People
Approximately
58,057,477 people live in Italy. Most of the people are Italian, German, French,
Slovene, Albanian, and Greek. Unemployment in Italy is low. The average life expectancy of Italians is about 78 years.
Language
The official
language of Italy is Italian. Other languages spoken there are German, French,
and Slovene. The Italian language developed from the Latin language that the
Romans spoke. Today it remains the closest language to Latin.
Religion
The majority
of Italians, 90%, are Roman Catholic. The other 10% are Protestant, Jewish, and
Muslim. But the religions were not always like that. The Romans used to believe in many gods and goddesses. They
even made temples to worship the gods. They believed that when they died their
spirits would go to the underworld with Hades. Slowly people started to adopt
Christianity, especially when Emperor Constantine adopted it in the 4th century AD. There are few counselors
and psychologists because most Italians take their problems to a priest.
Food
Perhaps the
most well know of Italian food is pizza. The word pizza comes from an old Italian
word meaning “a point.” Pizza could have been invented by the Phoenicians,
the Greeks, or the Romans. But pizza has been a major part of the Italian diet
since the Stone Age. It was easy and convenient to make so many working class
families ate it.
Pasta is
an important food in Italy. On average Italians eat about 60 pounds of pasta
a year compared to the 20 pounds a year an American eats. Unlike other foods,
pasta may have been invented up to thousands of years ago.
Sports
With Italy’s
long 5,345 mile coastline of course they have water sports. Some of Italy’s
best dive sites are in Sardinia. Italy’s first surfing school was in Mauro. Fishing is good throughout Italy especially in Sardinia and Sicily. Private boats for sea fishing can be rented. Boating is popular
in many of Italy’s lakes. Italy also has many ski resorts. The Dolomites are a prime ski destination, despite the driving difficulty.
Some people even go skiing on Mount Etna in Sicily.
Horse riding
is a major part of Italy. For example the Siena Palio festival has a huge horse
race. Also Italy holds an international horse show in May. Horse racing takes place during the year at tracks like the Villa Gloria.
And of course
soccer is a huge sport in Italy. For some people it is more than just a sport. It shows them how to be faithful and how to love your teammates. In 2006 Italy won the World Cup. They beat France 5 to 3 in
a penalty kick shootout. Not only do Italians like soccer but they’re pretty
good at it!
