Culture of ItalyThe culture of Italy encompasses the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, and customs of the Italian peninsula and of the Italians throughout history. Italy has been the centre of the Roman civilization and of the Catholic Church, as well as the starting point of movements with a great international impact such as the Renaissance, Baroque, Neoclassicism, Futurism, and Fascism. Italy is considered a cultural superpower and the Italian peninsula one of the birthplaces of western civilization.
Italian diasporaThe Italian diaspora (emigrazione italiana, emiɡratˈtsjoːne itaˈljaːna) is the large-scale emigration of Italians from Italy. There were two major Italian diasporas in Italian history. The first diaspora began around 1880, two decades after the Unification of Italy, and ended in the 1920s to the early 1940s with the rise of Fascist Italy. Poverty was the main reason for emigration, specifically the lack of land as mezzadria sharecropping flourished in Italy, especially in the South, and property became subdivided over generations.
Economy of ItalyThe economy of Italy is a highly developed social market economy. It is the third-largest national economy in the European Union, the 8th-largest in the world by nominal GDP, and the 12th-largest by GDP (PPP). Italy is a founding member of the European Union, the Eurozone, the OECD, the G7 and the G20; it is the eighth-largest exporter in the world, with $611 billion exported in 2021. Its closest trade ties are with the other countries of the European Union, with whom it conducts about 59% of its total trade.
Southern ItalySouthern Italy (Sud Italia ˈsud iˈtaːlja or Italia meridionale iˈtaːlja meridjoˈnaːle; 'o Sudde; Italia dû Suddi), also known as Meridione (meriˈdjoːne) or Mezzogiorno (meddzoˈdʒorno; Miezojuorno; Menzujornu; Midday) is a macroregion of Italy consisting of its southern regions. The term Mezzogiorno today refers to regions that are associated with the people, lands or culture of the historical and cultural region that was once politically under the administration of the former Kingdoms of Naples and Sicily (officially denominated as one entity Regnum Siciliae citra Pharum and ultra Pharum, i.
Italian cuisineItalian cuisine (cucina italiana, kuˈtʃiːna itaˈljaːna) is a Mediterranean cuisine consisting of the ingredients, recipes and cooking techniques developed across the Italian Peninsula and later spread around the world together with waves of Italian diaspora. Some of these foods were imported from other cultures. Significant changes occurred with the colonization of the Americas and the introduction of potatoes, tomatoes, capsicums, maize and sugar beet—the latter introduced in quantity in the 18th century.
ItaliansItalians (Italiani, itaˈljaːni) are an ethnic group native to the Italian geographical region. Italians share a common culture, history, ancestry and language. Their predecessors differ regionally, but generally include native populations such as the Etruscans, the Rhaetians, the Ligurians, the Adriatic Veneti, and the Italic peoples, including the Latins, from which the Romans emerged and helped create and evolve the modern Italian identity.
History of ItalyThe European country of Italy has been inhabited by humans since at least 850,000 years ago. Since classical antiquity, ancient Etruscans, various Italic peoples (such as the Latins, Samnites, and Umbri), Celts, Magna Graecia colonists, and other ancient peoples have inhabited the Italian Peninsula. Italy was the birthplace and centre of the ancient Roman civilisation. Rome was founded as a kingdom in 753 BC and became a republic in 509 BC.
