Culture of italy

1. Culture of Italy
Mariam Hovhannisyan
Middle school
6-1

2. Culture of Italy
 Italy is considered the birthplace of Western civilization and a cultural superpower. Italy has
been the starting point of phenomena of international impact such as the Magna Graecia,
the Roman Empire, the Roman Catholic Church, the Renaissance, the Risorgimento and
the European integration. During its history, the nation gave birth to an enormous number of
notable people.
 Both the internal and external faces of Western culture were born on the Italian peninsula,
whether one looks at the history of the Christian faith, civil institutions, philosophy, law, art,
science, or social customs and culture.
 Italy was home to many well-known and influential civilizations, including
the Etruscans, Samnites and the Romans, while also hosting colonies from important foreign
civilizations like the Phoenicians and Greeks, whose influence and culture had a large impact
through the peninsula. Etruscan and Samnite cultures flourished in Italy before the
emergence of the Roman Republic, which conquered and incorporated them. Phoenicians
and Greeks established settlements in Italy beginning several centuries before the birth of
Christ, and the Greek settlements in particular developed into thriving classical civilizations.
The Greek ruins in southern Italy are perhaps the most spectacular and best preserved
anywhere.

3. Culture of Italy
 For more than 2,000 years Italy experienced migrations, invasions and was divided into many independent
states until 1861 when it became a nation-state. Due to this comparatively late unification, and the
historical autonomy of the regions that comprise the Italian peninsula, many traditions and customs that
are now recognized as distinctly Italian can be identified by their regions of origin. Despite the political
and social isolation of these regions, Italy's contributions to the cultural and historical heritage of Europe
and the world remain immense.
 The famous elements of Italian culture are its art, music, style, and iconic food. Italy was the birthplace
of opera, and for generations the language of opera was Italian, irrespective of the nationality of the
composer. Popular tastes in drama in Italy have long favored comedy; the improvisational style known as
the Commedia dell'arte began in Italy in the mid-16th century and is still performed today. Before being
exported to France, the famous Ballet dance genre also originated in Italy.
 The country boasts several world-famous cities. Rome was the ancient capital of the Roman Empire and
seat of the Pope of the Catholic Church. Florence was the heart of the Renaissance, a period of great
achievements in the arts at the end of the Middle Ages. Other important cities include Turin, which used
to be the capital of Italy, and is now one of the world's great centers of automobile engineering. Milan is
the industrial, financial and fashion capital of Italy. Venice, with its intricate canal system, attracts tourists
from all over the world especially during the Venetian Carnival and the Biennale.
 Italy is home to the greatest number of UNESCO World Heritage Sites to date, and according to one
estimate the country is home to half the world's great art treasures. Overall, the nation has an estimated
100,000 monuments of any sort.

4. Arts

5. Architecture
 Architectural ruins from antiquity throughout Italy testify to the greatness of cultures past. The history of
architecture in Italy is one that begins with the ancient styles of the Etruscans and Greeks, progressing to
classical Roman, then to the revival of the classical Roman era during the Renaissance and evolving into the
Baroque era. During the period of the Italian Renaissance it had been customary for students of architecture to
travel to Rome to study the ancient ruins and buildings as an essential part of their education. Old St. Peter's
Church was probably the first significant early Christian basilica, a style of church architecture that came to
dominate the early Middle Ages. Old St. Peter's stood on the site of the present St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. The
first significant buildings in the medieval Romanesque style were churches built in Italy during the 800's. Several
outstanding examples of the Byzantine architectural style of the Middle East were also built in Italy. The most
famous Byzantine structure is the Basilica of St. Mark in Venice.
 The greatest flowering of Italian architecture took place during the Renaissance. Filippo Brunelleschi made great
contributions to architectural design with his dome for the Cathedral of Florence. Leon Battista Alberti was
another early Renaissance architect whose theories and designs had an enormous influence on later architects.
 Perhaps the greatest achievement of Italian Renaissance architecture was St. Peter's Basilica, originally designed
by Donato Bramante in the early 16th century. Andrea Palladio influenced architects throughout western Europe
with the villas and palaces he designed in the middle and late 16th century.
 The Baroque period produced several outstanding Italian architects in the 17th century especially known for
their churches. The most important architects included Gian Lorenzo Bernini and Francesco Borromini.
Numerous modern Italian architects, such as Renzo Piano, are famous worldwide.

6. Picture

7. Comics
 The official birth of Italian comics is December 27, 1908, when the first issue of the Corriere dei
Piccoli was published. Attilio Mussino has produced for this weekly a wide range of characters, including
a little black child, Bilbolbul, whose almost surrealist adventures took place in a fantastic Africa.
 In 1932 publisher Lotario Vecchi, had already begun publication of Jumbo magazine, using exclusively
North American authors. The magazine reached a circulation of 350.000 copies in Italy, sanctioning
comics as a mainstream medium with broad appeal. Vecchi moved to Spain three years later, bringing
the same title.
 In December 1932, the first Disney comic in Italy, Mickey Mouse, or Topolino in Italian, had been
launched by the Florentine publisher Nerbini. The Disney franchise was then taken over by the
Mondadori subsidiary, API, in 1935.
 In 1945, Hugo Pratt while attending the Venice Academy of Fine Arts, created, in collaboration
with Mario Faustinelli and Alberto Ongaro, Asso di Picche. Their distinctive approach to the art form
earned them the name of Venetian school of comics.
 In 1948 Gian Luigi Bonelli initiated a long and successful series of Western strips, starting with the
popular Tex Willer. This comic would become the model for a line of publications centered around the
popular comic book format that became known as Bonelliano, from the name of the publisher.
 Some of the series that followed Tex Willer were Zagor, Mister No, and more recently, Martin Mystère
and Dylan Dog. These comic books presented complete stories in 100+ black-and-white pages in a
pocket book format. The subject matter was always adventure, whether western, horror, mystery or
science fiction. The Bonelliani are to date the most popular form of comics in the country.

8. Picture

9. Fashion and design
 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.
 Currently, Milan and Rome, annually compete with other major international centres, such as Paris, New York,
London, and Tokyo. Also, the fashion magazine Vogue Italia is considered the most prestigious fashion
magazine in the world.
 Italy is also prominent in the field of design, notably interior design, architectural design, industrial design, and
urban design. The country has produced some well-known furniture designers, such as Gio Ponti and Ettore
Sottsass, and Italian phrases such as Bel Disegno and Linea Italiana have entered the vocabulary of furniture
design. Examples of classic pieces of Italian white goods and pieces of furniture include Zanussi's washing
machines and fridges, the "New Tone" sofas by Atrium, and the post-modern bookcase by Ettore Sottsass,
inspired by Bob Dylan's song "Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again".
 Today, Milan and Turin are the nation's leaders in architectural design and industrial design. The city of Milan
hosts the FieraMilano, Europe's biggest design fair. Milan also hosts major design and architecture-related
events and venues, such as the Fuori Salone and the Salone del Mobile, and has been home to the
designers Bruno Munari, Lucio Fontana, Enrico Castellani, and Piero Manzoni.

10. Picture

11. Motion pictures
 The Italian film industry was born between 1903 and 1908 with three companies: the Roman Società
Italiana Cines, the Ambrosio Film and the Itala Film in Turin. Other companies soon followed in Milan and
in Naples.
 The early Italian film industry became internationally known for its historical spectacles. But during
the World War I, Italy like other European governments, diverted raw material from their film industries to
military needs.
 Few major motion pictures were produced during the 1920s and 1930s, but a renaissance of Italian
filmmaking developed in the 1940s. At that time, a new generation of directors emerged. They
included Vittorio De Sica, Roberto Rossellini, and Luchino Visconti. The impact of the war led several of
these directors to make movies that focused on society and its problems. This impulse resulted in the
emergence of the first important postwar European film movement, Neorealism. Neorealist directors were
concerned primarily with portraying the daily life of ordinary people. They mainly filmed on location
rather than on a studio set, and they used mostly nonprofessional actors. These qualities gave Neorealist
films a gritty, almost documentary look.
 During the 1950s and 1960s, earthy comedies gained international success, due partly to the popularity of
Italian movie stars Gina Lollobrigida, Sophia Loren, and Marcello Mastroianni. In the same years, Sergio
Leone helped create a new film genre, ironically nicknamed the "Spaghetti Western", because they were
made by Italian directors, either in Italy, Spain, or even in the famous Monument Valley Studios in the
United States.
 At the same time, a new group of directors won praise. The most significant were Michelangelo
Antonioni, Federico Fellini and Pier Paolo Pasolini. Vittorio De Sica, Roberto Rossellini, and Luchino
Visconti also continued to film major works. During the late 20th century, the leading Italian directors
included Roberto Benigni, Marco Bellocchio, Bernardo Bertolucci, and the brothers Paolo and Vittorio
Taviani.

12. Picture

13. Music
 Music writing began in Italy. Therefore, Italian words are used to tell us how music is
played. Consequently, all countries have adopted technical terms in their Italian
form — a demonstration of the crucial role played by Italy, and in particular Florence,
in the history ofFrom 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.
 Italian composers have played a major role in music since the Middle Ages. In the
11th century, Guido of Arezzo, an Italian monk, developed a revolutionary system of
notation and method of sight-singing. The Gregorian chant, troubadour song, and
the madrigal were forms in early Italian music.

14. Picture

15. Science and technology
 The still-standing aqueducts, bathhouses, and other public works of both ancient republic and empire
testify to the engineering and architectural skills of the Romans. The rebirth of science during the
Renaissance brought the daring speculations of Leonardo da Vinci advances in physics and astronomy
by Galileo Galilei, and the development of the barometer by Evangelista Torricelli.
 At the start of the 20th century, Guglielmo Marconi carried out experiments in electricity and
developed the wireless, but he was preceded by Count Alessandro Volta, one of the pioneers of
electricity, over 100 years earlier. By the end of the Second World War, Enrico Fermi's work in nuclear
physics led to the development of both the atomic bomb and peaceful atomic applications. On
September 25, 2001, US Congress passed a resolution that officially recognized the Florentine
immigrant to the United States, Antonio Meucci, as the inventor of the telephone.
 A brief overview of some other notable figures includes the astronomer Giovanni Domenico Cassini,
who made many important discoveries about the Solar System; the
mathematicians Lagrangia, Fibonacci, and Gerolamo Cardano, whose Ars Magna is generally
recognized as the first modern treatment on mathematics, made fundamental advances to the
field; Marcello Malpighi, a doctor and founder of microscopic anatomy; the biologist Lazzaro
Spallanzani, who conducted important research in bodily functions, animal reproduction, and cellular
theory; the physician, pathologist, scientist, and Nobel laureate Camillo Golgi, whose many
achievements include the discovery of the Golgi complex, and his role in paving the way to the
acceptance of the Neuron doctrine.

16. Picture

17. Sculpture
 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. The name of an individual artist, Vulca, who worked at Veii, has
been identified. He has left a terracotta Apollo and other figures, and can perhaps
claim the distinction of being the most ancient master in the long history of Italian art.
 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 Empire period, the pure realism of the Republican period portrait
busts was joined to Greek idealism. The result, evident in Augustus of Primaporta, was
often a curious juxtaposition of individualized heads with idealized, anatomically
perfect bodies in Classical poses. 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.
 In the late 13th century, Nicola Pisano and his son Giovanni began the revolutionary
changes that led up to the Renaissance in Italian sculpture, drawing influences from
Roman sarcophagi and other remains. Both are noted for their reliefs and
ornamentation on pulpits. The Massacre of the Innocents by Giovanni Pisano is an
example.

18. Picture

19. Sculpture
 The greatest sculptor of the early Renaissance was Donatello. In 1430, he had produced a
bronze statue of David, which reestablished the classical idea of beauty in the naked
human body. Conceived fully in the round and independent of any architectural
surroundings, it was the first major work of Renaissance sculpture. Among the other
brilliant sculptors of the 15th century were Jacopo della
Quercia, Michelozzo, Bernardo and Antonio Rossellino, and Agostino di Duccio.
 Michelangelo's great brooding sculptures, such as the figures of Night and Day in
the Medici Chapel in Florence, dominated High Renaissance Italian sculpture. His David, is
perhaps, the most famous sculpture in the world. It differs from previous representations of
the subject in that David is depicted before his battle with Goliath and not after the giant's
defeat. Instead of being shown victorious over a foe much larger than he, David looks
tense and ready for combat.
 Gian Lorenzo Bernini was the most important sculptor of the Baroque period. He
combined emotional and sensual freedom with theatrical presentation and an almost
photographic naturalism. Bernini's saints and other figures seem to sit, stand, and move as
living people — and the viewer becomes part of the scene. This involvement of the
spectator is a basic characteristic of Baroque sculpture. One of his most famous works
is Ecstasy of Saint Teresa.

20. Picture

21. Theatre
 Italian theatre can be traced back into the Roman which was heavily influenced by the Greek tradition,
and, as with many other literary genres, Roman dramatists tended to adapt and translate from the
Greek. For example, Seneca's Phaedra was based on that of Euripides, and many of the comedies
of Plautus were direct translations of works by Menander.
 Opposition from the early church was one of the reasons for the decline of the Roman theater that
began in the 4th century AD. Early Christians saw a connection between theatre and pagan religions,
and the church fathers argued that the evil characters portrayed onstage taught immorality. For this
reason, large theatrical performances disappeared after the fall of the Western Roman Empire.
 Ironically, the earliest recorded drama in all parts of Western Europe was the Liturgical drama of the
Church. In fact, during the medieval period, the Church began to act out particular Bible passages.
These dramatizations grew into staged Christmas and Easter stories so that the illiterate masses could
understand the Latin liturgy. Regions in France, Germany, and England showed the most activity of
Liturgical drama. The Catholic Church thus made a more concerted effort to utilize drama and theatre
in the propagation of the gospel.
 During the 16th century and on into the 18th century Commedia dell'arte was a form of improvisational
theatre, although it is still performed today. Travelling teams of players would set up an outdoor stage
and provide amusement in the form of juggling, acrobatics, and, more typically, humorous plays based
on a repertoire of established characters with a rough storyline, called canovaccio.
 Italian theatre has been active in producing outstanding contemporary European work and in staging
important revivals, although no native playwright has produced works that can rival those of Luigi
Pirandello from the early 20th century. In the late 20th century Dario Fo received international acclaim
for his highly improvisational style.

22. Picture

23. 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. The Italian Renaissance
produced many of the greatest painters in art history. They were all influenced by
the work of Giotto di Bondone in the late 13th century. One of the most influential
artists who ever lived, Giotto changed the course of Western art by painting in a
new realistic style.
 Florence became the center of early Renaissance art. The great Florentine masters
of painting included Masaccio, Fra Angelico, Andrea Mantegna, Sandro Botticelli,
and Paolo Uccello. The greatest artist of the 15th century was probably Leonardo
da Vinci. His portrait Mona Lisa and his religious scene The Last Supper are among
the most famous paintings in history.

24. Picture

25. Cuisine

26. Cuisine
 Italian cuisine has developed through centuries of social and political changes, it has its
roots in ancient Rome. Artichokes, peas, lettuce, parsley, melons, and apples, as well
as wine and cheese, many kinds of meat, and grains were all enjoyed by ancient
Romans. For feasts Roman cooks used many spices, developed recipes
for cheesecake and omelets, and roasted all types of meat. From this noble beginning a
sophisticated and flavorful cuisine has emerged. Significant changes occurred with the
discovery of the New World and the introduction of potatoes, tomatoes, bell
peppers and maize, now central to the cuisine but not introduced in quantity until the
18th century.
 Italian cuisine, like other facets of the culture, speaks with highly inflected regional
accents. There are certain self-consciously national constants: you can find spaghetti
with tomato sauce and pizza pretty much everywhere, but this nationalisation of
culinary identity didn't really take hold until after the Second World War, when southern
immigrants flooded to the north in search of work, and even those classics vary from
place to place; small enclaves still hold fast to their unique local forms of pasta and
particular preparations. Classics such as Pasta e fagioli, while found everywhere, are
prepared differently according to local traditions. Gastronomic explorations of Italy are
best undertaken by knowing the local traditions and savouring the local foods on the
spot.

27. Pictures

28. Libraries and museums
 Italy is one of the world's greatest centers of architecture, art, and books. Among its many of libraries, the
most important are in the national library system, which contains two central libraries, in Florence
and Rome, and four regional libraries, in Naples, Milan, Turin and Venice. The existence of two national
central libraries, while most nations have one, came about through the history of the country, as Rome was
once part of the Papal States and Florence was one of the first capitals of the unified Kingdom of Italy.
While both libraries are designated as copyright libraries, Florence now serves as the site designated for
conservation and cataloging of Italian publications and the site in Rome catalogs foreign publications
acquired by the state libraries. All large Italian cities have public libraries.
 Italy, a world center of culture, history and art, has more than 3,000 museums. They contain, perhaps, the
most important collections of artifacts from ancient civilizations. Taranto's museum, for example, offers
material enabling scholars to probe deeply into the history of Magna Graecia. The archaeological collections
in the Roman National Museum in Rome and in the National Archaeological Museum in Naples are
probably among the world's best. Similarly, the Etruscan collection in the National Archaeological Museum
of Umbria in Perugia, the classical sculptures in the Capitoline Museums in Rome, and the Egyptian
collection in the Museo Egizio in Turin are, perhaps, the best such collections in the world.
 The classical age is not the only age represented in Italy's museums. The Italian Renaissance is well
represented in a number of museums: the Uffizi Gallery, Bargello Museum, and Palazzo Pitti are all located
in Florence. Many of these museums, are the former palaces of kings or the houses of royal families.

29. Picture

30. The end…