other parts of the world, some 825,000 Muslims (1.4% of the total population) live in Italy, though only 50,000 are Italian citizens. In addition, there are 110,000 Buddhists (0.2%),70,000 Sikhs, and 70,000 Hindus (0.1%) in Italy.
Cuisine
The modern Italian cuisine has evolved through centuries of social and political changes, with its roots reaching back to the 4th century BC. Significant change occurred with the discovery of the New World, when vegetables such as potatoes, tomatoes, bell peppers, and maize became available. However, these central ingredients of modern Italian cuisine were not introduced in scale before the 18th century.
Ingredients and dishes vary by region. However, many dishes that were once regional have proliferated in different variations across the country. Cheese and wine are major parts of the cuisine, playing different roles both regionally and nationally with their many variations and Denominazione di origine controllata (regulated appellation) laws. Coffee, and more specifically espresso, has become highly important to the cultural cuisine of Italy.
If you go to Italy you should try its traditional dishes like: Marsala,Picatta,Polenta and of course one can never forget about Italian Pizza and Pasta!
Italian Style
Elegance is in the Italian blood, and most Italians would unhesitatingly give up comfort in order to achieve it. Italy is a nation that cherishes outward appearances. Yes, it is great if you have a good heart, but Italians would expect you to have well-groomed hair, an impeccable sense of dressing and a really neat pair of shoes besides. So it is no wonder that some of the world's best sartorial artists are from Italy.
Fashion is almost a national passion, and to see the latest trends one need only glance around the various piazzas, restaurants and streets. Interestingly, these are trends worn to show off the best of the wearer, and imperceptibly conceal any flaws: individual Italians for the most part follow trends that suit them. Besides, few fashion conscious Italians would go for something trendy that is not also durable, classic and genuine.
Sports
If you come to think about sports in Italy, you will hardly name something but soccer! You cannot imagine Italy without Pasta and Pizza, it is impossible to imagine the Italian without soccer. The Italian national soccer team is popularly known by the name of Azzurri for their blue shirts. It is considered to be the second-most successful national football team in the world.
Apart from this water polo is the another popular sport in Italy. It is an old Italy sport. The other recognized sports in Italy include Rugby, Cycling, Basketball, Running Auto racing etc. In recent times the team of rugby consists of 15 players. An oval shaped ball is used for this game.
Useful Advice
For Every student going to study in Italy, it would be very useful to heed this advice:
- Learn how to manage your finances and and don’t spent much money on your first day.
- The currency Unit in Italy is the euro. When you travel within 12 countries ath accepted euro, you will not have to convert currency. When you travel outside the 12 member states you may have to convert to their currency although the Euro is rapidly becoming accepted in more and more locations.
- Italy is largely a "cash and carry" society. Credit cards are not as widely accepted in Italy as they are in the US, so you should not count on using them for buying train tickets, shopping for groceries and paying for day-to-day expenses in general. Larger train stations will accept credit cards.
- it is inappropriate in most stores to touch or handle merchandise as people do in the US. Watch other Italians, and be sure to ask a salesperson before handling or trying on an item. A receipt must be given upon the purchase of a product or service in Italy, and receipts must be in the customer’s possession for the first 100 meters after leaving the premises. Therefore, it is important to always carry receipts out of an establishment in order to avoid fines and embarrassment.
- All students must follow laws of country they wiil be staying.If encountering serious problems, American embassies and/or consulates can offer some assistance. They can provide a list of local attorneys and physicians, contact friends or family on students’ behalf to request funds or guidance, and provide assistance during civil unrest or natural disaster
Holidays
JANUARY 1 New Year's Day
JANUARY 6 Epiphany
Easter Sunday
Easter Monday
APRIL 25 Liberation Day
MAY 1 Labor Day
AUGUST 15 Assumption of the Virgin
NOVEMBER 1 All Saints Day
DECEMBER 8 Day of Immaculate Conception
DECEMBER 25 Christmas Day
DECEMBER 26 Santo Stefano (Boxing Day)
